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LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 


Gl  FT    OF 


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.hl-ci LrOr.C f\lM/[^.. 

Class 


PRESENTED   WITH    THE    COMPLIMENTS 

OF    1   H  E 

OHIO    SOCIETY     OF     NEW    YORK 


HISTORY  OF  THE   OHIO  SOCIETY 
OF  NEW  YORK 

One  thousand  copies  of  this  book  have 
been  printed  from  type  by  The  Grafton 
Press  of  New  York  and  the  type  has  been 
distributed. 


"  We  found  this  Society  because  we  love  Ohio,  and  would  cherish  her 
history,  her  traditions,  her  recollections  of  home,  and  camp,  and  forum." 

Thomas  Ewing,  January  13,  1886. 


Ohio    Bickeye 
^fJ)iriiliin    ijUihru,     WiUd 


HISTORY 

OF   THE    OHIO    SOCIETY 

OF  NEW  YORK 

1885—1905 

Prepared  and  compiled  under  the  direction  of 

Henry  L.  Burnett 

Warren  Higley 

Leander  H.  Crall 

Committee  on  Publication 

BY 

James   H.  Kennedy 

Historian  of  the  Society 


THE  GRAFTON  PRESS 


NEW  YORK 


MCMVI 


c-^^'" 

%'''' 


Copyright,  1906 
By  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York 


Extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  January  11, 
1904: 

"  Whereas,  It  is  deemed  highly  desirable  to  have  prepared  a  correct 
chronological  history  of  the  Society  from  its  inception  and  organization; 
therefore,  be  it 

"  Resolved,  That  the  governing  committee  be,  and  it  hereby  is,  authorized 
and  requested  to  cause  such  a  history  to  be  prepared,  and  to  employ  such 
assistance  in  the  work,  at  such  compensation  as  to  it  may  seem  proper,  and 
also  to  appoint  a  special  committee  of  five  members  to  supervise  and  approve 
the  work." 

The  governing  conmiittee  reported  to  the  Society  on  February  8th,  1904, 
that  the  following  gentlemen  had  been  selected  pursuant  to  this  resolution : 

Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett, 

Hon.  Warren  Higley, 

Mr.  Leander  H.  Crall, 

Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,* 

Mr.  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye.* 

*  Deceased. 


IG279! 


PREFACE 

THIS  record  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  been  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  the  special  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose.  The 
author  desires  to  acknowledge  the  courtesy,  the  willing  assistance,  and 
the  devoted  interest  which  these  gentlemen  have  shown,  not  only  in  advice  as 
to  plan  and  scope,  but  in  the  aid  which  they  have  extended  in  the  gathering 
of  material,  and  in  counsel  from  time  to  time. 

The  story  told  in  these  pages  is,  and  purports  to  be,  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  that  called  for  in  the  resolution  under  which  the  work  was  author- 
ized— a  plain  chronological  history  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  The 
minute  books  of  the  Society  and  of  the  governing  committee  have  furnished 
the  main  body  of  information.  These  have  been  supplemented  by  the  re- 
ports of  officers  and  committees,  by  the  official  programmes  prepared  upon 
special,  social  or  other  occasions,  the  year  books,  scrap-books,  kept  by  the 
superintendent  of  the  Society  rooms,  by  newspaper  files,  and,  in  a  few  in- 
stances, the  personal  recollections  of  early  members. 

While  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  in  many  cases  good  material  has  been 
lost  by  the  meagreness  of  official  record,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  a  gratification 
to  the  members  that  so  much  of  value  and  interest  has  been  preserved;  far 
more  than  was  thought  possible  by  any  when  it  was  proposed  that  the  story 
of  the  Society  should  be  preserved  in  concrete  form.  This  holds  especially 
true  of  the  banquets  which  have  achieved  national  fame.  Many  have  been 
the  expressions  of  regret  that  the  Society  had  not  earlier  inaugurated  its 
present  commendable  system  of  reporting  in  full  and  preserving  the  speeches 
made  by  eminent  men  upon  these  occasions.  It  is  with  pleasure  your  historian 
states  that  practically  all  of  these  speeches  are  reproduced  with  more  or  less 
fulness;  many  of  them  verbatim.  It  was  not  without  research  and  labor 
that  the  valuable  material  was  secured,  but  a  perusal  of  the  pages  that 
follow  will  show  that  it  has  not  been  lost.  Many  of  the  most  eminent  among 
American  citizens  have  spoken  upon  these  occasions;  presidents,  vice-presi- 
dents, cabinet  officers,  senators,  governors,  diplomats,  soldiers,  naval  officers, 
and  others.  In  the  twenty  years  which  have  passed  since  the  Ohio  Society 
was  organized,  there  has  been  hardly  a  man  great  in  national  affairs  who 
has  not  been  present  as  orator  or  guest  on  one  or  more  of  these  occasions. 
The  speakers  have  dwelt  eloquently  upon  great  themes.  It  can  hardly  be 
questioned  that  there  is  no  one  book  published  in  America  that  can  show  so 


PREFACE 

much  that  is  truly  great  and  varied  in  the  way  of  public  speeches  as  this 
History  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

The  official  transactions  of  the  Society,  and  its  social  relaxations,  have 
been  recorded  in  the  order  of  their  occurrence,  with  such  fulness  as  available 
records  would  permit.  The  historian  has  confined  himself  to  the  record, 
without  criticism,  comparison  or  comment.  There  has  been  no  attempt  to 
depart  from  a  plain  statement  of  the  facts  as  they  have  occurred;  no  en- 
deavor to  point  a  moral  or  adorn  a  tale.  There  will,  no  doubt,  be  errors  of 
fact  discovered;  there  will  be  omissions  pointed  out;  there  will  be  sugges- 
tions that  undue  mention  has  been  made  of  this  thing  or  not  enough  of  that. 
These  are  acknowledged  in  advance.  They  were  necessary  features  in  con- 
nection with  a  work  in  which  so  many  have  a  loving,  personal  interest;  in 
which  so  much  of  detail  appears.  The  historian  has  done  what  he  could 
with  the  disconnected  and  widely  scattered  material  at  his  hand. 

James  H.  Kennedy,  Historian. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I — Organization 3 

II — Proceedings  during  the  year  1886 l6 

III — Proceedings  during  the  year  1886 24 

IV — Proceedings  during  the  year  1887 34 

V — Proceedings  during  the  year  1888 49 

VI — Proceedings  during  the  years  1888-1889 '.     .     .  57 

VII — Proceedings  during  the  years  1889-1890 83 

VIII — Proceedings  during  the  years  1890-1892 96 

IX — Proceedings  during  the  years  1892-1894 125 

X — Proceedings  during  the  year  1894 l65 

XI — Proceedings  during  the  years  1894-1896 187 

XII — Proceedings  during  the  years  1896-1897 231 

XIII — Proceedings  during  the  year  1898 252 

XIV — Proceedings  during  the  years  1898-1899 282 

XV — Proceedings  during  the  years  1899-1900 308 

XVI — Proceedings  during  the  years  1901-1902 331 

XVII — Proceedings  during  the  years  1902-1903 356 

XVIII — Proceedings  during  the  year  1903 397 

XIX — Proceedings  during  the  year  1903 423 

XX — Proceedings  during  the  year  1904 448 

XXI — Proceedings  during  the  years  1904-1905 485 

XXII — Proceedings  during  the  year  1905 513 

APPENDIX 

The  First  Settlement   in   Ohio 531 

By  John  Q.  Mitchell 

The  Second  Settlement  in  Ohio,  at  Cincinnati 538 

By  Hon.  Warren  Higley 

The  Ordinance  of  1787,  and  the  War  of  1861 548 

By  Gen.  Wager  Srvayne 

Assassination  of  President  Lincoln  and  the  Trial  of  the  Assassins     ....  591 

By  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett 

The  Struggle  for  Freedom  in  Kansas 6l7 

By  Gen.  Thomas  Erving 

Some  Recollections  of  Abraham  Lincoln 629 

By  David  Homer  Bates 

A  Rebel  Cipher  Dispatch  which  Did  Not  Reach  Judah  P.  Benjamin     .     .     .  637 

By  David  Homer  Bates 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  Buckeye  Branch Frontispiece 

Portrait  of  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing facing  page         4 

Diagram  of  First  Banquet "  "  16 

Portrait  of  Col.  Charles  W.  Moulton "  "  52 

Portrait  of  Gen.  Wager  Swayne         "  "  74 

Memorial  to  General  Sherman "  "        108 

Portrait  of  Hon.  William  L.  Strong "  "         120 

Portrait  of  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid "  "        128 

Ohio  Field,  University  of  New  York "  "        144 

Portrait  of  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett "  "        190 

Memorial  to  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing "  "        222 

Resolutions  presented  to  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett       ....         "  "        270 

Portrait  of  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard "  "        282 

Title  page  Peace  Commissioners'  Banquet "  "        284 

Portraits  of  Presidents — 

William  H.  Harrison,  Ulysses  S.  Grant, 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  James  A.  Garfield, 

Benjamin  Harrison  and  William  McKinley       ....         "  "        310 

Portrait  of  President  William  McKinley "  "        314 

Title  page  Governors'  Banquet     .     .     .     •. page     332 

Portraits  of  the  Governors  of  Ohio pages  333  to     340 

Portrait  of  Hon.  George  K.  Nash facing  page     344 

Portrait  of   Colgate   Hoyt,    Esq "  "        348 

Portrait  of  Leander  H.  Crall,  Esq "  "        350 

Portraits  of  United  States  Senators — 

Joseph   B.    Foraker,   Marcus   A.    Hanna, 

William  M.  Stewart,  William  B.  Allison, 

John   P.    Jones,    Charles   W.    Fairbanks, 

Julius  C.  Burrows,  Albert  J.  Beveridge, 

Stephen  B.  Elkins  and  Nathan  B.  Scott       ....     facing  page     356 

Senatorial    Banquet — Tol'sts 

Portrait  of  Hon.  Marcus  A.  Hanna 

Cup  presented  to  Leander  H.  Crall,  Esq 

Title  page  Diplomatic  Banquet 

Portrait  of  Hon.  John  Hay 

Portrait  of  Col.  John  J.  McCook 

Title  page  Army  and  Navy  Banquet 

Portrait  of  Hon.  William  H.  Taft 

The  "  Fighting   McCooks  " 

Portrait  of  Hon.  Warren  Higley 

Title  page  Nineteenth  Annual  Banquet 

Portrait  of  Hon.   Charles  W.  Fairbanks 

Portrait  of  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Esq 

Memorial  to  Hon.  John  Hay 


358 
362 
366 
400 
404 
436 
452 
458 
478 
488 
492 
498 
514 
516 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


OHIO    SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


CHAPTER     I 

1885-1886 

THE  foundation  principles  upon  which  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York 
was  built  were  set  forth  in  a  few  eloquent  words  by  its  first  president, 
Thomas  Ewing,  on  the  night  when  the  labors  of  its  founders  had  reached 
a  point  where  the  work  of  organization  was  to  be  completed. 

"  We  found  this  Society,"  said  he,  "  because  we  love  Ohio,  and  would 
cherish  her  history,  her  traditions,  her  recollections  of  home,  and  camp,  and 
forum." 

It  was  in  the  spirit  of  loyal  love  for  Ohio  and  of  fraternity  among  its 
sons  that  breathes  in  these  words,  that  a  few  Ohioans  in  New  York  City 
came  together  in  the  closing  days  of  1885  for  the  purpose  of  forming  an 
organization  that  should  bring  the  sons  of  their  native  state  into  closer  per- 
sonal relations  and  keep  alive  the  memories  of  home  in  this  city  of  their 
adoption. 

The  justification  that  comes  through  triumphant  success  has  been 
theirs.  The  story  that  follows  shows  not  only  how  wisely  were  the  founda- 
tions laid,  but  also  with  what  unswerving  love  and  patriotic  devotion  these 
men  and  their  later  associates  and  successors  labored  to  make  this  great 
organization  not  only  the  first,  but  the  foremost  of  its  kind. 

It  detracts  from  the  credit  due  to  no  other  Ohioan  in  New  York,  and 
voices  only  the  sentiments  of  his  working  associates,  to  say  that  Col.  Charles 
W.  Moulton  was  especially  enthusiastic  and  insistent  as  to  what  might  be 
done,  and  for  some  little  time  made  it  a  labor  of  love,  to  call  upon  Ohioans 
in  New  York  with  a  view  to  enlisting  them  in  the  formation  of  a  Buckeye 
organization. 

Suggestions  and  sentiment  seem  to  have  soon  crystallized  into  a  definite 
plan,  and,  as  the  first  starting-place  of  this  record  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York,  we  turn  to  the  first  entry  in  its  first  minute  book,  under  date  of 
November  10th,  1885,  where  is  found  the  following: 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  We,  the  undersigned,  hereby  agree 
to  unite  with  each  other  to  form  an  association  to  be  known  as  The  Ohio 
Association  in  New  York,  and  to  that  end  will  meet  at  any  place  designated 
for  the  purpose  of  completing  such  organization,  upon  notice  given  to  us 

3 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

whenever  twelve  persons  shall  have  signed  this  agreement.  There  is  to  be 
no  expense  incurred  until  the  organization  is  completed  and  assented  to 
by  each  member." 

Following  this  entry  are  the  names  set  down  below,  which  are  given  in 
the  order  in  which  they  appear  upon  the  record:  C.  W.  Moulton,  Joseph 
Pool,  T.  Ewing,  Samuel  Thomas,  Homer  Lee,  Wm.  Perry  Fogg,  INlilton 
Sayler,  Mahlon  Chance,  L.  M.  Schwan,  J.  O.  Moss,  M.  I.  Southard,  Anson 
G.  McCook,  W.  C.  Andrews,  W.  M.  SafFord,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  J.  W.  Har- 
man,  J.  Q.  Howard,  David  F.  Harbaugh,  H.  J.  Jewett,  Wai-ren  Higley, 
Cyrus  Butler,  Carson  Lake. 

There  hangs  upon  the  walls  of  the  Ohio  Society  rooms  in  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria — placed  there  in  obedience  to  a  formal  vote  of  a  later  date — a 
framed  call  reproducing  the  words  above  quoted.  To  this  are  attached,  in 
the  orioinal  autographs,  the  names  and  addresses  given  below:  reproduced 
as  nearly  in  facsimile  as  the  types  will  permit: 


Name. 

C.  W.  Moulton, 
Joseph  Pool, 
T.  Ewing, 
Samuel  Thomas, 
Calvin  S.  Brice, 
Homer  Lee, 
Wm.  Perry  Fogg, 
Milton  Sayler, 
Mahlon  Chance, 
L.  M.  Schwan, 
Jay  O.  Moss, 
M.  I.  Southard, 
Anson  G.  McCook, 
\V.  C.  Andrews, 
W.  M.  Safford, 
J.  W.  Harman, 
J.  Q.  Howard, 
David  F.  Harbaugh, 
W,  L.  Strong, 
H.  J.  Jewett, 
Warren  Higley, 
Carson  Lake, 
Cyrus  Butler, 
A.  J.  C.  Foy^, 
Henry  L.  Burnett, 
Albert  W.  Green, 
Charles  H.  Blair, 


Business. 

Atty.  at  Law, 

Banker, 

La^vyer, 

R.  R'd, 

Atty., 

Bank  Note  Eng., 

Caxton  Co., 

Atty.  at  Law, 

Equitable  Life, 

Atty., 

Banker, 

Lawyer, 

Lawyer, 

Lawyer, 

Editor, 

Insurance, 

Merchant, 

R.  R.J 

La\vyer, 

Journalist, 

Merchant, 

Merchant, 

Lawyer, 

Merchant, 

Lawver, 


Address. 

Tribune  Bldg., 

No.  3  Broad  St., 

155  Broadway, 

110  Broadway,  N.  Y., 

110  Broadway, 

60  Cedar  St., 

81  White, 

No.  2  Wall, 

No.  120  Broadway, 

110  Broadway, 

Windsor  Hotel, 

155  Broadway, 

303  Broadway, 

22  Cortlandt, 

2  Wall  St., 

340  Broadway, 

Grand  Hotel, 

120  Broadway, 

75  Worth, 

4S  William, 

38  Park  Row, 

Tribune  Office, 

24  Cliff  Street, 

68  Reade  St., 

67  Wall  St., 

51  Leonard  St., 

149  Broadway, 


Formerly  of. 

Cincinnati. 
Cleveland. 
Lancaster. 
Columbus,  Ohio. 
Lima,  O. 
INlansfield,  O. 
Cleveland,  O. 
Cincinnati,  O. 
Fremont,  O. 
Cleveland,  O. 
Sandusky. 
Zanesville,  Ohio. 
Steubenville,  Ohio. 
Cleveland. 
Cleveland. 
Cleveland. 
New  York. 
Cleveland. 
Mansfield,  O. 
Zanesville,  O. 
Cincinnati. 
Akron,  O. 
Norwalk. 
Mt.  Gilead,  O. 
Youngstown,   O. 
Columbus,  Ohio. 
Zanesville,  O. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

In  accordance  with  the  above,  a  notice  was  sent  to  the  subscribers  to 
meet  at  tlie  law  office  of  Ewing  &  Southard,  No.  155  Broadway,  on  the  13th 
of  November,  1885,  at  3:30  P.  M.  A  majority  of  the  signers  were  present. 
General  Thomas  Ewing  was  elected  president  pro  tern.  David  F.  Har- 
baugh  was  elected  secretary  pro  tem.  The  president  appointed  the  follow- 
ing members  as  a  committee  on  permanent  organization:  C.  W.  Moulton, 
Wm.  Perry  Fogg,  Cyrus  Butler,  J.  Q.  Howard,  Mahlon  Chance,  M.  I. 
Southard,  David  F.  Harbaugh,  Warren  Higley,  Calvin  S.  Brice  and  Joseph 
Pool.* 

The  official  record  mentions  no  business  done  at  this  session,  except  to 
adjourn  to  the  same  place  at  2:30  P.  M.  of  November  20th,  and  to  instruct 
the  secretary  to  notify  each  of  the  subscribers  of  said  meeting. 

The  second  meeting  was  held  upon  the  date  above  named.  So  much  was 
accompUshed  in  this  session  toward  setting  up  and  starting  the  machinery 
of  the  Society,  that  the  official  report  of  the  gathering  is  given  in  full  as 
follows : 

"  New  York,  November  20,  1885. 
"  Pursuant  to  adjournment,  the  meeting  of  the  Society  was  called  to 
order  by  president  pro  tem  General  Thomas  Ewing,  and  the  minutes  of 
the  previous  meeting  were  read  and  approved.  The  chairman  then  an- 
nounced that  the  first  business  in  order  was  to  hear  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee on  organization  appointed  at  the  last  meeting. 

"  Col.  Wm.  Perry  Fogg,  on  behalf  of  the  committee,  submitted  a  report 
of  a  constitution  of  the  Society.  Upon  motion  the  report  was  read,  section 
by  section.  Each  section  was  discussed  by  the  various  members,  and  a  separate 
vote  on  each  section  was  taken.  Col.  C.  W.  Moulton  then  moved  that  this 
report  on  the  constitution  be  unanimously  accepted  and  adopted,  and  that 
copies  of  the  same  be  engrossed  and  printed  for  the  use  of  members.  Motion 
seconded,  carried.     The  following  is  the  report  so  adopted: 

"  To  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  in  New  York. 
Gentlemen:  The  committee  on  permanent  organization,  who  were  instructed 
to  frame  an  outline  of  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  government  of 
this  Society,  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  report: 

"  CONSTITUTION. 

"  Article  1. — The  name  of  this  association  shall  be  '  The  Ohio  So- 
ciety of  New  York.' 

"Article  2. — Its  object  shall  be  to  cultivate  social  intercourse  and 
promote  the  best  interests  of  its  members. 

*  The  facts  concerning  the  above  meeting  are  entered  in  the  first  record  book  of  the 
recording  secretary,  attested  bv  David  F.  Harbaugh,  secretary  pro  tem.  Where  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Society  are  quoted  hereafter,  they  will  be  from  the  books  of  the  secretary 
or  of  the  governing  committee,  unless  otherwise  specified. 

5 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  OFFICERS. 

"  Article  3. — The  officers  shall  be  chosen  from  the  active  members  and 
shall  be:  1,  a  president;  2,  three  vice-presidents;  3,  a  secretary  and  assist- 
ant secretary ;  4,  a  treasurer ;  5,  a  governing  committee  of  nine  members ; 
all  of  whom  shall  be  elected  at  the  regular  annual  meeting  of  the  Society,  and 
shall  discharge  the  duties  incident  to  their  respective  offices  under  the  general 
direction  of  the  Society. 

"  MEMBERSHIP. 

"Article  4. — There  shall  be  three  classes  of  membership:  1,  Active 
members ;  2,  Non-resident  members ;  3,  Honorary  members. 

"  Article  5. — ^Any  person  of  good  moral  character  and  twenty-one 
years  of  age  and  upwards  may  become  an  active  member  of  this  Society 
upon  payment  of  the  prescribed  dues,  who  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Ohio 
or  has  for  a  period  of  seven  consecutive  years  been  a  resident  of  that  state, 
and  who  has  a  good  social  and  business  standing  in  New  York. 

"  Article  6. — Any  person  of  like  age  and  character,  and  residing  in 
the  state  of  Ohio  may  become  a  non-resident  member  (if  approved  by  a 
majority  of  the  governing  committee)  upon  payment  of  the  prescribed  dues. 

"  Article  7. — Honorary  membership  may  be  conferred  by  a  unanimous 
vote  of  the  governing  committee  upon  persons  deserving  that  distinction, 
provided,  however,  that  not  more  than  five  such  memberships  shall  be  con- 
ferred during  one  year. 

"  Article  8. — Non-resident  and  honorary  members  shall  be  entitled  to 
all  the  privileges  of  the  Society,  except  those  of  voting  and  of  becoming 
officers  of  said  Society. 

"  Article  9. — The  governing  committee  has  power  by  a  majority  vote 
to  admit  active  new  members;  but  the  names  so  admitted  to  membership 
shall  be  reported  to  the  Society  by  said  committee  at  its  next  monthly 
meeting. 

"  Article  10. — The  first  meeting  of  this  Society  for  the  selection  of 
officers  shall  be  held  within  ten  days  after  at  least  one  hundred  persons  shall 
have  signed  the  constitution,  and  at  the  regular  annual  meetings  thereafter. 

"  MEETINGS. 

"Article  11. — The  annual  meetings  of  the  Society  shall  be  held  on 
the  29th  day  of  November  in  each  year.  Monthly  meetings  shall  be  held 
on  the  first  Monday  of  every  month,  at  such  hour  as  the  governing  com- 
mittee may  determine. 

6 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Article  12. — The  initiation  fee  of  active  and  non-resident  members 
shall  be  ten  dollars  until  at  least  one  hundred  persons  have  become  members, 
and  until  the  first  meeting  is  held  for  the  election  of  officers.  Thereafter 
the  initiation  fee  may  be  fixed  at  any  sum  by  resolution  of  the  Society  that 
it  may  deem  proper. 

"  Article  13. — This  constitution  and  the  by-laws  that  may  hereafter 
be  adopted  may  be  altered  or  amended  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  those  present 
at  any  meeting  called  for  that  purpose,  of  which  due  notice  has  been  given 
to  the  members. 

"  C.   W.    MOULTON, 

"  Wm.  Perry  Fogg, 

"  J.  Q.   Howard, 

"  Cyrus  Butler, 

"  David  F.  Harbaugh, 

"  M,   I.    Southard, 

"Joseph  Pool, 

"  Mahlon  Chance." 

"  Col.  W.  W.  Moulton  moved  that  the  following  resolution  be  adopted : 
*  That  the  committee  on  permanent  organization  be  directed  to  report  to 
the  president  pro  tem.  of  the  Society  whenever  one  hundred  names  shall 
have  been  enrolled,  and  as  soon  as  this  is  done,  the  president  shall  call  a 
meeting  of  the  Society,  and  the  secretary  shall  give  due  notice  thereof  two 
days  before  the  meeting  to  every  member  to  be  present,  at  such  time  and 
place  as  shall  be  designated  for  said  meeting  by  the  president.'  Motion 
seconded,  carried. 

"  Col.  William  Perry  Fogg  moved  that  the  following  resolution  be 
adopted :  '  That  the  committee  on  permanent  organization  be  authorized  to 
enroll  new  members,  and  have  leave  to  report  at  any  time  until  the  election 
of  permanent  officers.'     Motion  seconded,   carried. 

"  Col.  Fogg  moved  that :  '  The  committee  on  organization  be  authorized 
and  requested  to,  report  for  consideration  suitable  names  for  the  officers 
(permanent)  of  this  Society,  at  the  meeting  to  be  called  for  the  selection  of 
officers.'     Motion  seconded,  carried. 

"  It  was  then  moved  that  the  following  names  be  added  to  the  com- 
mittee on  permanent  organization:  Carson  Lake,  Cyrus  Butler,  Joseph 
Pool,  John  W.  Harman,  Charles  H.  Blair,  Homer  Lee.  IMotion  seconded, 
carried. 

"  David  F.  Harbaugh,  Sec.  pro  tern." 

7 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ft 

A  gentleman  who  was  present  at  these  early  conferences  has  fur- 
nished his  testimony  as  to  the  spirit  of  these  gatherings.  Charles  H. 
Blair  says :  "  Committees  upon  constitution  and  by-laws  were  appointed 
and  a  very  warm  discussion  arose,  as  I  recall,  between  Cyrus  Butler  and 
Colonel  Moulton,  regarding  the  objects  and  aims  of  the  Society.  It  was  pro- 
posed to  make  it  into  a  regiilar  club  with  a  restaurant  and  all  the  accompani- 
ments of  a  city  club.  This  was  warmly  opposed  by  some  of  the  members, 
myself  among  others,  on  the  theory  that  many  of  us  were  already  members 
of  clubs  in  New  York  city,  and  that  it  was  not  desirable  to  so  disassociate 
ourselves  from  our  fellow  citizens  of  New  York  as  to  form  ourselves  into  an 
ordinary  social  club.     The  club  idea  never  prevailed." 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1886,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel,  at  which  a  number  of  important  measures  received  consideration.  Gen. 
Thomas  Ewing  occupied  the  chair.  The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting 
were  read  by  Mr.  Harbaugh,  and  approved. 

Col.  Moulton,  on  behalf  of  his  special  committee,  recommended  that 
the  constitution  be  so  amended  as  to  provide  for  five  vice-presidents  instead 
of  three.  The  president  held  that,  being  in  the  nature  of  an  amendment  to 
the  constitution,  it  would  require  a  two-thirds  vote  to  adopt  it.  The  vote  was 
called  for,  and  the  change  was  ordered  unanimously.  On  motion  of  Mr. 
Southard  the  constitution  as  amended  was  adopted  as  a  whole.  The  election 
of  officers  was  then  called  for,  and  Gen.  Ewing  was  unanimously  elected  presi- 
dent for  the  ensuing  year.    We  quote  from  the  official  record : 

"  On  motion  of  Mr.  Follett,  which  was  duly  seconded.  Col.  Moulton  was 
authorized  to  cast  the  vote  of  the  Society  for  the  five  vice-presidents,  and 
there  being  no  dissenting  vote,  this  was  agreed  to.  The  names  of  the  five 
members  recommended  by  the  committee  were  put  in  nomination  to  serve  one 
year:  Whitelaw  Reid,  William  L.  Strong,  Wager  Swayne,  Hugh  J. 
Jewett,  Algernon  S.  Sullivan,  thus  endorsing  the  recommendation  of  the 
committee. 

"  The  nomination  for  secretary  for  the  ensuing  year  was  then  con- 
sidered, and  Homer  Lee  was  duly  elected.  The  recording  secretary  and 
treasurer  were  then  acted  upon.  Carson  Lake  and  William  Perry  Fogg, 
respectively,  were  unanimously  elected.  The  president,  on  motion  of  Cyrus 
Butler,  then  named  a  committee  of  five  to  nominate  a  governing  committee 
of  nine  members,  as  follows:  Cyrus  Butler,  William  Perry  Fogg,  Washing- 
ton Belt,  Wallace  Mayo,  Milton  I.  Southard.  This  committee  retired  to 
prepare  a  Hst  for  presentation  to  the  Society.  During  the  interval.  Gen. 
Henry  L.  Burnett  was  called  upon  and  responded,  after  which  Algernon  S. 
SulUvan,  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Bernard  Peters,  Col.  William  L.  Strong 
and  Col.  IVIoulton  made  appropriate  remarks. 

8 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  The  nominating  committee  at  this  point  reported  that  a  list  of  names 
for  the  governing  committee  had  been;  decided  upon,  and  presented  the  fol- 
lowing for  consideration,  which  wa^  unanimously  elected,  alphabetically: 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  A.  J.  C.  Foye, 
Jerome  D.  Gillett,  A.  D.  Juilliard,  C.  W.  Moulton,  Joseph  Pool.  The 
motion  to  appoint  a  committee  of  seven,  by  the  chair,  on  art,  history  and 
literature  was  made,  seconded,  debated  and  carried.  Thereupon  the  president 
stated  that  he  would  announce  the  names  of  the  said  committee  at  the  next 
meeting  in  February.  C.  W.  Moulton  notified  the  members  present  that  he 
would  move  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  increasing  the  governing 
committee  from  nine  to  twelve,  at  the  next  monthly  meeting.  On  motion  of 
H.  A.  Glassford,  it  was  resolved  that  the  adoption  and  consideration  of  by- 
laws for  the  Society  be  referred  to  the  governing  committee  for  action. 
Considerable  discussion  on  the  subject  having  arisen,  the  motion  was  modified, 
and  the  subject  of  by-laws  was  referred  to  the  president  and  the  five  vice- 
presidents,  as  a  special  committee,  to  frame  and  report  a  suitable  code  of 
by-laws  for  the  government  of  the  Society.  A  letter  was  read  from  Joseph 
Pool,  a  member  of  the  committee  on  permanent  organization,  stating  illness 
as  the  cause  of  his  absence,  and  one  from  W.  S.  Hawk,  of  the  Windsor  Hotel, 
kindly  tendering  to  the  Society  the  use  of  a  parlor.  The  meeting  ad- 
journed, after  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  proprietor  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel 

for  courtesy  extended.  .,  _,.  _  «        ^        » 

Homer  Lee,  Secretary. 

The  above  official  report  gives  but  the  cold,  bare  outlines  of  tliis,  one 
of  the  most  fruitful  and  interesting  of  the  early  meetings  of  the  Society. 
Fortunately,  the  remarks  made  by  President  Thomas  E^ving,  on  calling  the 
meeting  together,  have  been  preserved  among  the  family  papers,  and  are 
here  given  in  full: 

"  We  have  met  here  to-night,  as  sons  and  foster-sons  of  Ohio  resident 
in  New  York  city,  to  complete  the  foundation  of  a  new  society  in  our  national 
metropolis.  Full  as  this  city  is  of  organizations  of  men,  she  has,  I  think, 
none  such  as  this.  The  ties  of  religion,  charity,  pohtics,  science,  art,  htera- 
ture  and  common  occupation  draw  and  hold  people  together  in  numberless 
associations  which  have  filled  our  gi'eat  city  with  splendid  edifices.  So,  too, 
the  sympathies  of  a  common  race  and  history  have  founded  here  societies  of 
St.  Patrick,  St.  Andrew,  St.  George  and  many  others,  at  whose  annual  re- 
unions the  wit,  song  and  sentiment  of  the  fatherlands  warm  the  hearts  of 
their  sons  in  this  land  beyond  the  sea.  And  here,  also,  is  an  American  society 
which  has  at  several  crises  in  the  last  fifty  years  exerted  a  considerable  in- 
fluence on  public  opinion;  and  the  annual  reunions  of  which  are  watched 
with  eagerness  everywhere  throughout  our  land  where  the  sons  of  New  Eng- 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

land  from  their  distant  homes  look  proudly  and  fondly  back  on  their  grand 
old  mother. 

"  But  the  New  England  society  is  composed  of  the  sons  of  six  states. 
This  is  a  society  of  the  natives  or  former  residents  of  but  a  single  state — 
Ohio — the  state  first  bom  of  the  American  republic.  I  do  not  say  she  was 
the  first  state  received  into  the  union,  for  Vermont,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
preceded  her.  Vermont  was  admitted  in  1791,  Kentucky  in  '92,  Tennessee  in 
'96,  and  Ohio  not  until  the  29th  day  of  November,  1802.  But  these  three 
older  states  were  never  territories  of  the  union.  Tliey  begun  Hfe  as  colonies, 
each  exclusively  owned  by  and  settled  from  its  parent  colony — Vermont  from 
New  York,  Kentucky  from  Virginia,  and  Tennessee  from  North  Carolina. 
But  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  was  the  first  land  ever  owned 
by  the  United  States.  It  was  a  vast  and  pathless  wilderness  when,  in  1784, 
Virginia,  with  magnificent  generosity,  presented  it  to  the  Union.  It  was 
not  until  ten  years  later,  when  the  savages  who  had  been  allies  of  Great 
Britain  throug'hout  the  War  of  the  Revolution  were  routed  and  subdued  by 
Mad  Anthony  Wayne,  that  agricultural  settlements,  except  under  the  shadow 
of  blockhouses,  first  became  possible.  Then  the  veteran  soldiers  of  the 
Revolution,  broken  in  fortune  but  aflame  with  the  love  of  liberty,  and  triumph- 
ant from  the  long  struggle  for  independence,  flocked  there  from  every  one  of 
the  glorious  thirteen — hewed  out  their  homes  in  the  primeval  forest — paid  the 
United  States  for  their  lands  in  the  long  dishonored  certificates  of  indebted- 
ness given  for  their  service  in  the  war,  and  thus  founded  the  first  state  which 
sprung  from  the  womb  of  the  republic. 

"  We  are  proud  of  Ohio,  for  her  heroic  birth,  her  honorable  achieve- 
ments, and  her  glorious  destiny.  She  '  sits  in  the  centre,'  belongs  to  no 
section,  and  is  a  bond  of  all. 

"  Her  sons  who  have  met  here  to-night  are  at  home  in  New  York.  We 
do  not  come  together  as  strangers  in  a  strange  land  to  seek  relief  from  the 
depression  of  inliospitable  influences.  No!  New  York  is  not  inhospitable. 
She  is  merely  too  big  and  too  busy  to  note  who  comes  or  goes.  Her  gates, 
landward  and  seaward,  are  thrown  open  to  the  world.  She  is  a  focus  of  all 
the  great  forces  of  American  Hfe.  Miuch  that  is  best  and  worst  in  it  is 
developed  here;  and  the  struggle  for  a  foothold  here  is  always  intense  and 
generally  unsuccessful.  But  New  York  is  more  truly  cosmopohtan  than  any 
other  city  in  the  United  States,  or  perhaps  in  the  world,  and  there  is  little  of 
race  or  sectional  prejudice  to  bar  the  path  of  merit,  from  whatever  quarter 
it  may  come. 

*'  We  found  this  Society  because  we  love  Ohio  and  would  cherish  her 
history,  her  traditions,  her  recollections  of  home  and  camp  and  forum.  How 
often  do  we  not  look  back  to  the  days  and  scenes  of  our  life  there  to  revive 

10 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  sweetest  influences  and  the  dearest  memories  of  existence.  But  we  have 
aims  for  our  Society  besides  the  memories  and  affections  of  other  days.  We 
hope  to  make  it  felt  in  this  great  theatre  of  thought  and  action  as  a  gen- 
erator of  wholesome,  intellectual  and  moral  forces. 

"  When  this  meeting  was  called  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifteen  signers 
of  our  constitution.  Under  the  direction  of  a  judicious  governing  committee 
the  number  will  doubtless  be  increased  by  several  hundred.  Our  member- 
ship of  non-residents  will,  perhaps,  be  equally  large.  We  should  make  some- 
thing more  of  such  good  and  abundant  material  than  a  mere  social  club. 
I  am  far  from  insensible  to  the  pleasures  of  convivial  reunions,  and  hope 
our  Society  may  have  many  of  them,  and  that  I  may  long  be  of  the  number 
present.  But  we  can  have  some  good  work  out  of  it  as  well  as  plenty  of  rec- 
reation. For  instance,  with  the  aid  of  our  western  and  southwestern  brethren 
who,  like  ourselves,  have  drifted  into  this  comer  of  the  republic,  we  might 
help  it  to  throw  off  its  colonial  subserviency  to  English  politics  and  manners 
and  gradually  Americanize  it.  We  can  thus  repay  in  kind  the  debt  of  grati- 
tude we  owe  the  East  for  its  missionary  efforts  a  generation  ago,  when  it  was 
the  seat  of  power  in  the  United  States  and  the  now  imperial  West  was  but 
a  half -subdued  wilderness. 

"  Ere  long,  we  can  command  means,  I  hope,  to  fit  up  and  maintain  an 
accessible,  commodious  and  permanent  clubhouse,  tlie  halls  of  which  will  be  a 
pleasant  rendezvous  for  members  and  their  friends,  wbere  the  ideas  and 
policies  of  East  and  West  may  meet  in  friendly  and  intelligent  encounter,  and 
where  sectional  prejudices  may  be  worn  off  in  the  attrition  of  social  inter- 
course— where  Ohio  men  and  women  who  are  eminent,  or  rising  in  any 
worthy  field  of  effort,  may  have  cordial  recognition  and  a  helping  hand  if 
needed;  and  where  those  who  have  unfortunately  fallen  in  the  struggle  for 
a  foothold  here  will  not  be  forgotten.  In  conclusion,  gentlemen,  I  venture 
to  express  the  hope  that  our  Society  may  be  from  the  outset  and  continue 
to  the  end  so  aristocratic  that  wealth  cannot  buy  a  membership  for  vice;  and 
so  democratic  that  none  will  be  excluded  by  needless  cost  of  membership  from 
an  association  which  their  virtues  and  talents  would  adorn." 

There  is  contemporary  testimony  from  a  prominent  Ohio  newspaper  of 
that  date*  that  the  meeting  was  "  one  of  the  happiest  gatherings  ever  held 
in  Gotham.  Nearly  one  hundred  were  present,  including  General  Thomas 
Ewing,  who  presided;  General  Wager  Swayne,  Algernon  S.  Sullivan,  Col- 
onel W.  L.  Brown,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Colonel  W.  L.  Strong,  General  H.  L. 
Burnett,  Henry  E.  Abbey,  Rev.  Dr.  I.  K.  Funk,  S.  B.  Elkins,  B.  Peters,  and 
other  well-known  gentlemen.  General  Ewing  created  much  enthusiasm  by 
his  address  on  the  opening  of  the  meeting." 


*  Cincinnati  Enquirer,  of  January  14,  1886. 

11 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  governing  committee,  always  an  important  and  responsible  body 
in  the  record  of  the  Society,  immediately  set  itself  in  motion  to  put  the 
affairs  of  the  organization  in  running  order.  Its  first  meeting  was  held  at 
the  office  of  Gen.  H.  L.  Burnett,  No.  67  Wall  street,  at  three  o'clock,  on  Sat- 
urday, January  16th.  There  were  present  Messrs.  H.  L.  Burnett,  Thomas 
Ewing,  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Wm.  Perry  Fogg,  George  FoUett,  J.  D.  Gillett, 
Carson  Lake,  Homer  Lee,  C.  W.  Moulton,  Joseph  Pool  and  Whitelaw  Reid. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  General  Burnett,  who  nominated  General 
Ewing  for  temporary  chairman.  Mr.  Lake  was  made  temporary  secretary. 
The  permanent  organization  of  the  committee  being  declared  the  order  of 
business,  Mr.  Fogg  nominated  Colonel  Moulton  for  chairman.  C^olonel  Moul- 
ton, after  a  brief  statement  of  his  reasons,  respectfully  declined  to  permit 
the  use  of  his  name  for  that  position.  Mr.  Gillett  moved  that  General  Bur- 
nett be  selected  as  chairman,  and  the  motion  prevailed  unanimously.  JVIr. 
Lee  moved  that  Mr.  Lake  be  elected  secretary  of  the  committee,  and  the 
motion  prevailed. 

Mr.  Moulton  moved  that  it  be  the  standing  rule  of  the  governing  com- 
mittee that  the  chairman  should  appoint,  as  the  chairman  of  any  committee 
hereafter  to  be  appointed,  any  member  he  might  see  fit,  and  that  the  usual 
parliamentary  rule  which  makes  it  incumbent  on  a  chairman  to  make  the 
proposer  of  the  motion  for  the  selection  of  a  committee  the  chairman  of 
such  committee,  be  abrogated.  Carried.  On  motion,  duly  carried,  the  chaii 
appointed  Messrs.  Moulton,  Elkins  and  Lee  as  a  connnittee  to  prepare  forms 
of  papers  necessary  for  the  admission  of  members.  Mr.  Moulton  moved  that 
a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  on  by-laws,  and  assist  in  the  preparation 
of  the  same,  if  desirable,  and  also  to  prepare  and  submit  amendments  to  the 
constitution  which  might  be  deemed  advisable.  The  m.otion  was  carried,  and 
the  chair  appointed  Messrs.  Burnett,  Pool  and  Fogg.  On  motion,  Mr.  Reid 
was  also  added  to  the  committee. 

Mr.  Fogg,  as  treasurer  of  the  Society,  stated  that  there  were  now  one 
hundred  members  enrolled,  of  whom  fifty-one  had  enclosed  the  initiation  fee 
of  ten  dollars.  The  receipts  from  membership  in  his  hands  were  $510,  and  the 
disbursements  had  been  $49.49,  leaving  a  balance  on  hand  of  $460.51.  The 
following  resolution  was  offered  by  him  and  passed: 

"  Resolved,  Tliat  the  treasurer  be  requested  to  collect  the  initiation  fee 
from  those  gentlemen  who  have  signed  tlie  constitution  and  been  enrolled  as 
members." 

The  chairman  was  instructed  to  confer  with  members  of  the  committee 
and  report  at  the  next  meeting  on  the  matter  of  permanent  headquarters. 

Until  a  permanent  abiding  place  could  be  secured,  the  Society  was  the 
guest  of  various  hotels,   several   of  which  were  under  the  control   of  Ohio 

12 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

men,   all   of  whom   were   glad   to   make   the   associated   Buckeyes   welcome. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  at  the  Windsor  Hotel,  on  February  1st,  1886, 
with  President  Ewing  in  tlie  chair.  He  reported  in  behalf  of  the  special  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  liimself  and  the  five  vice-presidents,  on  the  subject  of 
by-laws.  A  number  of  amendments  to  the  constitution  were  proposed,  and 
then  it  and  the  by-laws  were  adopted,  and  both  were  ordered  printed. 

Col.  W.  L.  Strong  proposed  General  WiUiam  T.  Sherman  as  the  first 
honorary  member,  and  it  was  carried  unanimously.  A  blank  form  of  appli- 
cation for  membersliip  was  read  and  adopted,  and  ordered  printed  and  dis- 
tributed among  the  members. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  February 
12th,  the  matter  of  selecting  a  permanent  home  was  taken  up  and  discussed, 
but  no  formal  action  was  taken.  The  list  of  those  who  had  been  proposed 
for  membership  was  taken  up  for  consideration.  Colonel  Moulton  moved  that 
where  names  were  approved  the  persons  should  be  declared  elected  to  mem- 
bership, subject  to  their  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  constitution 
and  by-laws,  and  that  the  secretary  of  the  committee  be  instructed  to  notify 
the  gentlemen  of  their  election.  Carried.  The  following  names  were  ap- 
proved, and  are  given  in  full,  as  being  the  first  list  officially  acted  upon  by 
the  committee:  James  C.  Beard,  T.  Frank  Beard,  D.  C.  Beard,  A.  W.  Beas- 
ley,  D.  T.  Lawson,  James  Parker,  E.  B.  Convers,  J.  B.  Leavitt,  J.  S. 
Newberry,  W.  H.  Quinn,  Jacob  N.  Bonnett,  N.  W.  Emerson,  C.  P.  Cassiday, 
J.  W.  Worthington,  Wallace  Shillito,  F.  T.  McFadden,  Wm.  S.  Munson, 
R.  G.  Hanford,  Lycurgus  B.  Moore,  B.  F.  Peixotto,  Gaylord  McFall,  H.  H. 
Brockway,  Richard  Butler,  E.  J.  Wheeler,  Dr.  N.  H.  Beckwith,  Frederick  J. 
Prentiss,  Frederick  C.  Prentiss,  Frank  Brainard,  Walter  H.  Brainard,  Andrew 
Donaldson,  Wm.  C.  Peet,  H.  B.  Brundrett. 

It  was  by  vote  ordered  that  all  persons  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles  of 
the  city  hall  of  New  York  be  considered  eligible  for  active  or  resident  mem- 
bership. It  was  also  ordered  that  the  annual  dues  be  made  payable  on  the 
first  of  April  each  year.  On  February  26th  a  resolution  was  adopted  direct- 
ing the  governing  committee  to  take  a  lease  of  rooms  at  No.  236  Fifth  avenue. 
The  meeting  of  the  Society  of  February  26th,  1886,  was  held  at  the 
Gilsey  House,  and  was  called  to  consider  the  question  of  quarters.  General 
Burnett,  as  chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  made  a  report  as  to  the 
action  of  that  body,  and  gave  details  as  to  various  places  that  might  be  se- 
cured, with  locations,  rentals,  and  other  particulars. 

The  question  was  discussed  in  all  its  bearings  by  Messrs.  Burnett,  Butler, 
Foye,  Harman,  Brown,  Kimball,  Fogg,  Lee,  Pool,  etc.  Mr.  Lake  moved 
that  the  governing  committee,  through  its  chairman,  and  the  president  and 
secretary  of  the  Society,  be  empowered  to  lease  rooms  at  No.  236  Fifth  avenue 

13 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

for  a  term  of  one  year.  ]Mr.  Kimball's  amendment  that  the  location  be  left 
to  the  judgment  and  selection  of  the  governing  committee  was  accepted  by 
Mr.  Lake,  and  the  motion  was  then  carried. 

A  design  for  the  seal  of  the  Society  was  presented  by  Secretary  Homer 
Lee;  was  inspected,  endorsed  and  adopted  with  thanks. 

The  meeting  of  March  8th  was  held  at  the  Grand  Central  Hotel,  at 
which  the  president  announced  a  committee  on  Hterature,  history  and  art  as 
follows,  in  alphabetical  order:  C.  H.  Applegate,  Cyrus  Butler,  J.  H.  Beard, 
J.  Q.  Howard,  Andrew  J.  RickofF,  Wilham  Henry  Smith,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward. 
The  committee  on  entertainment  was  announced  as  follows:  W.  C.  Andrews, 
Wilham  L.  Brown,  R.  C.  Kimball,  Bernard  Peters,  William  L.  Strong.  On 
motion  of  Mr.  Pool  the  names  of  the  president,  secretary  and  chairman  of 
the  governing  committee  were  added  to  the  entertainment  committee. 

President  Ewing  suggested  that  between  the  present  and  the  next  meet- 
ing the  members  look  up  the  date  of  admission  of  the  state  of  Ohio  to  the 
Union,  "  which  seemed  to  be  in  dispute."  It  was  ordered  that  "  the  date  of 
Ohio's  admission  be  made  the  subject  of  discussion  at  the  next  meeting."* 

William  Perry  Fogg  moved  that  the  entertainment  committee  be  in- 
structed to  arrange  a  subscription  dinner  within  a  few  weeks,  at  a  cost  not 
to  exceed  $5.00  a  plate,  and  the  motion  was  carried. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  held  on  March  16th,  1886, 
General  Philip  H.  Sheridan  and  ex-President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  were 
unanimously  elected  honorary  members.  On  April  5th  the  committee 
appointed  a  sub-committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Moulton,  Lake,  Lee,  Fogg 
and  Harbaugh,  to  present  in  brief  form  a  history  of  the  formation  of  the 
Society. 

The  meeting  of  the  Society  on  April  6th  was  held  at  the  Murray  Hill 
Hotel.  The  name  of  C.  W.  Moulton  was  added  to  the  entertainment  com- 
mittee. Letters  were  read  from  Senator  John  Sherman,  Senator  Henry  B. 
Payne,  Chief  Justice  Morrison  R.  Waite  and  Justice  Stanley  Matthews. 

Mr.  Howard,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  history,  literature  and  art, 
opened  the  discussion  of  the  evening  on  "  The  date  of  Ohio's  admission  to  the 
Union  "  by  proposing  the  following  resolution : 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 19,  1803,  must  be  accepted  as  the  date  of  the  admission  of  the  state  of 
Ohio  into  the  Union." 

Mr.  Howard  read  a  paper  citing  various  authorities  in  support  of  the 

•  It  will  be  noted  that  even  at  this  early  date  the  Ohioans  in  New  York  began  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  never-ending  and  never-settled  question.  It  has  been  brouglit  to  the  front 
many  times  since,  and  one  of  the  pioneer  members,  Mahlon  Chance,  made  it  a  close  study 
for  years,  and  collected  mudi  valuable  material  and  data  on  the  subject. 

14 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

resolution.  The  matter  was  discussed  by  Messrs.  Moulton,  Burnett,  Mitchell, 
Strong,  Chance,  Ashley,  Ewing  and  Peters.  The  resolution  was  referred  to 
a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs.  Ewing,  Burnett,  IMoulton,  Howard,  Ashley, 
Mitchell,  Lake  and  Strong.  The  president  stated  that,  as  the  beginning  of  a 
library  for  the  Society,  Mr.  Stout  had  presented  a  history  of  Wayne  County, 
Ohio.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered.  General  Burnett  moved  that  the  presi- 
dent be  requested  to  prepare  a  sketch  of  Thomas  Corwin  and  present  it  at  the 
next  regular  meeting.     Motion  was  carried. 


15 


CHAPTER    II. 

1886. 

THE  "  subscription  dinner,"  proposed  by  Colonel  Fogg  at  the  meeting 
of  March  8th,  was  held  at  Delmonico's  on  the  evening  of  May  7, 
1886,  and  passed  into  the  Society's  history  under  the  descriptive 
title  of  the  "  First  Annual  Banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York." 
"  Two  hundred  citizens  whose  hearts  throbbed  like  one,"  to  quote  from  a  news- 
paper account  of  the  affair,  "  cheered  and  applauded  the  sentiments  that  told 
how  great  and  glorious  were  the  good  people  withini  its  hmits.  The  Society 
was  organized  only  last  January,  and  is  made  up  of  men  who  have  left  the 
elysium  of  Oliio  for  the  flesh-pots  of  New  York.  Members  must  be  either 
natives  of  the  Buckeye  state  or  the  descendants  of  natives.  That  tells  its  own 
story,  and  any  attempt  to  say  how  really  glorious  last  night's  gathering  was 
would  sound  stale  and  flat  in  comparison." 

Five  tables  ran  the  length  of  the  dining-hall,  with  General  Thomas  Ewing, 
president  of  the  Society,  at  the  centre  table,  flanked  by  Senator  H.  B.  Payne 
on  his  left  and  Senator  John  Sherman  on  his  right.  Wager  Swayne  presided 
over  one  table,  with  Bernard  Peters  at  the  foot ;  Whitelaw  Reid  over  a  second 
table,  with  W.  L.  Brown  facing  him ;  A.  S.  Sullivan  and  W.  C.  Andrews  had 
a  third  table,  and  W.  L.  Strong  and  H.  L.  Burnett  a  fourth. 

As  the  official  diagram  prepared  for  tliis  initial  occasion  tells  the  story  of 
the  banquet  so  far  as  relates  to  those  who  participated  therein,  it  is  repro- 
duced in  full. 

The  eloquent  writer  quoted  above  throws  a  further  light  upon  the  occa- 
sion in  these  appreciative  words : 

"  Never  since  the  morning  stars  sang  together  has  there  been  such  broth- 
erly harmony  as  prevailed  last  night.  One  common  enthusiasm  kept  the  two 
hundred  throats  cheering  all' the  evening.  Every  man  felt  convinced  that 
without  Ohio  this  country  would  be  a  land  of  darkness,  and  he  wasn't  afraid 
to  say  so,  either.  And  every  other  man,  when  he  wasn't  busy  saying  this 
himself,  put  in  his  spare  moments  cheering  the  sentiments  in  the  mouths  of 
others.  The  American  flag  that  tapestried  the  Union  smiled  only  on  Ohio 
men,  and  the  very  menu  lacked  something  of  its  French  flavor  out  of  deference 

16 


y  7,   1886 


A 

Wager  Swayn 

^ullivan 

(        Benj.  Butterworth 

W. 

E 
L.  Strong 

Daniel  Voorhees 

A. 

Wm.  McKinley,  Jr. 

Leon  Abbett 

Alex.  Sullivan 

H. 

W.  H.  Upson 

A.  D.  Juilliard 

S.  L.  Woodford 

Robt.  W.  ShoppeU 

J.. 

/        John  C.  Short 

David  Robison,  Jr. 

Stephen  B.  Elkms 

L.  H.  Crall 

J.] 

[        Thos.  S.  King 

Wm.  Linn  Tidball 

A.  J.  C.  Foyt 

R.  J.  Kenworthy 

Jol 

J.  J.  Slocum 

Albert  W.  Green 

E.  F.  C.  Young 

W.  D.  Lee 

Jol 

Carson  Lake 

H.  K.  Enos 

John  A.  Walker 

D.  C.  Beard 

j.y 

Frank  Hatton 

Wm.  W.  Heaton 

W.  J.  ArkeU 

Geo.  H.  Brown 

G. 

Chas.  P.  Bruch 

F.  Brainard 

Edwin  F.  Green 

T.  A.  Legler 

M. 

E,  F.  Cummings 

W.  H.  Brainard 

Thos.  McBride 

Wm.  H.  Eckert 

F.< 

G.  N.  Howlett 

H.  Q.  French 

Wallace  Shillitto 

I.  J.  Struble 

Jai 

D.  F.  Harbaugh 

L.  B.  Moore 

John  T.  Granger 

J.  F.  Sadler 

Chi 

A.  McKinley 

Gary  W.  Moore 

D.  S.  Hammond 

John  W.  Stout 

Ith 

CjTus  Butler 

J.  M.  Chandler 

A.  W.  Follett 

John  Guth 

Wr 

D.  T.  Lawson 

(reserved.) 

Washington  Belt 

Tlios.  Hinds 

Ge( 

I.  K.  Funk 

(reserved.) 

J.  H.  Hewson 

John  A.  Smith 

Jol 

A.  W.  Wagnalls 

Hugh  J.  Jewett 

G.  H.  Valliant 

John  Dickson 

S.l 

M.  B.  Wright 

L.  C.  Hopkins 

(reserved.) 

H.  R.  DeMilt 

H. 

Z.  K.  Pangborn 

H.  K.  Wick 

C.  L.  Buckingham 

Theo.  Ricksecker 

J.^ 

F.  M.  Foy6 

T.  B.  Musgrave 

W.  M.  Saftbrd 

J.  M.  Edwards 

Jol 

Wm.  Brinkerhoff 

Jolin  R.  Brady 

A.  R,  Lawrence 

(rkserved.) 

R.: 

Chas.  H.  Grosvenor 
Andrews 

Chas.  Foster 

B.  Hazen 

Bernard  Peter 

H.L 

.  Burn 

ett 

OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  the  men  who  came  from  Cleveland  and  Mansfield  and  Fremont,  and  the 
cheering  when  the  speeches  began  was  as  continuous  as  the  rain  that  pattered 
outside.  They  cheered  John  Sherman  before  his  speech ;  gave  him  three  times 
three  after  it,  and  punctuated  every  sentence  with  a  wild  howl  of  enthusiasm. 
It  was  one  great  love  feast.  Proud  senators  and  governors  and  congressmen 
clinked  glasses  with  humble  citizens  of  the  day,  and  Democratic  lions  lay  down 
with  Republican  lambs  just  as  if  the  millennium  had  come  in  with  the  coffee. 
Levi  P.  Morton  hobnobbed  with  Steve  Elkins,  and  Weather  Chief  Hazen  re- 
called Washington  days  with  the  great  Frank  Hatton." 

Among  those  present  were  Senator  John  Sherman,  Senator  H.  B.  Payne, 
Joseph  E.  McDonald,  ex-Governor  R.  M.  Bishop,  Hon.  Charles  Foster,  James 
M,  Ashley,  William  Henry  Smith,  Thomas  T.  Eckert,  W.  H.  Upson,  Charles 
H.  Grosvenor,  B.  F.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  Republican  national  committee; 
Governor  Leon  Abbett,  Judge  W.  H.  Upton,  General  W.  B.  Hazen,  Gen. 
Anson  G.  McCook,  General  Benjamin  Harrison,  Levi  P.  Morton,  Benjamin 
Butterworth,  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Frank 
Hatton,  William  McKinley  and  General  Thomas  Ewing. 

iThe  following  cablegram  was  received  from  the  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox:  "  General 
Thomas  Ewing,  155  Broadway,  New  York.  Ohio  full  of  civil  and  martial 
honors.  Her  sons  are  peei-s  without  the  heraldry ;  her  daughters  Peris  without 
the  harem.    Fill  the  Golden  Horn." 

Homer  Lee,  the  secretary,  read  letters  of  regret  from  Governor  Hoadly, 
General  Durbin  Ward,  Murat  Halstead,  Judge  Thurman,  Chief  Justice 
Waite,  Judge  Cartter,  General  Schenck,  Senator  J.  P.  Jones,  W.  D.  Howells, 
Richard  Smith,  General  Sherman,  General  Sheridan  and  others.  General 
Thomas  Ewing  then  arose  and  said : 

"  I  hail  and  congratulate  you,  guests  and  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York,  on  our  delightful  and  auspicious  reunion.  It  is  good  that  we  are 
here.  This  large  assemblage  of  Ohio's  sons,  coming  from  far  and  near,  attests 
how  strong  and  vital  are  the  ties  which  bind  us  to  our  mother  state.  We  have 
every  reason  to  love  and  to  be  proud  of  her.  If  American  citizenship  be  a 
patent  of  nobility,  it  adds  to  the  honor  to  have  been  bom  of  that  state  which, 
almost  in  the  forenoon  of  the  first  century  of  her  existence,  has  shed  such  lustre 
on  the  republic;  which  has  given  to  it  so  long  a  roll  of  presidents,  chief  justices, 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  and  statesmen  in  the  cabinet  and  in  Congress; 
among  whom  is  found  not  one  dishonored  name,  but  many  that  will  shine  illus- 
trious in  our  country's  annals  forever ;  a  state  which,  in  the  supreme  struggle 
by  which  the  union  was  established  as  indissoluble  and  the  plague  of  human 
slavery  destroyed,  gave  to  the  republic  even  more  than  her  enormous  quota  of 
noble  troops,  and  with  them  those  great  captains  of  the  war.  Grant,  Sherman, 
Sheridan,  Rosecrans,  McPherson.    Gentlemen,  we  have  not  formed  our  society 

17 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  the  men  who  came  from  Cleveland  and  Mansfield  and  Fremont,  and  the 
cheering  when  the  speeches  began  was  as  continuous  as  the  rain  that  pattered 
outside.  They  cheered  John  Sherman  before  his  speech ;  gave  him  three  times 
three  after  it,  and  punctuated  every  sentence  with  a  wild  howl  of  enthusiasm. 
It  was  one  great  love  feast.  Proud  senators  and  governors  and  congressmen 
chnked  glasses  with  humble  citizens  of  the  day,  and  Democratic  lions  lay  down 
with  Republican  lambs  just  as  if  the  millennium  had  come  in  with  the  coffee. 
Levi  P.  Morton  hobnobbed  with  Steve  EDcins,  and  Weather  Chief  Hazen  re- 
called Washington  days  with  the  great  Frank  Hatton." 

Among  those  present  were  Senator  John  Sherman,  Senator  H.  B.  Payne, 
Joseph  E.  McDonald,  ex-Governor  R.  M.  Bishop,  Hon.  Charles  Foster,  James 
M,  Ashley,  William  Henry  Smith,  Thomas  T.  Eckert,  W.  H.  Upson,  Charles 
H.  Grosvenor,  B.  F.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  Republican  national  committee; 
Governor  Leon  Abbett,  Judge  W.  H.  Upton,  General  W.  B.  Hazen,  Gen. 
Anson  G.  McCook,  General  Benjamin  Harrison,  Levi  P.  Morton,  Benjamin 
Butterworth,  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Frank 
Hatton,  William  McKinley  and  General  Thomas  Ewing. 

iThe  following  cablegram  was  received  from  the  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox :  "  General 
Thomas  Ewing,  155  Broadway,  New  York.  Ohio  full  of  civil  and  martial 
honors.  Her  sons  are  peei"s  without  the  heraldry ;  her  daughters  Peris  without 
the  harem.    Fill  tlie  Golden  Horn." 

Homer  Lee,  the  secretary,  read  letters  of  regret  from  Governor  Hoadly, 
General  Durbin  Ward,  Murat  Halstead,  Judge  Thurman,  Chief  Justice 
Waite,  Judge  Cartter,  General  Schenck,  Senator  J.  P.  Jones,  W.  D.  Howells, 
Richard  Smith,  General  Sherman,  General  Sheridan  and  others.  General 
Thomas  Ewing  then  arose  and  said : 

"  I  hail  and  congratulate  you,  guests  and  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York,  on  our  delightful  and  auspicious  reunion.  It  is  good  that  we  are 
here.  This  large  assemblage  of  Ohio's  sons,  coming  from  far  and  near,  attests 
how  strong  and  vital  are  the  ties  which  bind  us  to  our  mother  state.  We  have 
every  reason  to  love  and  to  be  proud  of  her.  If  American  citizenship  be  a 
patent  of  nobility,  it  adds  to  the  honor  to  have  been  bom  of  that  state  which, 
almost  in  the  forenoon  of  the  first  century  of  her  existence,  has  shed  such  lustre 
on  the  republic;  which  has  given  to  it  so  long  a  roll  of  presidents,  chief  justices, 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  and  statesmen  in  the  cabinet  and  in  Congress; 
among  whom  is  found  not  one  dishonored  name,  but  many  that  will  shine  illus- 
trious in  our  country's  annals  forever ;  a  state  which,  in  the  supreme  struggle 
by  which  the  union  was  established  as  indissoluble  and  the  plague  of  human 
slavery  destroyed,  gave  to  the  republic  even  more  than  her  enormous  quota  of 
noble  troops,  and  with  them  those  great  captains  of  the  war.  Grant,  Sherman, 
Sheridan,  Rosecrans,  McPherson.    Gentlemen,  we  have  not  formed  our  society 

17 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

from  a  desire  to  cultivate  state  pride  in  any  spirit  of  divided  allegiance.  No, 
no!  There  has  been  far  too  much  of  that  in  the  past  and  cannot  be  too  little 
in  the  future. 

"  We  are  first  Americans,  then  Buckeyes.  The  blessings  and  misfortunes 
of  our  sister  states  are  ours  as  well  as  theirs.  The  love  of  our  own  state  and 
pride  in  her  history  spring  largely  from  the  fact  that  she  and  her  institutions 
in  their  birth  and  growth  are  purely  American.  She  is  the  oldest  and,  so  far, 
the  best  developed  of  all  the  typically  American  states.  Neither  Roundhead 
nor  Cavalier  stood  sponsor  at  her  cradle.  She  never  wore  the  collar  of  colonial 
subserviency.  Her  churches  and  colleges  are  not  endowed  of  King  Charles  or 
Queen  Anne.  Her  lands  are  not  held  by  grant  or  prescription  under  tlie  Duke 
of  York,  Lord  Fairfax  or  Lord  Baltimore,  but  by  patents  under  the  seal  of  the 
young  repubhc,  and  the  hand  of  George  Washington — whose  name  will  con- 
tinue to  be  loved  and  honored  throughout  the  world  long  after  the  memory 
of  the  last  king  and  peer  of  Great  Britain  shall  have  sunk  in  oblivion.  The 
early  generations  of  her  sons  were  not  reared  amid  distinctions  of  wealth  and 
rank  and  class,  but  in  the  primeval  forest  and  prairie,  where  all  stood  equal 
and  had  no  aid  to  eminence  but  strenuous  effort;  where  recollections  of  the 
sufferings  and  sacrifices  of  Revolutionary  sires  became  inspirations  of  patriot- 
ism in  their  sons,  and  where  nature  threw  around  them  all  her  pure,  loving  and 
benignant  influences  to  make  them  great  and  strong. 

"  I  now  have  the  pleasure  to  present  to  you  a  typical  Buckeye — ^the  archi- 
tect of  his  own  fame  and  fortune — who  stands  below  only  one  man  in  the  repub- 
hc in  official  station,  and  below  none  in  the  respect  of  his  countrymen — John 
Sherman." 

Senator  Sherman  was  applauded  many  minutes  before  he  was  allowed  to 
speak,  but  when  quiet  was  restored  he  said : 

"  I  am  grateful  for  tliis  very  warm  greeting,  but  if  you  were  to  receive 
every  Buckeye  from  the  State  of  Ohio  in  this  manner  you  would  have  the 
hordes  of  Ararat  among  you.  Such  a  reception  as  this  would  bring  every  boy 
from  every  farm  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  and  what  would  become  of  New  York 
then  ?  It  was  a  happy  idea  to  gather  the  sons  of  Ohio  and  those  who  have  been 
identified  with  her  history  in  so  pleasant  a  manner  as  this  to  preserve  the 
recollections  of  Ohio  boyhood  and  manhood.  Why  should  you  not  do  this? 
Why  should  you  not  have  an  Ohio  Society  as  well  as  New  England  ?  Why  the 
citizens  from  the  shores  of  New  England,  from  Ireland  and  Scotland  and  from 
Germany  form  their  societies  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  why  should  not  the 
state  of  Ohio,  which  is  more  than  either  of  these  countries?  Now,  gentlemen, 
there  is  one  thing  about  the  Ohio  people  which  has  marked  them  from  the  be- 
ginning of  its  history,  and  marks  it  now — ^we  are  a  migratory  race.  We  are 
the  innocents  abroad.     We  are  a  migratory  race,  and  why  should  we  not  be, 

18 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

for  we  desen^e  the  best  of  any  land?  When  we  go  to  any  country,  we  do  not 
go  to  rob  them,  but  to  aid  in  their  wealth.  If  I  wish  to  prove  this,  what  better 
evidence  could  I  desire  than  the  men  around  me?  Here  is  my  friend,  General 
E^ang,  who  is  from  one  of  the  garden  beds  of  Ohio,  brought  up  under  circum- 
stances that  would  lead  you  to  suppose  tliat  he  ought  to  be  content,  but  he  wan- 
dered off  to  Kansas,  then  to  the  war  and  then  to  Washington,  and  at  the  last 
settles  down  near  New  York  in  the  shadow  of  the  shades  of  the  great  town. 
Here  is  the  grandson  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  and  we  have  representatives 
of  the  old  Puritan  fathers.  We  have  representatives  not  only  of  Virginia,  but 
also  of  Newark,  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  all  from  Ohio.  Why,  my  coun- 
trj^men,  Ohio  was  the  camping  ground  of  all  the  states.  It  is  true  that  Vermont 
and  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  were  admitted  into  the  Union  first,  but  Ohio  was 
the  first  fruit  of  the  Federal  Union.  Every  state  had  a  camping  ground  in 
Ohio,  either  reservation  by  purchase  or  by  settlement.  The}'  went  there  to 
improve  the  lands  of  the  wilderness — they  made  Ohio  prosperous.  In  Ohio 
was  the  beginning  of  that  magnificent  march  westward  which  leads  on  to 
prosperity. 

"  I  want  to  defend  Ohio  people  against  a  charge  which  is  often  made 
against  them  in  this  city  of  New  York,  They  charge  them  with  being  fond  of 
office.  Well,  my  countrymen,  I  can  show  by  statistics — and  they  never  lie — 
that  Ohio  never  had  a  fair  share  in  public  office.  There  is  nothing  so  dr^i^  in 
an  after-dinner  speech  as  figures — they  never  lie.  Well,  we  have  never  had  our 
share  of  public  office,  but  if  we  have,  we  always  performed  the  duties  with 
credit.  Only  one  or  two  other  points.  In  the  early  times  migrations  were 
always  westward.  Nobody  thought  of  coming  East.  Therefore  it  is  that 
the  eight  sons  of  Ohio  who  are  now  members  of  the  United  States  Senate  all 
moved  westward,  which  was  the  star  of  the  Empire.  But  lately  the  star  of  the 
Empire  seems  to  have  settled  here  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  to-night  more 
than  two  hundred  Ohio  men  assemble  to  feast.  There  is  more  money  in  New 
York  than  anywhere  else.  Some  of  our  people  have  come  here  to  better  their 
conditions,  and  I  hope  to  God  they  will — not  only  to  better  their  own  condition, 
but  all  those  around  them.  Here  are  men  who  have  come  from  Ohio  poor,  but 
with  honest  endeavor  to  do  what  is  best  for  their  families,  and  here  they  are 
to-night,  rich  and  happy. 

"  We  love  Ohio !  We  love  Ohio  as  our  mother,  who  guarded  us  in  our 
infancy,  and  never,  my  countrymen,  although  you  may  hear  ill  of  Ohio,  never 
fail  to  remember  all  that  is  good  of  Ohio,  and  be  true  and  noble  for  the  love  of 
Ohio.  But  we  love  our  country  more,  and  no  man  from  Ohio  would  ever  be 
true  to  his  mother  unless  he  was  more  true  to  his  country.  Our  country  for- 
ever— from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Canada 
line  and  away  round." 

19 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Senator  Payne  followed,  and  reviewed  the  history  of  the  Buckeye  state, 
her  advancement,  resources  and  wealth,  and  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the 
"  men  from  Ohio,"  who  had  conquered  in  the  fight  for  Hberty,  independence 
and  constitutional  rights. 

General  Benjamin  Harrison,  ex-Governor  R.  M.  Bishop  and  others  fol- 
lowed in  short  speeches,  and  the  company  separated. 

Of  this  meeting,  George  Alfred  Townsend,  in  his  dispatch  to  the  Cincin- 
nati Enquirer,  said  as  follows:  "  Senator  Payne  distinguished  himself  at  this 
dinner  by  the  copiousness  and  simphcity  of  his  remarks  and  character.  He 
seemed  to  be  a  feeble  man  when  he  arose,  and  he  is  far  advanced  in  Hfe.  His 
voice  was  not  very  clear  at  first,  but  his  conception  was  earnest.  As  he  went  on 
he  seemed  to  take  a  new  life,  and  broke  out  in  patriotic  praise  of  Ohio  and  her 
sons,  among  whom  he  had  spent  the  most  of  his  days.  There  was  a  palpable 
feeling  and  tenderness  in  his  words,  whidh  found  responsive  chords  in  all 
minds ;  and  every  time  he  wavered  he  was  called  upon  to  continue. 

"  Ben  Harrison,  senator  from  Indiana,  who  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  showed 
his  metal  in  a  considerable  speech,  delivered  with  a  vigor  and  style  that  carried 
to  my  mind  the  idea  that  he  was  an  abler  man  than  his  distinguished  ancestor, 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  In  appearance  he  does  not  generally 
impress  people  as  he  goes  about  the  streets,  with  his  head  somewhat  down  and 
no  particular  '  get  up '  about  him.  But  when  he  rises  to  speak  you  see  that 
he  is  broad-shouldered,  full-chested,  healthy  and  strong,  square-headed,  firmly 
planted  on  his  feet,  aggressive,  loud  and  incisive — very  much  of  a  leader  of 
men.    In  all  he  made  the  strongest  impression  of  any  speaker  of  the  night. 

"  It  occurred  to  me  that  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  which  the  Irish 
speaker,  SuUivan,  fitly  characterized  as  an  Irish  bull,  had  better  change  its 
name  to  the  '  Ohio  Club,'  which  is  brief  and  to  the  purpose,  and  if  it  designs 
to  take  rooms  in  New  York  it  will  be  the  first  organization  from  the  West,  and 
sufficiently  indicated  by  the  latter  name.  One  of  the  originators  of  the  move- 
ment said  to  me :  '  In  a  large  city  like  New  York  these  social  organizations  are 
beginning  to  have  an  immense  influence,  and  men  can  hardly  find  each  other 
without  some  such  facility.  A  good  many  men  join  clubs  without  any  other 
apparent  purpose  than  to  use  their  letter  sheets  to  write  their  letters  upon,  and 
thus  localize  themselves  in  the  metropolis.  Therefore,'  said  my  informant,  '  the 
Ohio  Club  has  a  business  utility  and  significance  quite  as  important  as  it  is 
friendly  in  character.' " 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  for  those  who  have  been  managing  banquet 
aff'airs  in  these  later  days  of  prosperity  to  peruse  the  report  of  the  entertain- 
ment committee  made  to  the  Society  a  short  time  after  the  occurrence  of  this 
event.    It  is  as  follows : 


20 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  First  Annual  Banquet  of  May  7,  1886 — 

Delmonico's,  202  plates,  at  $4.00 $808.00 

«            Ex.*    904.95 

Coat  of  arms 8.50 

Printing  and  postage 168.68 

Telegrams,  etc 1.80 

Messenger   service 4.10 

$1,896.03 

Tickets  sold,  184  at  $4.00 $736.00 

Sen.  H.  B.  Payne 5.00        741.00 

Deficiency    $1,155.00 

"  Twenty  subscribers  to  pay  each  $57.75. 

"  Mr.  Strong's  proposition  to  pay  personally  for  deficiency  was  declined 
with  thanks.  Mr.  Sullivan  moved  that  the  secretary  notify  the  subscribers  of 
the  deficiency  and  ask  a  check  from  each  for  the  same.    Carried." 

That  seems  to  be  the  end  of  the  matter  so  far  as  the  records  of  the  Society 
give  testimony. 

Action  was  taken  by  the  governing  committee  from  time  to  time  in 
placing  the  rooms  on  Fifth  Avenue  in  order  and  in  providing  for  their  care. 
The  chairman  was  empowered  to  secure  a  visitors'  register  for  the  rooms,  and 
the  first  visitor  to  place  his  name  upon  the  record  was  William  Jones,  of 
Coburg,  Canada,  introduced  by  J.  J.  Slocum,  on  May  21,  1886. 

Mr.  Follett  moved  that  the  chairman  appoint  three  members  to  act  as 
house  committee,  and  that  official  named  Messrs.  Moulton,  Lee  and  Pool,  and 
said  committee  were  instructed  to  complete  the  furnishing  of  the  rooms  and 
make  the  necessary  purchases.  The  thanks  of  the  Society,  on  motion  of  Gren- 
eral  Swayne,  were  extended  to  Mrs.  Hannah  B.  Strong  for  a  handsome  copy 
of  the  Bible.  The  Hon.  R.  B.  Hayes  was  elected  a  non-resident  member 
rather  than  an  honorary  member,  at  his  own  request. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Society  in  the  rooms  at  No.  236  Fifth  avenue  was 
held  on  June  14,  1886.  In  the  absence  of  the  president,  Vice-President  W.  L. 
Strong  presided.  General  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman  of  the  governing  com- 
mittee, reported  that  the  expense  of  fitting  up  the  rooms  so  far  amounted  to 
about  $1,500.  Mr.  Howard,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  literature,  history 
and  art,  off'ered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted :  "  Resolved,  That 
the  committee  on  history  and  art  be  requested  to  assign  to  suitable  members 
of  this  Society  appropriate  subjects  relative  to  the  history  of  Ohio,  with  a  view 

*  The  "  Ex  "  in  this  case  means  "  extras."  At  the  last  moment  it  was  discovered  that 
the  affair  was  likely  to  be  "  dry,"  and  an  order  was  given  by  those  in  charge  that  obviated 
that  difficulty. 

21 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  having  biographical  essays  or  historical  papers  prepared,  to  be  read  at  each 
monthly  meeting  of  the  Society." 

Mr.  Howard  then  read  a  paper  relating  to  some  of  Ohio's  most  noted 
sons,  and,  on  motion,  the  same  was  ordered  to  be  printed. 

C.  W.  Moulton,  on  behalf  of  the  house  committee,  stated  that  a  considera- 
ble number  of  newspapers  from  the  state  of  Ohio  had  been  received  for  fiHng, 
and  that  a  number  of  other  publishers  had  expressed  their  willingness  to  send 
their  papers  soon.  Mr.  Pool,  of  the  house  committee,  reported  progress  in 
fitting  up  the  rooms.  H.  L.  Burnett  moved  that  an  auditing  committee,  com- 
posed of  three  members,  be  appointed  by  the  chair  to  examine  the  expenditures 
of  the  governing  committee  to  this  time.  This  was  concurred  in  by  Mr.  Fogg, 
the  treasurer,  and  the  chair  named  John  W.  Harman,  Warren  Higley  and 
Leander  H.  Crall  as  such  committee. 

At  the  meeting  of  July  12th  this  committee  made  a  report  to  the  effect 
that  they  found  everything  in  first-class  shape,  and  took  occasion  to  compli- 
ment Colonel  Fogg,  the  treasurer,  for  tlie  neat  and  handsome  manner  in  which 
his  accounts  were  kept,  and  for  the  ready  manner  in  which  his  vouchers  were 
produced.  They  characterized  his  books  as  a  marvel  of  neatness,  and  his 
accounts  as  in  every  way  intelHgible. 

Mr.  Howard,  from  the  committee  on  history  and  art,  reported  the  follow- 
ing subjects  as  having  been  arranged  for  subsequent  meetings,  stating  that 
he  expected  the  reading  of  these  papers  would  be  begun  by  the  August 
meeting ; 

"  The  First  Settlement  at  Marietta,"  Mr.  John  Q.  Mitchell. 

"  The  Second  Settlement  at  Cincinnati,"  Judge  Warren  Higley. 

"  The  Administration  of  Governor  Arthur  St.  Clair,"  Wilham  Henry 
Smith. 

"  Thomas  Corwin,"  General  Thomas  Ewing. 

"  The  First  Constitution  of  Ohio  and  Its  Framers,"  General  Henry  L. 
Burnett. 

"  The  Second  Constitution  of  Ohio  and  the  Chief  Men  Who  Made  It," 
Algernon  S.  Sullivan. 

"  Thomas  Ewing  and  Hocking  Hunter,"  General  Wager  Swayne. 

"  The  Character  and  Career  of  Hiram  Powers,"  James  H.  Beard. 

"  The  Public  Services  of  Salmon  P.  Chase,"  Whitelaw  Reid. 

It  was  decided  that  w'hen  the  Society  should  adjourn  at  the  close  of  this 
meeting,  it  should  be  until  the  second  Monday  in  September.  On  motion,  the 
president  was  authorized  to  extend  the  thanks  of  the  Society  to  Mrs.  Alice  Ber- 
nard for  a  crayon  portrait  of  Hon.  John  Sherman,  and  the  house  committee 
were  instructed  to  have  it  framed. 

The  first  fall  meeting  of  1886  was  held  on  September  13th,  with  Presi- 

2^ 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

dent  Ewing  in  the  chair.    J.  Q.  Mitchell  read  a  very  interesting  paper  entitled 
"  The  First  Settlement  at  Marietta." 

The  governing  committee  were  instructed  to  have  this  paper,  and  also 
one  offered  by  Mr.  Howard,  printed  in  a  uniform  style,  and  copies  of  these 
distributed  to  the  members  of  the  Society  without  delay. 

It  was  at  this  meeting  that  the  custom  of  adopting  resolutions  in  honor  of 
deceased  members  seems  to  have  been  inaugurated.*  The  chair  was  instructed 
to  appoint  a  committee  of  three  to  take  action  in  regard  to  the  decease  of 
several  members  of  the  Society,  and  appointed  J.  W.  Harman,  Warren  Higley 
and  Cyrus  Butler.  The  members  who  had  died  were  William  Hunter  and 
J.  Monroe  Brown.  The  secretary  was  instructed  to  write  to  Judge  Manning 
F.  Force  and  General  Jacob  D.  Cox,  asking  them  to  furnish  the  Society  with 
papers  on  the  Mound  Builders.  At  the  meeting  of  October  11th  James  H. 
Beard  delivered  an  interesting  address  on  Hiram  Powers,  replete  with  reminis- 
cences of  art  in  Ohio  in  early  days,  and  Mr.  Kimball  presented  the  Society  with 
a  history  of  Stark  county. 

At  the  meeting  of  November  8th  General  Burnett,  on  behalf  of  the  gov- 
erning committee,  stated  that  preliminary  steps  had  been  taken  by  that  com- 
mittee to  arrange  for  the  next  annual  banquet.  Judge  Warren  Higley  read  a 
very  interesting  paper  on  "  The  Second  Settlement  of  Ohio  at  Cincinnati."  A 
vote  of  thanks  was  tendered,  and  the  paper  ordered  printed,  and  that  copies, 
together  with  those  of  previously  printed  papers,  be  sent  to  each  member  as 
well  as  to  the  representative  newspapers  of  Ohio. 

Milton  I.  Southard  offered  the  following  resolution :  "  Resolved,  That 
the  committee  on  history  and  art  be  requested  to  examine  into  and  determine 
upon  the  general  character  and  quantity  required  of  such  papers  as  may  be 
read  and  printed  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society,  and  then  refer  the  matter 
to  the  governing  committee  for  printing."    It  was  adopted. 

A  discussion  then  occurred  concerning  the  election  of  officers  for  the  en- 
suing year,  and  a  nominating  committee  of  seven  were  provided  for  by  motion. 
On  motion  of  General  Burnett,  the  resolution  ordering  this  committee  was 
amended  in  that  the  nomination  and  terms  of  service  of  members  for  the  gov- 
erning committee  be  also  referred  to  the  same  committee,  with  power  to  act. 
The  chairman  named  the  following  gentlemen  as  members  of  the  nominating 
committee:  P.  B.  Armstrong,  Warren  Higley,  William  Henry  Smith,  Cyrus 
Butler,  William  Ford  Upson,  J.  Q.  Howard,  William  H.  Beard. 


*  Appropriate  action  has  been  taken  by  the  Society  from  time  to  time  upon  all  its 
members  who  have  passed  away,  and  the  resolutions  and  memorials  appear  in  full  in  the 
minutes.  It  was  thought  wisest  to  refer  here  only  to  the  action  taken  in  exceptional  &nd 
conspicuous  cases. 


CHAPTER    III 
1886 

THE  first  annual  meeting  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  was  held  at 
the  rooms  on  November  29,  1886.  The  reports  of  the  various  officers 
and  committees  were  presented.  They  form  a  valuable  summary  of  the 
work  already  accomplished. 

That  of  the  governing  committee  was  especially  full  of  data  and  sugges- 
tions, and  the  most  salient  portions  are  here  reproduced : 

"  The  by-laws  require  that  the  committee  shall  meet  at  least  once  a  month, 
and  provide  that  five  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum,  except  during  July, 
August  and  September,  when  three  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  The  committee 
held  its  first  meeting  January  16th  and  its  last  on  November  17th,  and  during 
this  eleven  months  held  twenty  meetings.  The  interest  of  a  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  committee  in  the  welfare  of  the  Society  and  an  earnest  desire  to 
discharge  with  faithfulness  and  efficiency  the  duties  which  had  been  imposed 
upon  them  by  the  Society  was  at  all  times  manifest.  At  the  regular  and  at 
the  called  meetings  there  has  usually  been  a  good  attendance. 

"  The  duties  imposed  upon  the  governing  committee  by  the  by-laws  were 
{a)  the  admission  of  new  members;  (b)  to  control  and  manage  the  property 
of  the  Society  and  enforce  obedience  to  its  rules;  (c)  to  make  all  expenditures 
and  all  contracts  on  behalf  of  the  Society;  and  {d)  generally  to  manage  the 
affairs  of  the  Society,  and  at  regular  meetings  recommend  such  action  by  the 
Society  as  it  may  deem  advisable. 

"  Our  present  membership  is  as  follows,  viz. :  Resident  members,  229 ;  non- 
resident members,  62;  total,  291. 

"  The  governing  committee,  during  the  y^ear,  has  passed  upon  and 
elected  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  members ;  the  other  twenty-three  became 
members  either  by  subscribing  to  the  original  constitution  or  by  direct  action 
of  the  Society. 

"  The  next  step  taken  by  the  committee  in  managing  the  affairs  of  the 
Society  was  to  secure  attractive  and  commodious  permanent  rooms  or  head- 
quarters for  the  Society.  After  careful  consideration  of  the  subject  and  per- 
sonal examination  of  rooms  in  various  localities  by  several  members  of  the 
committee,  the  present  rooms  at  236  Fifth  avenue  were  unanimously  selected. 
On  the  13th  day  of  March,  1886,  the  president  and  secretary  of  the  Society 

24 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  the  chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  on  behalf  of  the  Society,  entered 
into  a  written  agreement  with  the  Messrs.  Everall  to  lease  said  rooms  for  the 
term  of  one  year  from  May  1,  1886,  for  the  sum  of  $2,250,  and  the  right  of 
renewal  from  year  to  year  thereafter  for  five  years  at  the  yearly  rental  of 
$2,500.  The  committee  feel  assured  that  the  lease  is  an  excellent  one  in  a 
financial  point  of  view  for  the  Societ}',  and  that  the  locality  is  most  convenient 
and  desirable. 

"  A  sub-committee  of  the  governing  committee  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  repairs,  changes  and  furnishing  necessary  to  fit  the  rooms  for 
occupancy.  This  was  accomplished  as  rapidly  as  possible  and  on  the  26th  of 
May  a  card  was  issued  to  the  members,  notifying  them  that  the  rooms  were 
then  substantially  in  order  and  ready  for  the  use  of  members.  At  the  meeting 
held  on  said  26th  of  May  a  sub-committee  of  the  governing  committee,  con- 
sisting of  Moulton,  Pool  and  Lee,  were  appointed  a  house  committee,  which 
should  thereafter  have  special  charge  of  the  rooms  and  make  such  further 
purchases  as  were  necessary  to  complete  the  furnishing  of  the  rooms.  The  re- 
port of  said  committee  through  its  chairman,  Colonel  Moulton,  is  hereto  ap- 
pended and  is  commended  as  a  very  full  and  complete  report  of  the  work  of 
the  house  committee  in  the  performance  of  its  duties. 

■"  The  total  cost  of  the  furnishing  and  fitting  of  the  rooms  was  $1,832.37. 
Of  this  sum  about  $500  was  expended  in  construction  of  water-closets,  wash- 
room, coat-room,  ventilators  and  plumbing  work,  leaving  about  $1,300  as  the 
total  cost  of  furniture,  carpets,  draperies,  etc. ;  i.e.,  in  furnishing  proper.  For 
more  particular  specification  of  the  expenditures,  reference  is  made  to  the 
annual  report  of  the  treasurer. 

"  Of  the  291  members  elected,  229  were  resident  members  and  62  non- 
resident ;  232  have  paid  both  the  initiation  fee  and  annual  dues  and  262  have 
paid  initiation  fee. 

"  The  treasurer  reports,on  November  20,  1886,  the  total  receipts.  $5,755.00 
"  Of  this  sum  there  has  been  expended  under  the  orders  of  the  gov- 
erning committee,  for  construction  and  furnishing  of  rooms.  .  1,832.37 

"  Printing,  stationery,  etc 652.65 

"  Rent,  attendance  and  current  petty  expenses 1,976.45 

"  Total  expenditures $4,461.47 

"  Leaving  balance  in  hand  of  treasurer $1,293.53 

"  The  committee  estimate  that  it  will  require  about  $4,000  to  meet  the 
actual  fixed  expenses  of  the  club  for  the  coming  year.  For  the  Society  to  have 
an  income  of  this  amount  there  must  be  225  certain  paying  members  at  $15 

25 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

each,  and  at  least  27  new  members  paying  initiation  fee  and  annual  dues  of 
$25,  or  the  equivalent  of  tliis  in  resident  and  non-resident  and  new  members. 

"  The  committee,  by  way  of  suggestion  or  recommendation,  beg  to  say  that 
in  order  to  maintain  the  requisite  membership  a  sustained  interest  in  the 
monthly  meetings  and  in  the  general  purposes  and  objects  of  the  Society  must 
be  manifested  by  the  present  members.  First:  There  ought  to  be  a  greater 
attendance,  a  more  frequent  dropping  in  of  the  members  to  the  rooms  of  the 
Society  afternoons  and  evenings.  It  might  be  well  for  the  Society  or  govern- 
ing committee  to  designate  some  special  evening  each  week  as  Ohio  Society 
night,  w'hen  it  shall  be  understood  that  as  many  of  the  members  as  can  possibly 
do  so  will  visit  the  rooms. 

"  No  more  attractive  feature  could  possibly  be  added  to  the  Society  rooms 
than  to  fill  them  comfortably  full  with  the  cultivated,  able  and  attractive  men 
who  constitute  its  membership.  '  All  place  a  temple ;  all  season  summer  '  where 
such  men  do  congregate. 

"  Then  again,  while  the  papers  read  at  our  monthly  meetings  are  most 
interesting  and  instructive,  are  filled  and  weighty  with  great  truths  and  his- 
toric facts,  yet  may  they  not  be  just  a  little  depressing,  from  their  very  pon- 
derosity.'' Might  it  not  be  weU  to  lighten  a  httle  the  great  load  of  historic 
facts,  of  robust  reasoning  and  massive  wisdom  shoveled  on  to  the  average 
intellect  on  these  occasions,  by  a  little  music — a  sprightly  duet  or  a  stirring 
glee  song?  I  doubt  not  we  have  the  talent.  Our  committee  on  history,  litera- 
ture and  art  might  brighten  the  sombre  tints  of  the  evening  by  a  choice  recita- 
tion or  reading.  Why  can  we  not  have  the  presence  of  ladies  at  our  monthly 
meetings  or  semi-monthly  meetings  ?  Their  presence  would  certainly  bring  into 
our  rooms  Matthew  Arnold's  vision  of  '  Sweetness  and  light.'  It  has  also  been 
suggested  that  by  concerted  arrangement  members  of  the  Society,  or  a  large 
number,  might  meet  once  a  week  and  dine  together  at  INforelli's  or  some  such 
place,  after  the  manner  of  the  Twilight  Club.  The  dinner  would  be  good  and 
moderate  in  price — not  more  than  a  dollar  each,  without  wine — and  nothing 
would  tend  more  to  build  up  the  fraternity  of  feeling,  the  good  comradeship 
and  personal  attachments  among  members,  which  are  the  best  foundations  for 
Society  existence.  It  might  be  well  also,  during  the  "winter,  for  the  Society  to 
invite  some  of  our  many  eminent  non-resident  members  to  come  here  and  give 
a  pubhc  lecture  or  lectures  on  some  burning  question  of  the  hour.  The  ex- 
penses could  be  met  by  voluntary  subscription,  and  the  lectures  being  of  a  high 
standard,  and  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  Ohio  Society,  would  give  us  a 
place  in  the  Hterary  and  intellectual  life  of  our  city  and  time.  These  sugges- 
tions are  thrown  out  for  the  thoughtful  consideration  of  the  Society.  To 
continue  to  live  as  a  Society  we  must  be  very  much  alive,  and  show  that  we  are 
worthy  to  live.         «  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Chairman  Governing  Committee." 

26 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  following  are  extracts  from  the  report  of  the  house  conunittee  re- 
ferred to  above :  "  Book  cases  are  becoming  necessary,  but  have  not  yet  been 
provided.  The  supply  of  newspapers  and  periodicals  is  shown  by  schedule  of 
superintendent,  annexed  hereto;  dailies,  18;  weeklies,  23 — ^total,  41.  Of  the 
above  all  are  contributed.  Since  last  May  two  hundred  visitors  have  inscribed 
their  names  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  and  perhaps  as  many  more  called 
at  the  rooms  but  neglected  to  register.  Ever  since  the  rooms  were  opened  the 
interest  manifested  by  members  of  the  Society  has  fully  justified  the  expendi- 
ture incurred  in  leasing  and  furnishing  these  apartments.  Your  committee 
is  gratified  to  be  able  to  report  that  the  property  of  the  Society  is  in  good 
order,  and  with  the  few  additions  added  there  wiU  be  no  necessity  for  any  con- 
siderable outlay  for  house  furnishings  during  the  coming  year." 

The  first  annual  report  of  the  secretary,  Homer  Lee,  was  also  replete 
with  information.  It  will  be  recalled  that  at  one  of  the  meetings  already  re- 
ported a  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Lee  was  a  member,  was  appointed,  with  in- 
structions to  prepare  a  history  of  the  origin  of  the  Society.  He  apparently 
took  this  occasion  to  present  the  information  asked  for.  The  report  was  as 
follows : 

"  New  York,  November  29,  1886. 

"  To  the  memhers  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  Gentlemen :  The 
secretary  begs  leave  to  submit  the  following  sketch  of  the  several  attempts  at 
the  formation  of  societies  composed  of  Ohio  men  and  of  the  work  of  the  Ohio 
Society  of  New  York  for  the  past  year : 

"  The  first  step  of  which  any  record  can  be  found  towards  establisliing 
an  Ohio  Society  was  a  call  printed  in  the  Boston  papers  on  the  25th  day  of 
January,  1786,  not  quite  one  hundred  and  one  years  ago,  when  eleven  dele- 
gates met  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  tavern  in  Boston  and  organized  by  electing 
General  Rufus  Putnam  president  and  Winthrop  Sargent  secretary.  This 
was  undoubtedly  the  first  Ohio  Society.  It  was  called  the  '  Ohio  Company  of 
Associates,'  and  was  intended  to  promote  emigration  to  Ohio  and  to  develop 
that  portion  of  the  national  domain,  then  a  part  of  the  state  of  Virginia. 

"  The  next  step  talcen  was  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war,  when  there 
was  formed  in  the  parlors  of  one  of  Ohio's  fair  daughters  residing  on  Murray 
Hill,  in  this  city,  a  society  composed  mainly  of  Ohio  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
which  held  weekly  meetings,  and  which  was  afterwards  known  throughout  the 
land  as  the  Sanitary  Fair. 

"  The  object  was  to  send  supplies,  clothing,  medicines,  etc.,  to  the  soldiers 
at  the  front.  A  handsome  silk  and  satin  banner  was  made  at  a  cost  of  some 
$500,  upon  which  was  a  beautifully  embroidered  coat  of  arms  of  the  state  of 
Ohio,  to  be  presented  to  the  bravest  Ohio  regiment.  As  might  have  been 
expected,  there  was  much  rivalry  for  the  possession  of  this  prize,  as  glowing 

27 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

descriptions  of  the  beautiful  souvenir  were  given  by  the  newspapers  at  that 
time.  The  commanding  officers  were  appealed  to,  but  could  not  be  prevailed 
upon  to  decide  the  question,  because,  as  one  officer  put  it,  *  It  could  not  easily 
be  decided  which  was  the  bravest  where  aU  the  regiments  by  their  valor  and 
heroism  had  covered  themselves  with  glory.'  At  the  close  of  the  war  the 
Seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  Cleveland,  secured  the  prize.  This,  how- 
ever, was  not  carried  further,  but  several  members  of  our  Society  were  among 
the  number,  as  follows :  William  L.  Strong,  Augustus  D.  Juilliard,  Theron  R. 
Butler,  Albert  W.  Green,  Thomas  Reed,  A.  Jennings,  D.  M.  Porter,  Samuel 
Hawk,  Frank  Work,  Clinton  Work,  Joel  Reed. 

"  The  Ohio  Soldiers'  Aid  Society  was  formed  about  the  same  time  at  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  of  which  Theron  R.  Butler  was  elected  president  and 
John  R.  Cecil  treasurer.  Committees  were  appointed  to  assist  all  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  belonging  to  Ohio  regiments,  from  the  army  of  the  Potomac, 
that  could  be  found  in  the  hospitals  of  New  York  and  vicinity.  Hundreds  of 
disabled  men  were  sent  home,  transportation  free.  Over  $15,000  were  ex- 
pended in  this  good  work. 

"  About  twenty  privates,  belonging  to  a  Dayton  regiment,  were  found  in 
a  Jewish  hospital  uptown,  who,  true  to  their  Ohio  instinct,  longed  for  pork, 
which  was  rather  difficult  to  get  at  that  place,  but  those  in  charge,  recognizing 
their  wishes,  informed  Colonel  Strong,  chairman  of  the  disbursing  committee, 
and  the  result  was  a  splendid  feast  of  Cincinnati  pork  sent  up  from  Del- 
monico's  in  baskets,  which  was  much  enjoyed. 

"  Upon  the  occasion  of  the  funeral  of  the  late  Honorable  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  in  1877,  the  subject  again  came  up  and  was  warmly  discussed  by  a 
large  number  of  Ohioans  who  were  residents  of  New  York  at  that  time,  but  no 
decisive  steps  were  taken.  Several  of  the  gentlemen  who  were  the  most  active 
are  also  members  of  the  Ohio  Society.  Among  them  were  Henry  L.  Burnett, 
Whitelaw  Reid,  S.  S.  Cox,  A.  S.  SuUivan  and  others. 

"  Some  of  the  younger  Ohioans  in  New  York  again  endeavored  to  form 
an  Ohio  Society  in  the  winter  of  1874.  Several  meetings  were  held  at  the 
Hotel  St.  Germain,  Broadway  and  Twenty-second  street,  where  they  endeav- 
ored to  put  the  Buckeye  Club  on  its  feet.-  This,  also,  was  but  a  glimmer. 
Several  of  these  are  likewise  among  the  present  members  of  the  Society,  viz. : 
William  M.  HofFer,  Giles  N.  Howlett,  Henry  C.  Ehlers,  Homer  Lee. 

*'  Still  another  and  last  attempt  was  the  one  out  of  which  the  present 
Society  sprang.  It  was  rewarded  with  better  success,  however,  for  when  a 
paper  was  circulated  in  this  city,  about  a  year  ago,  to  see  whether  a  dozen 
Buckeyes  could  be  united  on  this  matter  it  was  found  that  over  thirty  re- 
sponded, and  with  such  spirit  and  enthusiasm  that  there  was  no  longer  any 
doubt  that  the  time  had  at  last  arrived  for  organization." 

S8 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mr.  Lee's  report  tlien  reproduced  the  call,  already  given,  and  followed 
with  a  brief  recital  of  the  facts  as  given  in  the  record  preceding  this. 

After  the  presentation  of  reports  the  chair  announced  that  the  election  of 
officers  and  of  a  governing  committee  for  the  ensuing  year  was  in  order,  and 
the  following  gentlemen  were  elected:  President,  Thomas  Ewing;  vice-presi- 
dents, Whitelaw  Reid,  Wager  Swayne,  A.  S.  SuUivan,  WiUiam  L.  Strong, 
WilHam  Henry  Smith;  secretary.  Homer  Lee;  recording  secretary,  John  Q. 
Mitchell;  treasurer,  William  Perry  Fogg;  governing  committee,  three  years, 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  George  FoUett;  two  years,  jfoseph 
Pool,  John  Dickson,  William  H.  Eckert;  one  year,  Charles  W.  Moulton,  S.  B. 
Elkins,  J.  J.  Slocum.  It  was  ordered  that  the  committee  on  entertainment  and 
the  history  and  art  committee  be  increased  from  seven  to  nine  members. 

On  December  6,  1886,  a  special  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  for  the 
discussion  of  the  question,  "  On  what  date  was  Ohio  admitted  as  a  state  into  the 
Federal  Union  ?  "  Letters  were  read  from  General  Ewing  and  William  Henry 
Smith,  regretting  their  inability  to  be  present  and  to  participate  in  the  dis- 
cussion. Mr.  Smith's  letter  contained  a  concise  argument  upon  the  question 
under  discussion. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  December  13th,  General 
Henry  L.  Burnett  was  elected  chairman  and  J.  Q.  Mitchell  secretary  for  the 
coming  year.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  on  the  same  date  those  present  were 
entertained  by  an  interesting  and  instructive  paper  by  William  Henry  Smith 
upon  the  life  and  public  services  of  Jeremiah  Morrow,  once  governor  of  Ohio. 

It  seems  appropriate  at  this  point,  the  close  of  1886,  to  speak  with  some 
detail  of  the  first  manual  or  year-book  of  the  Society.  It  was  a  small  paper- 
covered  pamphlet,  about  6  by  4%  inches  in  size,  containing  twenty-eight 
pages,  exclusive  of  the  cover. 

The  title  page  was  as  follows : 

CONSTITUTION, 

BY-LAWS, 

OFFICERS  AND  MEIMBERS 

OF    THE 

OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

1886 

First  Edition 

Rooms  of  the  Society : 

236  Fifth  Avenue, 

New  York 

29 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  contents  comprised  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  Society  at  that  time; 
announcement  as  to  the  location  at  No.  236  Fifth  avenue ;  the  constitution  and 
by-laws ;  the  list  of  names  which  are  found  below ;  and  the  remarks  of  General 
Thomas  Ewing  upon  his  election  as  president  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York  at  its  meeting  on  January  13,  1886,  which  remarks  are  found  elsewhere 
in  connection  with  the  report  of  that  meeting.  The  list  of  membership  at 
the  time  of  pubHcation  is  herewith  given: 

LIST  OF  MEMBERS  TO   APRIL,  1886,  WITH  DATES  OF  THEIR  ELECTION. 

Resident  Members. 


Abbey,  Henry  E., 

Dec.  30, 1885 

Bryant,  Stanley  A., 

April  5, 1886 

Allen,  Theo.  F., 

Dec.  15, 1885 

Buckingham,  G., 

Dec.  30, 1885 

Andrews,  W.  C, 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Burnett,  Henry  L., 

Dec.  15, 1885 

Applegate,  Chas.  H., 

Dec.  14, 1885 

Busbey,  Hamilton, 

March  16, 1886 

Armstrong,  Geo.  E., 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Butler,  Cyrus, 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Armstrong,  P*  B., 

April  5, 1886 

Butler,  Richard, 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Ashley,  James  M., 

March  16,  1886 

Cassiday,  C.  P., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Bartlett,  Geo.  S., 

April  5, 1886 

Chance,  Mahlon, 

Dec.  14, 1885 

Beard,  D.  C, 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Chandler,  J.  M., 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Beard,  Harry, 

Dec.  15, 1885 

Clark,  Heman, 

Dec.  30, 1885 

Beard,  James  C, 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Comly,  G.  S., 

Jan.  15, 1886 

Beard,  J.  H., 

Dec.  15, 1885 

Convers,  E.  B., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Beard,  T.  Frank, 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Corwine,  Quinton, 

Dec.  29, 1885 

Beard,  W.  H., 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Crall,  L.  H., 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Beasley,  A.  W., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Delamater,  Jehiel, 

Dec.  26, 1885 

Beckwith,  N.  Mahlon. 

,     Feb.  12, 1886 

Dickson,  John, 

April  5, 1886 

Beebe,  A.  0., 

Jan.  4, 1886 

Donaldson,  Andrew, 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Belt,  Washington, 

Dec.  18, 1885 

Doren,  D., 

March  8, 1886 

Bidwell,  Fredric  H., 

April  5, 1886 

Doyle,  G«orge, 

April  5, 1886 

Bonnet,  Jacob  N., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Eckert,  Thos.  T., 

Jan.  22, 1886 

Bostwick,  J.  A., 

April  5, 1886 

Eckert,  T.  T.,  Jr., 

Jan.  22, 1886 

Brainard,  Frank, 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Eckert,  Wm.  H., 

Jan.  12, 1886 

Brainard,  W.  H., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Edgerton,  David  M., 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Brewster,  S.  D., 

Dec.  21, 1885 

Edwards,  J.  M., 

Dec.  21, 1885 

Brice,  Calvin  S., 

Dec.  18, 1885 

Elkins,  Stephen  B., 

Dec.  12, 1886 

Brown,  J.  Munroe, 

Dec.  20, 1885 

Ellis,  John  W., 

Jan.  4, 1886 

Brown,  Walston  H., 

Jan.  15, 1886 

Emerson,  N.  W., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Brown,  W.  L., 

Dec.  31, 1885 

Enos,  H.  K., 

Jan.  22, 1886 

Bruch,  Charles  P., 

March  16, 1886 

Ewing,  Thomas, 

Dec.  14, 1885 

Brundrett,  H.  B., 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Fleischmann,  Max, 

Dec.  22, 1885 

30 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Fogg,  Wm.  Perry, 
Follett,  Austin  W., 
Follett,  George, 
Foye,  A.  J.  C, 
Foye,  Frank  M., 
French,  Hamlin  Q., 
Funk,  Isaac  K., 
GiUette,  M.  G., 
GiUett,  Benjamin  W., 
Gillett,  Francis  M., 
Gillett,  Jerome  D., 
Gillett,  Morillo  H., 
Glassford,  Henry  A., 
Goddard,  Calvin, 
Gorham,  A.  S., 
Granger,  John  T., 
Green,  Albert  W., 
Green,  Edwin  M., 
Grojean,  J.  H., 
Hain,  Isaiah, 
Hall,  Philander  D., 
Hammond,  D.  S., 
Hanford,  R.  G., 
Hanover,  M.  D., 
Harbaugh,  David  F., 
Harman,  George  V., 
Harman,  Granville  W 
Harman,  John  W., 
Hawk,  William  S., 
Heaton,  William  W., 
Hewson,  J.  H., 
Hibben,  J.  H., 
Higley,  Warren, 
Hine,  C.  C, 
Hoffer,  William  M., 
Hopkins,  L.  C, 
Howard,  James  Q., 
Howlett,  Giles  N., 
Hoyt,  Colgate, 

*  Deceased. 


Dec.  10,  1885 
Dec.  18, 1885 
Dec.  18, 1885 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  22, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Dec.  22, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Dec.  12, 1885 
March  8, 1886 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Dec.  18, 1885 
Jan.  12,  1886 
April  5, 1886 

March  16, 1886 
Dec.  18, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Dec.  10, 1885 
Dec.  16, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 

.,  Dec.  15, 1885 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  21, 1885 
Jan.  15, 1886 
Dec.  26, 1885 

March  16, 1886 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  15, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Dec.  20, 1885 
Jan.  4, 1886 


*Hunter,  William, 
Hunt,  John  L.  N., 
Jennings,  P.  S., 
Jewett,  Hugh  J., 
Jewett,  W.  K., 
Juilliard,  A.  D., 
Kimball,  R.  C, 
King,  Thomas  S., 
Knisely,  WilUam, 
Lahm,  Frank  M., 
Lake,  Carson, 
Lauer,  E., 
Lawson,  D.  T., 
Leavitt,  John  B., 
Lee,  Homer, 
Lee,  W.  D., 
Lloyd,  William  S., 
Mayo,  Wallace 
McCook,  Anson  G., 
McCracken,  W.  V., 
McFadden,  F.  T., 
McFall,  Gaylord, 
McGill,  George  W., 
McGufFey,  Edward  M. 
Miller,  Gus  M., 
Miller,  J.  W., 
Mitchell,  John  Q., 
Monett,  Henry, 
Moore,  Cary  W., 
Moore,  Lycurgus  B., 
Morse,  Theodore  G., 
Moss,  J.  O., 
Moulton,  Charles  W., 
Moulton,  Sherman, 
Munson,  William  S., 
Newberry,  J.  S., 
Newton,  Ensign, 
Nichol,  Thomas  M., 
Oberholser,-  Jacob, 


Dec.  21, 1885 
Dec.  22, 1886 
Dec.  20, 1885 
Dec.  13, 1885 
Dec.  18, 1885 

Jan.  5, 1886 
Dec.  20, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Dec.  18, 1885 
Dec.  15, 1885 
Dec.  11, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Dec.  10, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Dec.  20, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 

Jan.  4, 1886 

Dec.  14, 1885 

Feb.  12, 1886 

Feb.  12, 1886 

April  17, 1886 

,  April  5, 1886 

Dec.  15, 1885 

April  5, 1886 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Dec.  12, 1885 

Jan.  15, 1886 

Feb.  25, 1886 

March  8, 1886 

Jan.  5, 1886 
Dec.  10, 1885 
Dec.  16, 1885 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 

Jan.  5, 1886 
March  8, 1886 

Jan.  4, 1886 


31 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Oldham,  J.  L., 
Palmer,  Lowell  M., 
Parker,  James, 
Peet,  W.  C, 
Peters,  Bernard, 
Philipp,  M.  B., 
Pierson,  Frank  H., 
Peixotto,  B.  F., 
Pool,  Harwood  R., 
Pool,  Joseph, 
Post,  Charles  A., 
Prentiss,  Frederick  C. 
Prentiss,  Frederick  J. 
Reid,  Whitelaw, 
RickofF,  A.  J., 
Ricksecker,  Theo., 
Rodarmor,  John  F., 
Root,  E.  W., 
Sadler,  J.  F., 
SafFord,  W.  M., 
Sayler,  Milton, 
Schooley,  John  C, 
Schwan,  Louis  M., 
Scott,  George, 
Shillito,  Wallace, 
ShoppeU,  R.  W., 
Shotwell,  Theodore, 
Shotwell,  William  W. 


March  16, 1886 
Dec.  26, 1885 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Jan.  20, 1886 
April  5, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 
Dec.  23, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Jan.  10, 1886 

,    Feb.  12, 1886 

,  Feb.  12, 1886 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  28, 1885 
Dec.  15, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Jan.  5, 1886 
Jan.  10, 1886 
Dec.  16, 1885 
Dec.  31, 1885 

March  16, 1886 

Dec.  18, 1885 

March  8, 1886 

Feb.  12, 1886 

March  16,  1886 
Dec.  21, 1885 

,    Dec.  21, 1885 


Slocimi,  J.  J., 
Smith,  John  A., 
Smith,  William  H., 
Southard,  Milton  L, 
Sprague,  Charles, 
Stout,  John  W., 
Strong,  William  L., 
Struble,  I.  J., 
Sullivan,  Algernon  S 
Swayne,  Wager, 
Terrell,  H.  L., 
Thomas,  Samuel, 
Thyng,  Charles  H., 
TibdaU,  W.  L., 
Tunison,  Joseph  S., 
Upson,  WiUiam  Ford 
Vaillant,  George  H., 
Waggoner,  Ralph  H. 
Ward,  J.  Q.  A., 
Wells,  Joseph, 
Wheeler,  E.  J., 
Whitehead,  John, 
Wing,  Charles  T., 
Wing,  Frank  E., 
Worstell,  G.  W., 
Worthington,  J.  W., 
Wright,  M.  B., 
Wylie,  David  G., 


Dec.  12, 1885 
Jan.  10, 1886 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Dec.  24, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Jan.  10, 1886 

,  Dec.  15, 1885 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  18, 1885 
Dec.  31, 1885 
Dec.  20, 1885 

March  16, 1886 
Dec.  22, 1885 
Dec.  14, 1885 
Dec.  21, 1885 
Mar.  16, 1886 
Dec.  22, 1885 
April  5, 1886 
Feb.  12, 1886 
March  8, 1886 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  12, 1885 
Dec.  30, 1885 
Feb.  12, 1886 
April  5, 1886 
Jan.  15, 1886 


Elected  April  28,  1886. 


Atkinson,  W.  H., 
Buckingham,  C.  L., 
Critten,  T.  D., 
DeWitt,  Henry  R., 
Fairbanks,  Chas.  W., 
Fawcett,  J.  C, 
Griffith,  G.  F., 
Howell,  William  D., 


April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 


Kidd,  George  W., 
Loveland,  F.  C, 
Morgan,  Henry  M. 
Pritchard,  Daniel, 
Seigfried,  A.  H., 
Townsend,  Amos, 
Work,  Frank, 


April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 
April  28, 1886 


32 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Non-Resident  Members. 

Allison,  William  B.,     March  16, 1886  Long,  J.  A.,                     April  5, 1886 

Washington,  D.  C.  Akron,  O. 

Arms,  CD.,                   April  17, 1886  Loud,  Enos  B.,             March  16, 1886 

Youngstown,  O.  Paris,  France. 

Barber,  A.  L.,                  April  5, 1886  Matthews,  Stanley,          April  5, 1886 

Washington,  D.  C.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Beardslee,  John  B.,       April  15, 1886  McBride,  John  H.,        April  17, 1886 

Mt.  Vernon,  O.  Cleveland,  O. 

Card,  Henry  P.,               April  5, 1886  Means,  WOliam,               April  5, 1886 

Cleveland,  O.  Cincinnati,  O. 

Cooper,  Wilham  C,  Payne,  Henry  B.,            April  5, 1886 

Mt.  Vernon,  O.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Dale,T.D.,                   April  17, 1886  Plumb,  P.  B.,               March  16, 1886 

Marietta,  O.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Dawes,  E.C.,                 April  15, 1886  Powell,  J.  H.,               March  16, 1886 

Cincinnati,  O.  Urbana,  O. 

Dayton,  L.M.,               April  17, 1886  Reinmund,  H.  J.,             April  5, 1886 

Cincinnati,  O.  Lancaster,  O. 

Ford,  George,                 April  17, 1886  Robison,  David,  Jr.,   March  16, 1886 

Youngstown,  O.  Toledo,  O. 

Foster,  Charles,                April  5, 1886  Sherman,  John,                April  5, 1886 

Fostoria,  O.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Geddes,  George  W.,     March  16, 1886  Sterl,  O.  W.,                     April  5, 1886 

Washington,  D.  C.  Rutland,  Vt. 

Goodrich,  B.  F.,               April  5, 1886  Upson,  William  H.,         April  5, 1886 

Akron,  O.  Akron,  O. 

Hale,  Harvey  W.,            April  5, 1886  Van  Tine,  H.  C,          March  16, 1886 

Wilmington,  O.  Baltimore,  Md. 

Hanna,  Marcus  A.       March  16, 1886  Waite,  Morrison  R.,        April  5, 1886 

Cleveland,  O.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Jones,  John  P.,            March  16, 1886  Wick,  Caleb  B.,             April  17, 1886 

Washington,  D.  C.  Youngstown,  O. 

Kimball,  William  C,     April  17, 1886  Wick,  Henry  K.,             April  5, 1886 

Tiffin,  O.  Youngstown,  O. 

3S 


CHAPTER    IV 


1887 


THE  first  official  action  of  1887  was  taken  on  January  4th,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  governing  committee,  when  the  chairman  appointed  a  house  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  Messrs.  Moulton,  Lee  and  Slocum,  to  serve  the  en- 
suing year.  Colonel  Fogg,  acting  with  the  house  committee,  was  directed  to 
prepare  and  cause  to  be  printed  a  circular  letter  in  the  form  of  an  application 
for  non-resident  membership,  to  be  widely  distributed  among  those  eligible  for 
such  membership.  The  house  committee  was  instructed  to  prepare  and  have 
printed  cards  of  invitation  to  visitors.  The  secretary  was  directed  to  cause  to 
be  kept  in  the  rooms  a  bulletin  of  the  arrivals  in  the  city  of  Ohio  people. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Society  for  1887  was  held  on  January  10th. 
Attorney-General  Kohler  favored  the  gathering  with  remarks  upon  the  pres- 
ent prosperity  and  prospects  of  the  state  of  Ohio. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Butler,  the  Society  voted  to  hold  a  ladies'  reception 
on  the  evening  of  January  31st,  and  a  special  committee  was  appointed  to 
arrange  for  the  same,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Butler,  Burnett  and  Upson. 

There  was  a  gratifying  attendance  of  members  of  the  fairer  sex  on  the 
occasion  named.  One  of  the  features  of  the  entertainment  provided  was 
an  original  poem  of  ten  stanzas,  dedicated  to  "  The  Boys  of  the  Ohio  Society 
of  New  York,"  by  its  author.  Prof.  J.  C.  Zachos.  The  tone  and  tenor  may  be 
judged  from  the  opening  and  concluding  stanzas,  which  were  as  follows : 

"  I  greet  you  all,  Ohio  Boys, 
Reminders  of  my  youthful  joys, 
When  games,  and  school,  and  college  toys 

Filled  up  the  fresh,  young  hfe: 
I  take  your  hand  in  friendship's  grasp, 
For  cordial  love  and  faithful  clasp, 

In  manhood's  noble  strife. 


"  And  thus  we  give  the  manly  grasp. 
Unselfish,  in  our  friendship's  clasp. 
Where  faith  and  love  we  find ; 
We'll  take  each  other  by  the  hand, 
Ohio's  sons — fraternal  band — 
Where'er  we  find  them  in  the  land, 
And  love  them  for  their  kind." 

34 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  The  Buckeye  Tree  "  was  another  original  poem  prepared  for  the  occa- 
sion, and  was  read  by  its  author,  Cyrus  Butler.  Of  the  seven  decidedly 
unique  stanzas,  the  first  three  are  reproduced: 

"  A  wonderful  plant  is  the  Buckeye  Tree — In  O-hi-o,  in  0-hi-o ! 

"  A  decidedly  deciduous  tree, 
Umbrageous  to  a  prodigious  degree — ^In  O-hi-o,  in  O-hi-o! 

"  An  exogenous,  horse-chestnutty  tree, 
That  grows  and  that  blooms  spontaneouslee, 
As  the  botanist  all  over  can  see — In  O-hi-o,  in  O-hi-o." 

"  Pandora's  Message,"  a  third  poem,  accompanied  by  the  presentation 
of  "  gifts,"  "  amulets "  and  "  blessings,"  completed  the  entertainment  of 
the  evening. 

The  question  was  taken  up  in  the  meeting  of  February  14th  as  to  the 
character  of  the  annual  banquet  of  1887,  and  on  motion  of  Judge  Higley 
the  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  arrangements,  with  instructions  to 
select  a  date  as  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Lenten  season  as  practicable,  con- 
sisting of  the  following  named  gentlemen:  Samuel  Thomas,  C.  W.  Moulton, 
J.  A.  Bostwick,  A.  W.  Green,  Joseph  Pool,  A.  J.  C  Foye,  Homer  Lee, 
W.  L.  Strong,  Judge  Higley,  General  Ewing  and  General  Burnett. 

Col.  C.  W.  Moulton,  on  behalf  of  the  artist,  Miss  Marion  Foster,  pre- 
sented to  the  Society  a  crayon  portrait  of  Gen.  Tliomas  Ewing,  and  Colonel 
Fogg  was  directed  to  extend  to  the  donor  the  warm  thanks  of  the  Society 
for  her  gift,  and  assurances  of  its  grateful  acceptance,  and  also  to  have  the 
picture  suitably  framed. 

The  Society  was  favored  with  an  instructive  historical  address  by  Gen- 
eral Eaton,  of  Marietta  College,  and  a  very  interesting  speech  by  Col.  A.  L. 
Conger.  A  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Chance,  Peixotto  and  Upson, 
was  appointed  to  procure  for  the  Society  portraits  of  some  of  Ohio's  eminent 
men.  T!he  question  of  providing  for  the  Society  a  memorial  album,  and  the 
portraits  and  autographs  of  its  members,  was  referred  to  the  art  committee. 
A  committee,  consisting  of  Judge  Higley,  R.  Harwood  Pool,  Carson  Lake, 
Homer  Lee  and  John  Q.  Mitchell,  was  appointed  to  make  the  necessary  ar- 
rangements for  a  second  ladies'  reception,  to  be  held  on  the  last  Monday 
evening  in  February. 

The  gentlemen  entrusted  with  this  pleasant  task  set  themselves  to  work 
immediately,  and  succeeded  in  securing  the  consent  of  the  following  named 
ladies  to  act  as  a  reception  committee:  Mrs.  C.  W.  Moulton,  Mjrs.  Joseph 
Pool,  Mrs.  J.  Q.  Howard,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Mrs.  M.  I. 

35 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Southard.  A  notice  was  sent  to  the  members  notifying  them  that  the  evening 
of  February  28th  had  been  set  aside  for  the  gathering,  and  adding :  "  The 
success  of  the  first  Ladies'  Night  gives  confidence  in  the  success  of  those  to 
follow;  and  the  committee  takes  pleasure  in  announcing  that  arrangements 
have  been  made  for  the  next  one,  which  promises  many  good  things.  Tickets, 
admitting  gentleman  and  two  ladies,  are  one  dollar  each.  Your  presence  is 
respectfully  requested." 

A  further  announcement  was  made  that  among  the  distinguished  Ohioans 
who  had  kindly  consented  to  contribute  to  the  pleasure  of  the  evening  were: 
Mme.  Eugenie  de  Roode,  the  pianist ;  Mrs.  Ehza  Archard  Connor,  of  the  Am. 
Press  Association;  Mrs.  Harriet  Webb,  the  elocutionist;  Mr.  Wilbur  Gunn, 
Miss  Belle  Cole,  and  Mrs.  Marion  Wilcox.  Also  that  the  following  artists 
would  contribute  paintings:  Albert  Bierstadt,  Edgar  M.  Ward,  G.  D.  M. 
Peixotto,  J.  O.  Davidson,  J.  H.  Beard,  S.  J.  Guy,  Miss  Belle  Smith,  and 
others. 

The  following  were  among  the  invited  guests:  Gen.  and  Mrs.  W.  T. 
Sherman  and  Miss  Sherman,  Hon.  Geo.  H.  Pendleton,  Mrs.  Lucretia  R.  Gar- 
field and  family,  ex-Gov.  and  Mrs.  Hoadly,  Col.  and  Mrs.  C.  O.  Rockwell, 
Col.  and  Mrs.  Fred  D.  Grant,  Hon.  John  W.  Bookwalter,  Hon.  Howard 
Douglas.    A  collation  was  to  be  served  by  MoreUi. 

The  anticipations  of  the  committee  in  charge  seem  to  have  been  fully 
realized.  In  an  account  of  their  stewardship,  rendered  to  the  Society  under 
date  of  March  14th,  they  say:  "  The  number  present  was  estimated  at  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  which  the  committee  deemed  quite  satisfactory  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  Lenten  season  was  in  full  force,  and  the  first  Ladies' 
Night  had  occurred  but  a  month  before. 

"  The  committee  was  especially  fortunate  in  securing  the  hearty  con- 
tributions of  song,  of  music,  of  recitation,  of  address,  from  the  following 
well-known  artistes,  whose  rendition  of  their  several  numbers  elicited  the 
highest  commendation  of  those  present:  Mr.  Wilbur  Gunn,  Mrs.  Harriet 
Webb,  Mme.  Eugenie  de  Roode,  Marion  Wilcox  and  Eliza  Archard  Connor. 

"  Excellent  works  of  art  were  kindly  loaned  by  George  D.  M.  Peixotto, 
S.  J.  Guy,  Homer  Lee,  Cyrus  Butler,  Carson  Lake,  J.  H.  Beard,  Rev.  Jared 
B.  Flagg,  Richard  Butler,  W.  H.  Beard  and  Isabella  Smith,  and  were  artisti- 
cally hung  under  the  kind  supervision  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Butler." 

All  bills  were  reported  paid  and  a  small  surplus  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
committee.  The  programme  of  the  evening,  and  the  list  of  pictures  on  ex- 
hibition, were  as  follows: 


36 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


1.  Tenor  Solo, 

2.  Reading, 

3.  Piano  Solo, 

4.  SoPEANO  Solo, 

5.  Address, 

6.  Duet, 


PROGRAMME. 

"  Tell  Her  I  Love  Her  So." 
Wilbur  Gunn 

The  Women  of  Mumbleshead." 
Mrs.  Harriet  Webb 

"  Grande  Polonaise." 
Mme.  Eugenie  de  Roode 

"La  Fiorga." 
Marion  Wilcox 

"  The  Ohio   Woman." 
Eliza  Archard  Connor 

"  A  Night  in  Venice." 
Marion  Wilcox,  Wilbur  Gunn 


DeFaye 

Clement  Scott 

F.  Liszt 

Bevignani 


Arditi 


ARTIST. 

George  D.  M.  Peixotto, 
do 

S.   J.   Guy, 

J.  O.  Davidson, 

Magnus  Von  Bagge, 

do 
Albert  Bierstadt, 
C.  E.  Proctor, 
J.  H.  Beard, 

W.  H.  Beard, 
A.  F.  Tait, 
George  H.  Hall, 
W,  H.  Beard, 

Isabella  Smith, 
do 
do 


CATALOGUE. 


SUBJECT. 


LOANED   BY 


"  Portrait," 

"  Alice  in  Wonderland," 

A  Study 

"  Open  Your  Mouth  and  Shut 

Your  Eyes," 

"  Constitution  and  Guerrier,"  Homer  Lee. 

"  Midnight  Moon,  Norwegian  ^  ^        -p    ,, 
-r^ .      n  .«  v^yrus  Jtiutler. 

Fjord,"  -^ 


Artist, 
do 

do 


"  Romsdal  Valley,  Nonvay," 

do 

"  Green  Mountains," 

Carson  Lake. 

"  Old  Tokay," 

do 

"  Queer,  Ain't  It.?  " 

Artist. 

"  Ideal  Head," 

Rev.  Jared  B.  ] 

"  Misplaced  Confidence," 

Richard  Butler. 

"  Adirondack  Deer," 

do 

"  Study  of  Grapes," 

do 

"  The  Inquest," 

Artist. 

"  Faded  Beauty," 

do 

"Portrait:— Lady," 

do 

"  Portrait:— Gentleman," 

do 

37 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  March  10th,  the 
resolution  that  follows  was  adopted : 

"Whereas,  a  number  of  editors  in  the  state  of  Ohio  have  very  kindly 
and  generously  furnished  their  papers  to  be  placed  on  file  in  the  rooms  of  the 
Society  for  the  use  of  its  members,  be  it  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  in  recognition  of  their  courtesy  and  generosity,  the 
secretary  of  tliis  committee  be  instructed  to  notify  the  gentlemen  thus  con- 
tributing their  papers,  that  all  the  privileges  of  non-resident  membership  in 
this  Society  are  hereby  extended  to  them,  and  that  copies  of  all  notices  of 
meetings  and  publications  of  the  Society  in  future  be  sent  to  their  addresses." 
It  was  ordered  that  the  house  committee  should  be  increased  from  three 
members  to  five.  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye  and  John  Dickson  were  selected  as  the 
two  additional  members. 

The  March  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  the  14!th.  General 
Burnett,  chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  recommended  the  renewal 
for  one  year  of  the  lease  under  which  the  Society  occupied  its  present  quar- 
ters. The  chairman  of  the  annual  banquet  committee  reported  that  April 
21st  had  been  selected  as  the  most  suitable  date  for  the  banquet,  and  that 
the  committee  had  decided  to  invite  the  ladies.  The  Society  was  favored  by 
ex-Gov.  George  Hoadly  in  a  brief  speech. 

Mr.  Chance,  chairman,  read  a  report  from  the  special  committee  ap- 
pointed to  procure  for  the  Society  portraits  of  Ohio's  distinguished  men. 
The  report  was  accepted  and  the  committee  continued.  The  document  pre- 
sented was  as  follows: 

"  The  committee  appointed  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Society,  to  obtain 
the  portraits  of  eminent  and  distinguished  sons  of  Ohio,  for  this  Society,  beg 
leave  to  submit  the  following:  As  the  rooms  of  this  Society  are  limited,  the 
space  would  not  accommodate  a  tithe  of  those  deserving  to  adorn  our  walls ; 
and  for  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  there  must  be  some  discrimination  in 
their  selection.  Representative  men  should  be  chosen,  and  we  do  not  feel  like 
taking  this  responsibility  without  conference  and  the  concurrence  of  the 
Society.  We  would  suggest  that  the  first  efforts  should  be  made  to  secure 
the  portraits  of  those  men  who  have  achieved  a  national  reputation  and  a 
world-wide  fame,  whose  names  are  household  words  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land.     List  of  names: 

"  1.  The  four  presidents  of  the  United  States,  Wm.  Henry  Harrison, 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  and  James  A.  Garfield. 

"  2.  General  Sherman,  General  Sheridan,  General  James  B.  McPherson. 
"  3.  Chief  Justices  Salmon  P.  Chase  and  Morrison  R.  Waite,  Associate 
Justices  John  McLean  and  Noah  H.  Swayne. 
"  4.  Edwin  M.  Stanton. 

38 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  5.  Vice-President  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  Benjamin  F.  Wade,  Thomas 
Ewing,  Thomas  Corwin,  John  Sherman  and  Allen  G.  Thurman. 

"  6.  The  Governors  of  the  state  of  Ohio  and  ex-Governors  of  the  state. 

"  The  Presidents  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  There  will  be  many  difficulties  and  delays  in  securing  these  portraits, 
and  we  have  no  doubt  by  the  time  this  list  is  placed  the  Ohio  Society  will 
have  grown  to  such  magnificent  proportions  and  enlarged  its  facilities  that  we 
can  take  care  of  many  more  than  these  named. 

"  There  is  a  long  line  of  senators,  representatives,  soldiers  and  jurists, 
eminent  sculptors,  poets,  divines,  scholars  and  writers  that  we  should  honor: 
but  it  would  be  impossible  to  put  upon  our  walls  the  portraits  of  the  smallest 
proportion  of  those  we  could  obtain,  and  in  the  invitations  or  withholding 
invitation  to  gentlemen  equally  distinguished  in  service  there  might  arise  a 
feeling  of  unjust  discrimination.  There  are  man}'^  who  might  not  contribute, 
but  there  are  certain  things,  like  custom,  more  honored  in  the  breach  than  in 
the  observance,  and  in  this  care  should  be  taken  not  to  offend  sensibilities 
or  prejudice  the  Society. 

"  The  committee  desire  to  say  that  in  the  selection  of  portraits  a  reason- 
able degree  of  uniformity  as  to  size  and  so  forth  should  be  indicated  to  the 
donors. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  Mahlon  Chance, 
"  Wm.  Ford  Upson, 

"  Committee.'" 

On  motion  of  Judge  Higley,  George  D.  M.  Peixotto  was  authorized  to 
paint  for  the  Society  a  portrait  of  Chief  Justice  Waite. 

The  session  of  April  11th  was  enlivened  by  a  notice  from  Colonel  Moulton, 
on  behalf  of  the  governing  committee,  that  an  amendment  to  the  by-laws 
would  be  offered  at  the  next  meeting,  forbidding  any  reception  committee 
of  the  Society  from  expending  more  than  the  receipts.  A  present  of  the 
statutes  of  Ohio,  from  the  beginning  of  its  organization  to  the  year  1852, 
and  a  copy  of  the  code  of  1853,  was  received  from  John  M.  Giiiteau,  Esq., 
and  a  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to  the  donor.  A  loan,  for  an  indefinite 
period,  of  an  oil  portrait  of  Thomas  Ewing  was  received  from  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Moulton,  which  was  accepted  by  the  president,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  in 
behalf  of  the  Society,  in  a  brief  speech,  giving  an  interesting  history  of  the 
picture  and  attesting  its  value  as  a  portrait.  The  following  resolution  was 
unanimously  adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  hereby  expresses  to  Mrs. 
Col.  C.  W.  Moulton  its  high  sense  of  appreciation  for  the  loan  of  the  original 

39 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

portrait  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  whose  illustrious  services  in  the  councils 
of  the  state  and  nation  have  made  his  memory  dear  to  every  American  heart; 
and, 

**  Resolved^,  That  the  Society  will  safely  guard  this  portrait,  in  trust, 
and  while  hoping  that  the  trust  may  be  made  perpetual,  will  surrender  it  to 
Mrs.  Col.  Moulton  whenever  that  gracious  lady  shall  request  its  return." 

The  second  annual  festal  gathering  of  the  Society  was  held  on  the  even- 
ing of  Thursday,  April  21st,  1887.  The  committee  of  arrangements  having 
the  matter  in  charge  consisted  of  the  following  gentlemen :  Henry  L.  Burnett, 
Thomas  Ewing,  William  L.  Strong,  Warren  Higley,  Samuel  Thomas,  J.  A. 
Bostwick,  C.  W.  Moulton,  Homer  Lee,  Albert  W.  Green,  Joseph  Pool,  Andrew 
J.  C.  Foye.  They  were  assisted  by  the  following  ladies:  Mesdames  Thomas 
Ewing,  George  Hoadly,  William  L.  Strong,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Algernon  S. 
Sullivan,  Anson  G.  McCook,  Samuel  Thomas,  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  Calvin  S. 
Brice,  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Joseph  Pool  and  Miss  Green. 

The  affair  was  a  success  in  the  widest  acceptance  of  the  term.  This  was 
vouched  for  publicly  in  one  of  the  leading  newspapers  of  the  succeeding 
morning,"*  which  said :  "  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  celebrated  its  first 
anniversary  at  Delmonico's  about  a  year  ago,  with  a  highly  successful  dinner. 
This  year  the  members  gallantly  determined  to  give  their  wives,  daughters 
and  sweethearts  a  share  in  the  festivities.  So  the  dinner,  with  its  set  speeches, 
was  given  up  and  a  reception,  ball  and  supper  substituted.  Gen.  Thomas 
Ewing  made  a  speech  of  welcome,  standing  on  a  little  platform  in  the  ball- 
room, amid  the  patronesses  and  chaperons,  while  the  younger  people  waited  for 
the  mbusic  and  the  forming  of  the  first  quadrille.  But  beyond  that  everything 
was  an  easy,  pleasant  come-and-go,  with  hand-shakings  and  talk  in  the  re- 
ception rooms,  lounging  or  walking  in  the  corridors,  and  short,  varied  dances 
in  the  big  ball-room.  Supper  was  served  in  one  of  the  small  dining-rooms 
soon  after  midnight.     There  was  no  regular  cotillon." 

The  ball-room  was  gaily  decorated  with  plants  and  flowers.  Bunches  of 
red  or  white  roses  hung  in  the  spaces  on  the  walls  between  the  mirrors,  and  in 
each  comer  was  a  mass  of  palms,  through  which  pushed  the  top  branches  of 
a  buckeye  tree  just  about  to  bud.  The  music  gallery  was  trimmed  in  wreaths, 
and  there  were  festoons  of  flowers  from  window  to  window  on  the  north  and 
south  ends  of  the  room. 

The  buckcj^e  tree  had  been  sent  on  for  the  reception  by^  the  citizens  of 
Findlay,  Ohio.  There  was  a  card  tied  about  a  stem  of  the  tree  on  which  a 
long  and,  perhaps,  jocose  dedication  was  written.  The  tree,  it  was  said,  had 
come  from  good  buckeye  soil,  for  1,100  feet  beneath  the  surface  where  the 


*  New  York  Tribune,  April  22,  188T. 

40 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

horse  chestnuts  grew,  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  high  pressure  natural  gas 
was  met  with. 

The  first  guests  began  to  arrive  at  about  half-past  eight  o'clock,  and 
the  reception  proper  lasted  until  nearly  ten. 

President  Thomas  Ewing  and  ]Mrs.  Algernon  Sullivan  led  the  march  out 
into  the  ball-room.  Lander's  orchestra  played  a  lively  air  while  the  big  pro- 
cession made  a  turn  or  two,  and  as  the  seats  about  the  hall  began  to  fill  and 
the  crowd  from  the  outside  pushed  in  on  the  smooth  floor.  General  Ewing 
stepped  out  a  little  from  the  corner,  where  the  reception  committee  had  its 
quarters  under  the  buckeye  tree,  to  give  a  brief  speech  of  welcome.  He  talked 
rather  than  spoke,  in  fact,  turning  his  sentences  off  lightly  and  familiarly. 
This  is  what  he  said: 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  In  the  name  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York 
I  cordially  bid  you  welcome  to  its  second  annual  reunion.  It  celebrated  its 
first  by  a  dinner  at  Delmonico's  nearly  a  year  ago,  when  its  career  had  as 
yet  scarcely  begun.  We  then  went  through  the  round  of  champagne  and 
oratory  common  to  men's  societies  in  New  York.  The  speaking  was,  in  our 
opinion,  especially  excellent — almost  every  orator  being  a  candidate  for  the 
presidency,  and  doing  his  level  best. 

"  To-night  we  intend  to  steer  clear  of  politics  and  break  all  precedents 
by  having  a  banquet  and  ball  and  a  good  social  time  with  our  wives  and 
daughters.  We  can  aff'ord  to  be  peculiar.  We  did  not  organize  this  Society 
after  an  Eastern  pattern.  We  are  not  perishing  to  be  considered  '  in  good 
foiTDi,'  but  we  are  willing  to  be  a  little  odd  if  we  can  have  a  pleasanter  re- 
union by  it.  As  for  the  oratory,  in  view  of  our  acknowledged  success  of  last 
year,  we  will  forego  it  at  this  reunion,  if  only  to  give  the  New  England  Society 
a  chance  to  catch  up. 

"  A  year  ago  last  January  our  Society  was  founded.  It  began  with  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  members  and  now  has  four  hundred.  Its  two  informal 
social  receptions,  which  were  graced  by  the  presence  of  many  of  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  our  members,  served  to  strengthen  interest  in  it  and  add 
largely  to  its  membership.  Our  rooms  are  becoming  small  for  our  numbers, 
and  the  time  is  not  distant  when  we  shall  need  more  commodious  quarters.  It 
requires  but  a  continuance  of  the  interest  heretofore  shown  to  insure  the  per- 
manent foundation  of  the  Society  in  a  building  of  its  own,  supported  by  a 
membership  of  double  our  present  number. 

"  While  I  have  the  pleasure  of  looking  into  the  bright  and  beautiful 
faces  of  the  ladies  before  me,  I  wish  to  ask  them  for  their  help  in  building  up 
the  Society.  We  have  to  thank  some  of  them  for  valued  contributions  to 
our  rooms  already  made,  and  others  for  contributions  promised.  Any  gifts 
or  loans  of  portraits  of  eminent  Ohio  men  or  women,  books  of  history,  biog- 

41 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

raphy,  or  general  literature,  especially  if  connected  in  any  manner  with  our 
state,  will  be  welcomed.  We  are  founding  a  library  in  which  is  already  col- 
lected more  of  the  history  of  Ohio  than  can  be  seen  in  most  of  the  great 
libraries  of  the  East.  Send  us  books — our  shelf-room  is  ample  and  wiU  be 
enlarged  to  keep  up  with  the  contributions.  We  are  also  having  historical 
and  biographical  papers  prepared  by  members  and  read  before  the  Society, 
some  of  which  have  been  published.  We  would  be  most  happy  to  have 
sketches  of  the  lives  of  memorable  Ohio  women,  read  to  us  in  person  or  by 
proxy,  by  any  who  may  find  it  convenient  and  agi'eeable  to  do  such  work. 

"  The  glory  of  the  state  is  due  to  the  virtues  and  talents  of  her  women, 
equally  with  her  men.  Great  men  generally  have  mothers  of  great  character, 
who  are  themselves  born  of  great  men  of  the  preceding  generation.  Many  of 
the  daughters  of  the  foremost  leaders  of  the  Revolution  were  mothers  of 
heroes  of  the  Civil  War.  Nature  thus  distributes  high  qualities  between  the 
sexes,  turn  about,  and  with  an  even  hand.  To  preserve  and  transmit  the  en- 
vironments, the  achievements  and  the  characteristics  of  the  men  and  women 
who  have  placed  Ohio  in  the  front  rank  of  states,  and  to  do  all  that  can  best 
be  done  in  fostering  a  just  pride  in  her  and  a  friendly  intercourse  among  her 
absent  children,  are  among  the  objects  of  our  Society,  and  surely  it  is  as 
appropriate  to  look  for  help  to  the  daughters  as  to  the  sons  of  Oliio. 

"  This  is  an  era  of  innovation  in  all  things.  I  tliink  no  Hne  of  inno- 
vation more  desirable  to  pursue  than  in  bringing  together  men  and  women 
of  character  and  culture,  in  social  reunions  founded  on  common  sympathies, 
rather  than  on  the  accidents  which  establish  the  circles  of  modern  society. 
Of  course,  a  good-hearted,  refined  and  intelligent  woman  is  always  charming, 
no  matter  whether  she  come  from  Europe  or  America,  Ohio  or  New  York. 
But  if  she  comes  from  Ohio  and  knows  of  its  history,  its  pubHc  characters,  or 
its  social  Hfe,  I  confess  that  I  hke  to  meet  her  all  the  better,  for  then  we  have 
a  hundred  ties  in  common,  and  are  friends  from  the  outset.  We  rush  away 
every  summer,  and  often  in  winter,  by  a  sort  of  imperative  impulse,  largely  to 
get  out  of  the  ruts  of  our  social  sets,  and  we  breathe  freer  for  meeting  new 
people  and  touching  elbows  with  mankind.  Our  views  and  sympathies  ex- 
pand and  we  come  back  to  our  little  circle  and  feel  cramped  as  we  settle  down 
in  it.  When  I  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Oliio  Society,  and  talk  with  the  men 
coming  from  all  parts  of  the  state,  talk  of  their  counties  and  towns,  their 
social  life,  their  pohtics,  their  industries,  and  the  people  past  and  present 
associated  with  them,  I  come  away  feeling  as  if  I  had  made  a  leisurely  visit 
around  Ohio;  for,  after  all,  its  men  and  women  are  the  state,  while  its 
scenery  is  only  associated  with  their  lives  and  actions. 

"  Ohio  had  an  early  history  of  peculiar  trial  and  hardship,  and  out  of 
them  came  its  greatness.    It  was  settled  by  poor  men  and  women,  stripped  by 

42 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  long  war  of  the  Revolution  of  all  their  possessions,  except  hope  and 
courage.  They  braved  perils  of  savage  men  and  beasts  rarely  known  in  the 
settlement  of  other  states.  In  my  youth  I  often  heard  from  the  now  silent 
lips  of  women  of  that  era,  from  the  accomplished  and  charming  Mrs.  General 
Goddard,  of  Zanesville;  Mrs.  King,  of  Lancaster;  Mrs.  Morgan,  of  Cham- 
paign county,  and  from  my  father's  sisters,  tales  of  heroism  of  Oliio  women, 
which  seemed  to  me  loftier  and  finer  than  any  of  the  published  tales  of  the 
frontier.  I  have  a  recent  letter  from  a  kinswoman  in  Westfield,  N.  J.,  tell- 
ing me  of  a  visit  made  to  Cumberland  count}'^,  in  that  state,  in  the  year  1789, 
by  a  lady  from  the  Northwest  Territory,  who  came  here  to  see  her  parents  and 
relatives.  Slie  was  the  wife  of  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  who  had  emigrated 
to  the  far  West  after  the  war  was  ended.  She  had  made  the  long  journey 
from  the  Ohio,  over  river  and  mountain,  by  flood  and  fell,  through  an  almost 
trackless  wilderness,  on  horseback,  alone,  carrying  a  boy  baby  in  her  arms. 
I  know  you  will  pardon  me  the  vanity  of  saying  that  that  lady  was  my  grand- 
mother and  the  baby  my  father. 

"  There  are  hundreds  of  like  instances  of  dauntless  love  among  the 
women  who  early  settled  the  Northwest,  wliich  are  worthy  to  become  historic. 
Must  the  memory  of  their  high  virtues  perish  because  displayed  only  by 
women  and  in  the  wilderness.?  And  can  we  not  find  among  us  women's  pens 
and  tongues  to  revive  and  tell  these  stories  of  love  and  patriotism  to  our 
Society,  and  through  it  to  the  world? 

"  Come,  then,  Ohio  women  of  New  York,  meet  Ohio  men  in  these  re- 
unions and  help  us  to  lay  broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  this  Society, 
which  will  cultivate  fellowship  among  Ohio's  sons  and  daughters  here,  and 
keep  alive  the  memory  of  all  that  has  made  our  state  worthy  of  the  love  and 
pride  of  her  children. 

"  And  now,  after  the  welcome  and  exhortation,  which  I  am  sure  you 
will  applaud  me  for  stopping,  let  the  dance  and  banquet  begin." 

There  was  a  round  of  warm  applause  as  General  Ewing  closed.  Tlien 
the  band  stinick  up  a  quadrille  air  from  "  Erminie  "  and  the  floor  was  soon 
filled  with  dancers.  General  Sherman  came  in  late  from  the  Twelfth  regi- 
ment reception,  but  quickly  got  into  the  dances.  There  were  sixteen  of  these 
on  the  programme,  carrying  the  gayeties  far  through  the  supper  and  be- 
yond into  the  morning. 

The  statement  was  made  at  the  meeting  of  May  11th,  by  General  Bur- 
nett, chairman  of  the  banquet  committee,  that  the  reception  of  the  Society 
was  a  pleasant  success ;  that  the  receipts  of  the  committee  from  tlie  sale  of 
tickets  were  $972,  and  that  the  total  expense  was  $1,139,  an  excess  of  $167 
over   the   receipts. 

On  motion  of  Colonel  Strong,  a  committee  consisting  of  General  Ewing, 

43 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

General  Burnett,  Colonel  Moulton,  J.  Q.  Howard  and  Judge  Higley  were 
appointed  to  select  a  date  on  which  the  annual  celebration  of  the  Society 
should  in  future  be  held.  The  name  of  Colonel  Strong  was  added  to  this 
committee.  It  was  decided  that  the  monthly  meetings  of  the  Society  in  July 
and  August  should  be  omitted. 

A  paper  entitled,  "  Gai-field,  the  Statesman,"  was  read  by  Mr.  Howard 
at  the  meeting  of  June  13th,  and  remarks  were  made  by  Dr.  Zachos,  General 
Burnett,  Colonel  Moulton  and  Colonel  Loveland. 

The  quiet  of  the  mid-summer  of  1887,  when  the  Society  was  officially 
taking  its  long  vacation,  was  pleasantly  intennipted  by  an  invitation  from  the 
Fall  of  Babylon  Amusement  Co.  to  witness  the  performance  of  "  the  Fall,"  at 
St.  George,  Staten  Island,  on  Thursday  evening,  July  21st.  This  invitation 
had  been  accepted  and  it  was  determined  in  connection  therewith  to  take 
dinner  at  the  Casino,  adjoining  the  grounds  of  the  performance,  on  that 
evening.  All  members  of  the  Society  and  their  friends,  including  ladies,  were 
cordially  invited.  The  call  was  signed  by  President  Ewing  and  seventeen 
other  members,  constituting  a  committee  of  arrangements.  As  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather  prevented  the  exhibition  on  the  date  named  it  was  postponed 
to  Wednesday  evening,  July  27th. 

Two  hundred  of  the  members  and  their  wives  and  daughters  sat  down 
to  dinner  in  the  Casino  on  the  evening  last  named.  Algernon  S.  Sullivan, 
a  vice-president,  in  the  absence  of  General  Thomas  Ewing,  president  of  the 
Society,  was  seated  at  the  centre  of  the  presiding  officer's  table.  At  his  right 
was  Senator  Plumb,  of  Kansas,  and  at  his  left  General  Wager  Swa3me. 
IViahlon  Chance,  Wm.  Perry  Fogg,  Judge  Warren  Higley  and  Major  H.  A. 
Glassford  occupied  prominent  places  near  the  chairman.  At  the  other  tables 
were:  W.  H.  Eckert,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  and  Miss  Ewing,  Dr.  J.  C.  Zachos 
and  Miss  Zachos,  Col.  C.  W.  Moulton,  Washington  Belt,  ex-Gov.  George 
Hoadly,  Gen.  H.  L.  Burnett,  Homer  Lee,  Carey  W.  Moore,  Cyrus  Butler, 
A.  J.  C.  Foye,  J.  Q.  Mitchell,  George  Follett,  John  W.  Stout,  Capt.  J.  P. 
Walker,  United  States  Army;  J.  J.  Struble,  F.  W.  Steriing,  Col.  W.  L. 
Strong,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Colonel  Slocum,  J.  Q.  Howard,  J.  H.  Bunnell,  A.  W. 
Follett,  C.  H.  Applegate,  J.  M.  Guiteau,  Amos  A.  Bard,  Jerome  D.  Gillett, 
Colgate  Hoyt,  Col.  Colin  Goddard,  M.  I.  Southard,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Joseph 
Pool,  Sherman  Moulton,  L.  H.  Crall,  Carson  Lake  and  David  Pritchard. 
Fully  one-third  of  the  seats  were  occupied  by  ladies. 

When  justice  had  been  done  to  the  dinner,  Mr.  Sullivan  called  the  Society 
to  order,  and  after  expressing  regret  at  the  absence  of  General  Ewing,  con- 
gratulated his  fellow-Ohioans  upon  the  wonderful  growth  and  progress  of 
the  Society,  and  Introduced  as  a  distinguished  son  of  Ohio,  Senator  Plumb. 
He  was  received  with  applause,  and  his  speech  throughout  was  greeted  with 

44 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

laughter  and  cheers.  The  Senator  said  that  it  was  usually  accepted  as  a 
truth  that  his  state  had  been  settled  by  New  England  men,  and  that  they  were 
the  people  who  had  braved  the  dangers  of  that  period.  He  wished  to  correct 
the  mistake.  The  pioneers  of  Kansas  were  from  Ohio.  For  any  one  New 
Englander  at  or  about  Lawrence  in  those  trying  timies,  he  had  found  five 
Ohioans.  Ohio  has  taken  possession  of  the  West.  After  she  had  succeeded 
in  putting  things  in  shape  out  there,  she  would  be  found  turning  her  atten- 
tion to  the  effete  East.  New  Yorkers  would  discover  that  next  to  governing 
themselves  it  would  be  desirable  for  them  to  be  governed  by  Ohio  men  and 
in  acordance  with  "  the  Ohio  idea."  Then,  the  Senator  said,  Kansas  was  com- 
ing East,  and  both  Ohio  and  New  England  influence  would  disappear  from 
here  altogether. 

M!r.  Sullivan  next  introduced  General  Swaync,  one  of  the  vice-presidents 
of  the  Society,  who  said  that  this  was  the  centennial  year  of  the  Ohio  Society. 
The  origin  of  the  Ohio  Society,  he  said,  was  in  1787,  when  leading  officers  of 
the  Revolutionary  army  banded  themselves  together  in  an  association  for  the 
settlement  of  the  Ohio  territory.  They  sent  delegates  to  Congress  and  appealed 
to  that  body  for  the  enactment  of  an  ordinance  the  very  language  of  which 
is  now  incorporated  in  the  United  States  Constitution,  in  the  Xlllth  Amend- 
ment, providing  that  "  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except  as 
a  punishment  for  crime,"  should  ever  exist  in  all  the  Northwest  Territory. 
As  a  result  of  this  action  of  this  Ohio  Society,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin became  free  states.  It  was  the  centennial  of  this  society  that  was 
now  being  celebrated. 

The  next  speaker  was  Mahlon  Chance,  who,  Mr.  Sullivan  said,  was  one 
of  the  veterans  present  at  the  fall  of  Babylon.  Mr.  Chance  gave  a  humorous 
historical  sketch  of  the  fall  of  the  ancient  city,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  the 
Society  adjourned  to  view  the  spectacular  display.  A  pleasant  breeze  made 
the  weather  on  Staten  Island  delightful  and  refreshing,  and  the  guests  re- 
turned to  the  city  highly  gratified  with  the  success  of  the  entertainment. 

At  the  first  meeting  in  the  fall  (1887),  held  on  September  12th,  a 
matter    of    more    than    passing   moment   was    taken   up    for    consideration. 

As  has  been  shown  in  connection  with  one  of  the  early  meetings 
of  the  Society,  the  idea  of  a  clubhouse,  or  permanent  home  of  its  own, 
was  suggested  as  one  of  the  means  by  which  the  organization  could  be  made 
most  effective  in  the  service  of  its  members.  The  idea  had  come  to  the  front 
again  and  again  in  consultations  among  the  Ohioans,  and  to  a  certain  extent 
had  been  carried  to  realization  in  the  temporary  home  now  occupied  on  Fifth 
avenue.  It  seemed  to  many  of  the  active  workers  that  the  time  had  now  come 
to  take  steps  toward  the  purchase  or  erection  of  a  clubhouse  that  should  be  the 
property  of  the  Society. 

45 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

At  the  meeting  above  mentioned  this  question  of  purchasing  propert}'^  for 
the  use  of  the  Society  was  presented  by  Judge  Higley  and  discussed  by  a 
number  of  the  members.  A  motion  was  made  by  Judge  Higley  that  a  com- 
mittee of  five  be  appointed,  with  instructions  to  take  the  matter  into  considera- 
tion. It  was  taken  up  and  considered  from  time  to  time,  but  no  action  of  a 
permanent  nature  resulted. 

At  the  meeting  of  October  12th  the  president  announced  the  following 
committee  for  the  nomination  of  officers  for  the  ensuing  year:  A.  W.  Follett, 
J.  D.  GiUett,  H.  R.  Pool,  Leander  H.  Crall,  William  Ford  Upson,  H.  A.  Glass- 
ford  and  J.  W.  Stout. 

The  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  to  recommend  a  ticket  to  be 
voted  for  at  the  succeeding  election  reported,  on  November  14th,  the  follow- 
ing: President,  Thomas  Ewmg;  vice-presidents,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Wager 
Swayne,  Algernon  S.  Sullivan,  Charles  W.  Moulton,  George  Hoadly;  secre- 
tary. Homer  Lee;  recording  secretary,  John  Q.  Mitchell;  treasurer,  William 
Perry  Fogg;  members  of  the  governing  committee,  Charles  T.  Wing,  Henry 
K.  Enos  and  L.  C.  Hopkins. 

It  was  moved  b}'^  Mr.  Nye  that  a  committee  of  eight  be  appointed  to 
determine  and  report  action  to  be  taken  by  the  Society  relative  to  the  centennial 
celebration  of  the  first  settlement  of  Ohio,  to  be  held  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  April 
6th,  7th  and  8th,  1888.  The  motion  was  carried,  and  General  E^ving,  Homer 
Lee,  W.  L.  Strong,  Bernard  Peters,  Colonel  Moulton,  Henry  Monett  and 
Theo.  S.  Nye  were  appointed  as  that  committee.  Gen.  Wager  Swayne  was 
subsequently  added. 

A  special  committee  of  six  were  appointed  to  make  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments for  the  ladies'  reception,  to  be  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  Society  early  in 
December,  and  it  was  further  ordered  that  hereafter  at  each  monthly  meeting 
a  similar  committee  be  appointed  to  arrange  for  a  like  reception  on  the  last 
Monday  evening  of  the  month.  Messrs.  Harwood  R.  Pool,  Marshall  Halstead, 
Charles  P.  Bruch,  Warren  Higley,  John  Q.  Mitchell  and  Theo.  Ricksecker 
were  appointed  as  a  committee  to  arrange  for  the  receptioni  in  December. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1887  was  held  on  November  29th.  The  annual 
reports  were  presented  and  the  election  of  officers  called  for.  The  nominees 
proffered  by  the  official  committee,  as  above  given,  were  elected,  except  that 
William  Ford  Upson  was  made  recording  secretary  in  place  of  John  Q. 
Mitchell. 

While  the  election  was  in  progress  a  committee  was  appointed  to  invite 
Senator  John  Sherman,  a  non-resident  member  of  the  Society,  who  was  at  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  to  visit  the  rooms.  Senator  Sherman  on  his  arrival  was 
greeted  with  loud  applause,  and  after  a  brief  interchange  of  greetings  with 
acquaintances  was  formally  presented  to  the  Society  by  Colonel  William  L. 

46 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Strong.  The  Senator  made  a  brief  speech  of  thanks,  congratulating  the 
Society  upon  its  prosperous  condition.  As  he  had  other  engagements,  he  left 
the  rooms  after  a  brief  visit. 

The  governing  committee  held  its  first  meeting  after  the  above  election 
on  December  Sd.  Nominations  for  chairman  for  the  ensuing  year  being  in 
order,  Henry  L.  Burnett  was  unanimously  chosen  to  preside  over  the  committee 
for  the  next  term.  General  Burnett  stated  that  his  business  engagements 
would  not  permit  his  serving,  and  that  having  already  devoted  much  valuable 
time  to  the  Society,  he  hoped  that  some  other  member  would  be  willing  to 
assume  the  position  and  that  he  be  relieved  from  the  responsibility. 

The  committee  were  unanimous  in  requesting  him  to  reconsider  his  de- 
cision and  continue  in  the  office.  It  was  only  after  their  repeated  solicitations 
that  he  accepted  the  position  again,  upon  consideration,  however,  that  he  would 
have  the  privilege  of  resigning  when  the  Society  should  become  an  incorporated 
body.  William  Ford  Upson,  the  recording  secretary,  was  appointed  secretary 
of  the  governing  committee  for  the  year. 

It  was  ordered  that  thereafter  no  resignation  of  a  member  should  be 
accepted  by  the  governing  committee  until  the  treasurer  should  report,  or  it  be 
otherwise  ascertained,  that  the  said  member  was  not  in  arrears  for  the  current 
year. 

It  was  also  decided  that  three  members  chosen  from  the  nine  members  of 
the  governing  committee  should  be  appointed  a  house  committee.  The  chair- 
man appointed  the  following  gentlemen :  Joseph  Pool,  A.  J.  C.  Foy'e  and  John 
Dickson. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  December  6th  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  appropriate  action  relative  to  the  death  of  Algernon  S.  Sulli- 
van, lately  one  of  its  vice-presidents.  Appropriate  resolutions  were  adopted, 
and  speeches  eulogistic  of  the  deceased  member  were  made.  A  committee  of 
twenty-five,  in  addition  to  the  officers  of  the  Society,  were  appointed  to  repre- 
sent the  organization  at  the  funeral. 

When  the  Society  assembled  on  December  12th,  General  Burnett  moved 

Note. — A  pleasant  comment  as  to  the  status  of  the  Ohio  Society  at  this  date  is  fur- 
nished in  the  following  from  "  The  Earth,"  a  New  York  City  publication,  date  of  December 
8,  1887:  "Of  the  eighty-eight  counties  of  Ohio,  forty-eight  are  represented  in  the  Society. 
Cincinnati  and  Marietta,  the  oldest  settlements,  have  the  largest  number  of  members,  being 
55;  Cleveland  comes  next,  with  25;  Toledo,  9;  Columbus,  8;  Youngstown,  7;  Mansfield,  6; 
Akron,  Springfield  and  Mt.  Vernon,  4  each;  Canton,  Massillon,  Steubenville  and  Mt.  Gilead, 
3  each;  Daji:on,  Urbana,  Painesville,  Granville,  Lima,  Wilmington  and  Zanesville,  -2  each; 
Hamilton,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Chagrin  Falls,  Georgetown,  the  birthplace  of  Grant;  Fremont, 
the  home  of  Hayes;  Nottingham,  Lancaster,  the  birthplace  of  the  Shermans  and  the  Ewings; 
Ottawa,  Clarkesville,  Chillicothe,  the  first  seat  of  government;  London,  Tifiin,  the  home  of 
Ohio's  first  governor;  Maplewood,  Norwalk,  Salem,  Fostoria,  Oxford,  Circleville,  the  home 
of  the  mound  builders;  Piqua,  the  camping  ground  of  Tecumseh;  Fletcher,  West  Jeiferson, 
Berlin  Heights,  Wooster,  Williamsburgh  and  Leesburgh,  1  each.  Besides  these  there  are 
others  whom  I  cannot  now  locate." 

47 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

that  the  president  be  requested  to  invite  a  fellow-member,  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox,  to 
deliver  an  address  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society  upon  the  following  ques- 
tion :  "  Without  reducing  the  internal  revenue  duties,  can  the  import  duties 
be  reduced  to  the  needs  of  the  government  economically  administered  without 
injury  to  the  manufacturing  industries  of  the  country  and  to  the  laboring 
men?  " 

The  motion  was  carried,  and  a  committee  of  three,  consisting  of  Henry 
L.  Burnett,  Joseph  Pool  and  W.  L.  Strong,  were  appointed  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  this  address. 


48 


CHAPTER    V 

1888 

THE  3'ear  1888  opened  with  the  interest  of  the  members  in  no  way 
lessened  and  the  fortunes  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  a  nature  to  afford 
gratification  to  those  who  had  labored  so  earnestly  to  make  it  what 
it  was  already  becoming — a  strong,  prosperous  and  progressive  organi- 
zation. At  the  meeting  of  January  9th  a  gavel  was  presented  by  Captain 
Glassford.  The  secretary  was  instructed  to  frame  and  hang  in  the  Society 
rooms  the  original  paper  in  response  to  which  the  first  meeting  of  the  Society 
was  called. 

Mr.  Howard,  as  secretary  of  the  committee  to  fix  a  date  for  the  annual 
banquet,  reported  as  follows :  "  At  a  meeting  of  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  Society  to  determine  a  date  whose  anniversary  it  would  be  proper  to  cele- 
brate in  connection  with  its  public  dinners  or  other  annual  entertainments,  it 
was  resolved  that  this  committee  do  hereby  recommend  that  February  19th, 
when  practicable — the  date  recognized  by  the  United  States  government  as 
that  of  the  admission  of  Ohio  into  the  Union — ^be  fixed  upon  as  a  suitable  and 
proper  date  to  honor  on  the  occasion  of  its  annual  festivals." 

After  a  very  spirited  debate,  in  which  a  number  of  members  took  part,  the 
words,  "  The  date  recognized  by  the  United  States  government  as  that  of  the 
admission  of  Ohio  into  the  Union,"  were  stricken  out,  and  it  was  finally  re- 
solved that  the  following  should  be  adopted  as  a  substitute  for  the  committee's 
report :  "  That  the  annual  banquet  of  the  Society  shall  be  held,  when  practica- 
ble, on  February  19th." 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Lake,  it  was  ordered  that  a  committee  of  eighteen  be 
appointed  to  arrange  for  the  annual  banquet,  whereupon  the  president  ap- 
pointed the  following  gentlemen :  Messrs.  Higley,  Ewing,  Strong,  Smith,  Reid, 
Lee,  Swayne,  Andrews,  Shayne,  Foye,  Rice,  Milmine,  Crall,  Glassford, 
Mitchell,  Lake,  Wing  and  Moss. 

The  first  ladies'  reception  for  the  current  j^ear  was  held  at  the  rooms  of 
the  Society  on  the  evening  of  January'  12,  1888.  The  committee  of  arrange- 
ments consisted  of  the  following  gentlemen:  Warren  Higley,  Thomas  Ewing, 
John  Q.  Mitchell,  Charles  P.  Bruch,  Mahlon  Chance,  C.  C.  Shayne,  P.  B. 
Armstrong,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Marshall  Halstead.  The  programme  of  enter- 
ment  arranged  is  here  given : 

49 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

1.  Song,  "  This  Kiss  I  Offer," 

MISS    ALICE    MANDELICK. 

2.  Piano  Solo,  Fantasia,  or  Spanish  Song,  .  .  Ceruelos 

SENOa    CERUELOS. 

3.  Tenor  Solo,  "  Like  to  Like,"     ....  Denza 

PROFESSOB,    EUGEXE    CLARKE. 

4.  Recital, 

MISS    JULIA    THOMAS. 

5.  Address,  "  The  Club-able  Woman," 

MRS.  D.  G.  CEOLY  ( JENNY  JUNe). 

6.  Whistling  Solo,  "  Message  of  the  Nightingale," 

Lauri  Sedgwick  Collins 

MRS.    ALICE    J.    SHAW. 

7.  Duet,  "  Hour  of  Parting,"     .  .  .     .         Rubinstein 

MR.    F.    A.    GUILD.  MR.    J.    A.    METCALF. 

The  following  is  a  catalogue  of  the  pictures  loaned  for  the  occasion  by 
the  several  artists: 


TITLE 

Portrait,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,     . 
Study    from    Life,    H.R.H..,    Albert 

Victor,     Prince     Albert     of     Wales, 

(Edward  VIII),       . 
Jupiter,  lo  and  Juno, 
"  Evangeline,"     . 
Wood  Interior,    . 
The  Chess  Problem,     . 
Portrait, 

Portrait,  Henry  Barnard,  LL.D. 
A  Conversation,  . 
Long's  Peak,  Rocky  Mountains, 
"  We  Have  Buried  the  Hatchet," 
An  Oriental, 
After  the  Run,  . 
Master    Regie    Trautschold     ("Little 

Lord  Fauntleroy  "), 
"  Nobody  asked  you.  Sir !  she  said," 
Portrait, 
In  Dreamland, 
A  Bit  of  Sunshine, 


ARTIST 

James  H.  Beard 


Franklin  Tuttle 

W.  H.  Beard 

George  D.  M.  Peixotto 

A.  H.  Wyant 

J.  Wells  Champney 

George  D.  M.  Peixotto 

Franklin  Tuttle 

J.  H.  Dolph 

W.  Whitridge 

J.  H.  Beard 

J.  WeUs  Champney 

Daniel  C.  Beard 

Franklin  Tuttle 
W.  H.  Beard 
Franklin  Tuttle 
J.  Wells  Champney 
Harry  Beard 


50 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


TITLE 

Cloister  du  Convent  de  Saint  Dom 

Palermo,  built  A.D.  1252, 
Portrait,      .... 
Light  for  His  Pipe,     . 
Group  of  Heads, 
Still  Life,  .... 
Mighty  Poor  Country  for  Game, 


niquc. 


ARTIST 

J.  H.  Dolph 
Franklin  Tuttle 
Daniel  C.  Beard 
George  D.  M.  Peixotto 
Mrs.  Holbrook 
James  H.  Beard 


A  comprehensive  and  appreciative  report  of  the  entertainment  was  pre- 
pared by  Judge  Higley,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrangements,  and 
was  submitted  to  the  Society  at  a  later  date,  and  as  it  explains  fully  how  suc- 
cessful was  the  affair,  it  is  well  worth  presentation  here: 

"  EEPORT   OF   COMMITTEE   ON   LADIES'  RECEPTION. 

"  To  the  Hon.  President  and  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  Gentlemen :  Your  committee  on  the  last  Ladies'  Reception,  held  at  the 
rooms  of  the  Society,  January  12,  1888,  beg  leave  to  report  as  follows :  The 
committee  were  fortunate  in  securing  the  co-operation  of  the  following  ladies 
who  kindly  consented  to  receive  on  that  evening,  to  wit:  Mrs.  Wallace  C. 
Andrews,  Mrs.  Wager  Swayne,  Mrs.  Warren  Higley,  Mrs.  Christopher  C. 
Shayne,  Mrs.  C.  C.  Galbreath,  Miss  Rachael  Sherman,  Miss  Beall  Ewing,  Miss 
Strong,  Miss  Gillett,  Miss  Hutchins,  ]\liss  Vaillant  and  Miss  Harman.  The 
gracious  welcome  extended  by  these  ladies  to  members  and  guests  as  they 
arrived  at  once  prepared  them  to  enter  heartily  into  the  social  enjoyments  of 
the  evening,  free  from  the  cold  formalities  of  the  ultra-fashionable,  meeting 
together  with  no  common  sentiment  of  interest.  The  thanks  of  the  Society 
and  especially  of  your  committee  are  due  to  the'se  ladies  for  their  presence  and 
hearty  co-operation  in  promoting  the  enjoyment  of  all. 

"  Our  distinguished  artist-members  kindly  contributed  beautiful  works 
of  art  in  oil  and  pastel  to  the  number  of  twenty-four.  These  were  admirably 
grouped  by  and  hung  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Butler,  whereby  the 
best  effects  of  the  paintings  were  secured.  Contributions  came  from  the 
studios  of  James  H.  Beard,  Franklin  Tuttle,  W.  H.  Beard,  George  D.  M. 
Peixotto,  J.  H.  Dolph,  J.  N.  Beard,  Daniel  C.  Beard,  W.  Whitridge,  Mrs. 
Holbrook  and  J.  Wells  Champney.  Taken  all  in  all,  this  was  the  finest 
collection  of  paintings  we  have  yet  had.  Our  Society  is  especially  fortunate 
in  numbering  among  its  members  so  many  artists  who  stand  in  the  first  rank 
of  their  profession.  The  programme  of  instrumental  and  vocal  music,  of  reci- 
tal, address  and  the  whistling  solo  was  rendered  to  the  delight  of  all.  The 
artists  who  kindly  contributed  to  this  are  Senor  Ceruelos,  Eugene  Clarke, 
Miss  Mandelick,  Miss  Julia  Thomas,  Mrs.  D.  G.  Croly  (Jennie  June)  and 

51 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mrs.  Alice  J.  Shaw.  After  the  rendition  of  the  programme  an  excellent 
collation  was  served  by  Morelli. 

"  That  this  ladies'  reception,  like  the  former  ones  given  by  the  Society, 
was  a  great  success  will  be  acknowledged  by  all  who  were  present.  There  was  a 
manifest  freedom  from  restraint  and  a  homelike  intercourse  not  usually 
observed  in  large  social  gatherings,  and  due,  no  doubt,  to  the  fact  that  the 
daughters  of  Ohio  are  as  loyal  as  her  sons,  and  equally  zealous  in  honoring 
the  state  of  their  birth  or  adoption. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  has  stepped  out  of  the  narrow  circle  of  prejudice  and 
selfish  exclusiveness  of  the  club  in  admitting  woman  to  social  gatherings,  and 
recognizing  her  as  an  important  element  in  growth  and  strength  and  influ- 
ence. This  feature  is  to  be  commended  and  encouraged,  and  should  be 
enlarged.  It  is  the  beginning  and  promise  of  what  the  modem  chib  will  be 
in  the  near  future  the  recognition  of  the  independence  of  man  and  woman  in 
the  social  affairs  of  life,  for — 

"  They  rise  or  sink 
Together,  dwarfed  or  godlike,  bond  or  free: 
For  she  that  out  of  Lethe  scales  with  man 
The  shining  steps  of  Nature,  shares  with  man 
His  nights,  his  days,  moves  with  him  to  one  goal. 
Stays  all  the  fair  young  planet  in  her  hands — 
If  she  be  small,  slight-natured,  miserable, 
How  shall  men  grow? 
For  woman  is  not  undeveloped  man, 
But  diverse:  could  we  make  her  as  the  man 
Sweet  love  were  slain:  his  dearest  bond  is  this. 
Not  like  to  like,  but  like  in  difference.  ^ 

Yet  in  the  long  years  liker  must  they  grow; 
The  man  be  more  of  woman,  she  of  man ; 
He  gain  in  sweetness  and  in  moral  height. 
Nor  lose  the  wrestling  thews  that  throw  the  world; 
She  mental  breadth,  nor  fail  in  childward  care, 
Nor  lose  the  childlike  in  the  larger  mind; 
Till  at  the  last  she  set  herself  to  man, 
Like  perfect  music  unto  noble  words." 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  January  25  (1888)  to 
take  action  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  Col.  Charles  W.  Moulton,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  members  of  the  Societjs  one  of  its  nwDst  active  founders  and 
a  vice-president  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Colonel  Moulton  had  passed  away 
on  the  day  preceding,  January  24,  1888. 

On  motion  of  Colonel  Fogg,  Captain  Henry  A.  Glassford  took  the  chair 
and  in  a  few  impressive  words  told  of  the  loss  the  Society  had  sustained.  On 
motion  of  Colonel  Lake  the  chair  appointed  the  following  committee  to  draw 
up  a  suitable  expression  of  sorrow  on  this  occasion:  Messrs.  Lake,  Chance, 
Fogg,  Guiteau  and  Foye.  The  committee  withdrew,  and  while  they  delib- 
erated General  Swayne,  INIr.  Shayne  and  Colonel  Strong  told  of  their  associa- 

52 


Col.  Charles  W.  Moulton 


0.--THi     ^' 
OF 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tions  with  Colonel  Moulton,  of  his  many  high  qualities  and  of  the  deep  regret 
at  liis  loss.     The  committee  reported  as  follows: 

"  Whereas,  The  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  have  learned  with  pro- 
found sorrow  and  regret  of  the  death  of  Col.  Charles  W.  Moulton,  who  was 
one  of  the  earliest  and  most  earnest  founders  of  the  Society,  one  of  our  most 
efficient  fellow-members  and  a  vice-president,  and  are  desirous  of  expressing  in 
suitable  and  fitting  manner  the  grief  and  sense  of  bereavement  felt  at  his 
loss ;  therefore,  be  it 

"  Resolved,  That  the  secretary  be  instructed  to  extend  in  due  form  to 
the  family  of  Colonel  Moulton  the  heartfelt  condolence  of  the  Society,  and  to 
express  to  them  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  associates  for  his 
many  generous  and  manly  qualities  of  head  and  heart ;  be  it  further 

"  Resolved,  That  this  testimony  to  his  worth  be  spread  upon  the  minutes 
and  a  copy  be  sent  to  his  family. 
"  Carson  Lake,  Mahlon   Chance,  William  Perry  Fogg,   John  M.   Guiteau, 

Andrew  J.  C.  Foye." 

Colonel  Fogg  moved  that  the  report  be  adopted  and  spoke  most  feelingly 
of  Colonel  Moulton,  giving  personal  reminiscences,  especially  of  his  connection 
with  the  foundation  of  the  Society.     Colonel  Fogg  said: 

"  I  presume  that  no  member  of  our  Society,  resident  of  New  York,  has 
known  Colonel  Moulton  so  long  as  I  have.  Our  friendship  has  met  the  test  of 
thirty-seven  years.  I  first  made  his  acquaintance  In  1851,  when  he  came  to 
Cleveland  from  liis  home  in  Medina  county,  about  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  commenced  the  study  of  law.  I  was  three  years  his  senior,  and  we 
were  both  active  members  of  a  literary  club,  and  congeniality  of  taste  drew  us 
very  closely  together." 

Colonel  Fogg  then  briefly  sketched  the  career  of  Colonel  Moulton  up  to 
the  opening  of  the  war  in  1861,  when  he  was  called  to  fill  a  very  difficult  posi- 
tion under  the  government  In  Cincinnati.  He  stood  then  firm  as  a  rock  be- 
tween the  loyal  government  in  Its  heroic  struggle  to  save  the  Union  and  a  class 
of  unpatriotic  men  whose  only  aim  was  to  enrich  themselves  from  government 
contracts.  He  was  directed  by  the  war  department  to  buy  the  materials  and 
open  government  workshops  for  the  manufacture  of  army  clothing.  The 
strongest  pressure  was  brought  from  Interested  parties  to  break  him  down,  but 
President  Lincoln  and  the  great  war  secretary  stood  by  him,  and  the  urgent 
needs  of  the  boys  In  the  field  were  supplied.  Immense  sums  were  disbursed 
by  him,  amounting  to  many  millions  per  month.  "  What  greater  tribute  can 
be  paid  to  the  Integrity  of  Colonel  Moulton  than  to  say,  as  he  has  often  told 
me,  that  when  he  resigned  his  commission  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  a 
poorer  man  than  when  he  entered  the  army  ? 

"  We  who  knew  our  friend  who  passed  away  so  well  would  all  bear  testi- 

63 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

mony  to  his  strict  integrity  of  character,  his  keen  sense  of  honor,  and  his  big, 
generous  heart.  I  have  been  called  upon  during  the  past  year  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  my  two  brothers,  and,  next  to  these,  the  man  who  stood  nearest  my 
heart  was  Colonel  Moulton." 

Gen.  Wager  Swayne  was  the  next  speaker.  He  said :  "  Gentlemen,  an 
opportunity  offers  in  wliich  it  becomes  the  duty  of  us  all  to  say  something  of 
eulogy  in  memory  of  the  deceased.  With  many  sad  feelings  we  reahze  that 
the  most  valuable  member  of  the  Society  has  been  called  away  from  us.  At  this 
moment  his  body  is  going  on  to  its  last  resting  place.  He  stands  to  us  in  the 
relation  of  a  sojourner;  as  one  of  us  who  has  left  as  much  of  himself  with  us 
as  we  may  gather  in  our  hearts  and  keep  forever.  It  is  true  of  him,  eminently 
true,  that  he  cared  for  us,  and  that  his  care  was  not  merely  a  passing  impulse. 
He  demonstrated  that  his  constant  care  was  for  the  well  being  of  the  Society 
and  for  each  one  of  us  individually.  I  remember  that  in  the  course  of  organ- 
izing I  heard  him  express  fear  that  the  club  might  be  regarded  as  having  a 
political  significance.  How  well  he  has  succeeded  in  making  it  a  social  organi- 
zation is  a  matter  of  history." 

The  resolutions  were  adopted  unanimously. 

The  proposed  incorporation  of  the  Society  at  about  this  time 
was  taken  up  and  the  matter  duly  consummated.  The  names  of  the  incor- 
porators were  as  follows:  Thomas  Ewing,  Warren  Higley,  Andrew  J.  C. 
Foye,  Henry  K.  Enos,  William  L.  Strong,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Homer  Lee,  John 
Q.  Howard,  John  Dickson,  John  Q.  IMitchell,  Wager  Swayne,  Samuel  Thomas, 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  John  H.  Harman,  Christopher  C.  Shayne,  Charles  T. 
Wing,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Benjamin  LeFevre,  Carson  Lake,  Cyrus  Butler, 
Leander  H.  Crall.  The  constitution  and  by-laws  were  referred  to  a  special 
committee,  with  instructions  to  make  such  changes  as  were  needed  to  comply 
with  the  law.  These  changes  and  some  others  were  duly  made  and  the  report 
of  the  committee  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  on  March  1st. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  April  4th,  General 
Burnett  tendered  his  resignation  as  trustee  and  member  of  the  committee  in 
these  words: 

"  New  York,  March  26,  1888. 
"  To  the  Trustees  and  Governing  Committee  of  tlie  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  Sirs :  I  beg  hereby  to  tender  my  resignation  as  trustee  and  member  of 
the  governing  committee  of  the  Society,  to  take  effect  immediately. 

"  For  nearly  two  years  and  a  half  I  have  given  much  time  and  labor  in 
discharging  the  duties  devolving  upon  me  as  chairman  of  the  governing  com- 
mittee of  the  old  Ohio  Society,  now  merged  in  the  present  incorporated  body. 

"  My  professional  duties  are  of  such  an  exacting  nature,  and  my  time 
so  fully  occupied  in  the  discharge  of  those  duties,  I  feel  now  that  I  am  justified 

54 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

in  passing  the  work  and  responsibilities  connected  with  the  governing  com- 
mittee of  the  present  Society  on  to  other  members  of  the  Society. 

"  Thanking  my  associates  on  the  governing  committee  of  the  old  Society, 
now  constituting  the  governing  committee  of  the  new,  for  the  uniform  courtesy 
shown  me  as  chairman  of  said  committee,  and  congratulating  them  upon  the 
high  spirit  and  right  thinking  which  seemed  ever  to  actuate  them  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duties,  I  am,  with  sincere  respect, 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  Henry  L.  Burnett." 

The  answer  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  this  letter  was  addressed  was  made 
promptly.  The  resignation  was  laid  on  the  table  and  the  following  unani- 
mously adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  unanimous  wish  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Ohio  Society  that  General  Henry  L.  Burnett  retain  his  membership  with  the 
trustees,  and  that  Messrs.  Dickson  and  Foye  be  appointed  a  committee  to  con- 
vey this  wish  to  General  Burnett." 

The  committee  for  the  third  annual  banquet  (1888)  was  appointed  in 
January,  when  it  was  expected  that  it  would  be  given  on  Monday  evening,  the 
20th  of  February — the  19th  day  of  February  having  been  previously  fixed  by 
the  Society  for  its  future  annual  banquets,  excepting  when  this  should  occur,  as 
it  did  that  year,  on  Sunday,  when  the  following  day  should  be  honored.  The 
sudden  and  unexpected  death  of  a  member  and  vice-president.  Col.  Charles 
W.  Moulton,  naturally  caused  a  postponement,  and  the  7th  of  April  was  de- 
cided upon  as  the  time.  Upon  the  card  making  announcement  of  this  date 
were  the  following  words : 

1788 
CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 

OF    THE 

FIRST  SETTLEMENT 

OF    THE 

OHIO  VALLEY 

April  7,  1788 
1888 


55 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  committee  was  constituted  as  follows:  Warren  Higley,  chairman; 
Thomas  Ewing,  William  L.  Strong,  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  A. 
J.  C.  Foje,  Henry  A.  Glassford,  Charles  T.  Wing,  J.  O.  Moss,  Whitelaw 
Reid,  Wager  Swayne,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  William  Henry  Smith,  C.  C.  Shayne, 
Carson  Lake,  John  Q.  Mitchell,  George  Milmine;  Homer  Lee,  secretary; 
Leander  H,  Crall,  treasurer.  The  work  was  mapped  out  and  the  chairman 
appointed  the  following  sub-committees :  Speakers  and  invitations,  Thomas 
Ewing,  Whitelaw  Reid,,  William  L.  Strong,  Wager  Swayne,  William  H. 
Smith,  C.  S.  Brice  and  Carson  Lake;  cards  and  tickets,  H.  A.  Glassford,  L. 
H.  Crall  and  George  Milmine ;  printing.  Homer  Lee,  J.  Q.  Mitchell  and  J.  O. 
Moss ;  the  press,  C.  C.  Shayne,  W.  C.  Andrews  and  Henry  L.  Burnett ;  ban- 
quet, A.  J.  C.  Foye,  C.  T.  Wing  and  Warren  Higley. 

The  coming  event  was  announced  by  the  press  of  New  York  as  one  of 
importance.     From  the  Star  of  April  1st  we  quote  as  follows: 

"  Invitations  are  out  for  the  third  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York,  to  be  held  at  Delmonico's  on  Saturday  evening,  April  7th.  The 
invitations  are  unique  and  beautiful.  They  are  printed  on  a  richly  tinted  card 
about  four  inches  square,  on  the  front  of  which  is  engraved  a  map  of  the  state 
of  Ohio  in  Buckeye  drawing.  In  the  centre  of  the  map  is  a  vignette  of  an  early 
settler,  a  man  and  a  dog  grappling  with  a  bear,  while  two  Indians  lurk  in  a 
background  of  green  foliage.  Over  this  vignette  are  the  name  of  the  Society 
and  date  of  the  banquet.  The  back  of  the  card  is  adorned  with  an  admirable 
engraved  portrait  of  George  Washington,  surrounded  by  scroll,  over  and  on 
either  side  of  which  appear  Cupids  holding  a  silken  banner,  on  which  is  in- 
scribed, '  Ordinance  of  1787.'  Below,  in  gold  letters,  are  the  words  of  Wash- 
ington to  his  men  at  Valley  Forge :  '  If  we  are  overpowered  we  will  retire  to 
the  Valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  there  we  will  be  free.'  On  the  inside  of  the  invita- 
tion are  the  names  of  the  committee  of  arrangements.  Among  the  prominent 
people  to  whom  invitations  have  been  sent  are :  Governor  Foraker,  of  Ohio ;  ex- 
President  Hayes,  Senators  Sherman,  Payne,  Allison,  Manderson,  Voorhees 
and  Plumb,  ex-Senators  Thurman,  Harrison  and  McDonald,  Generals  Sher- 
man, Sheridan  and  Rosecrans,  Associate  Justice  Matthews  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  the  Ohio  Congressional  delegation,  and  Governor  Hill 
of  this  state  and  Mayor  Hewitt,  who  Avill  represent  the  state  and  city  of  New 
York." 

The  fact  that  the  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  Ohio  and  the 
Northwest  Territory  was  being  celebrated  at  Marietta,  the  place  of  the  first 
permanent  settlement  north  of  the  Ohio,  prevented  a  number  of  distinguished 
Ohioans  from  being  present.  But  for  this  there  was  reason  to  believe  that  the 
occasion  would  have  been  honored  by  the  presence  of  ex-President  Hayes, 
Senator  John  Sherman,  Governor  Foraker,  Representative  Charles  H.  Gros- 
venor  and  others. 

56 


CHAPTER    VI 

1888-1889 

ON  the  night  of  Saturday,  April  7,  1888,  Dehiionico's  big  dining-room 
was  filled,  over  two  hundred  sitting  down  at  the  feast,  which  was  dis- 
posed of  to  the  accompaniment  of  lively  music  from  the  orchestra  in 
the  gallery  and  after  a  fashion  which  showed  that  Ohio  men  had  extremely 
good  appetites  and  presumbably  equally  good  digestions. 

The  affair  was  marked  by  channing  informality  and  good  fellowship. 
No  cut  and  dried  toast  list  had  been  prepared,  so  that  the  speakers  were  not 
under  the  necessity  of  restricting  themselves  to  any  particular  text.  There 
were  five  tables,  but  no  distinctive  guest-table.  Its  absence  marked  an  inno- 
vation in  the  arrangement  of  dinners.  The  centre  table  was  presided  over  by 
Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  the  president  of  the  Society.  At  the  heads  of  the  other 
tables  were  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  ex-Governor  Hoadly  and 
Whitelaw  Reid. 

Among  the  distinguished  guests  present  were  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman, 
Chauncey  M.  Depew,  ex-Secretary  Windom,  B.  F.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican national  committee ;  Gen.  John  S.  Casement,  Charles  A.  Dana,  ex-Sec- 
retar}^  Bristow,  Cornelius  N.  Bliss  and  Col.  W.  L.  Strong. 

The  banquet  hall  was  suitably  draped  with  the  national  colors,  and  the 
coat  of  arms  of  Ohio  graced  the  wall  back  of  the  president. 

The  speakers  proved  themselves  worthy  of  the  occasion.  General  Ewing, 
Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  ex-Secretary  of  the  Treasury  William  Windom,  White- 
law  Reid,  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  ex-Governor  George 
Hoadly,  Col.  C.  S.  Brice,  Col.  W.  L.  Strong,  Charles  A.  Dana  and  others 
entertained  those  present  with  eloquence,  and  the  enthusiasm  with  which  their 
words  were  received  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  delight  of  all. 

When  full  justice  had  been  done  to  the  good  things  of  the  feast,  General 
Ewing  rose  and  after  welcoming  the  guests  he  sketched  in  eloquent  language 
the  growth  of  Ohio.  He  was  listened  to  with  the  closest  attention  and  was  fre- 
quently applauded.     He  spoke  in  part  as  follows : 

"  I  bid  you  a  cordial  welcome,  guests  and  members  of  the  Ohio  Society 
of  New  York,  to  our  third  annual  banquet.  If  ever  a  people  had  reason  to 
rejoice  and  celebrate,  we  Buckeyes  have,  on  this  centennial  of  the  settlement  at 
Marietta.    For  it  tells  of  the  founding  of  our  state ;  of  the  first  act  of  Ameri- 

6T 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cans  in  assuming  dominion  of  the  continent;  of  the  wonderful  growth  of  the 
RepubHc  in  the  first  century  of  her  existence;  and  the  splendid  future  which 
awaits  her  as  she  leads  the  world  to  freedom. 

"  The  settlement  at  Marietta  stands  alone  and  without  a  parallel  in 
origin  and  in  purpose.  It  was  not  a  colony  of  mere  adventurers.  It  was  led 
by  no  Lord  Raleigh,  Fairfax,  Baltimore  or  Delaware,  with  vast  grants  of  land 
to  bestow  on  satelhtes  and  serfs;  nor  by  unconquerable  Roundheads,  driven 
over  stormy  seas  to  struggle  for  existence  on  barren  shores.  It  was  a  colony 
of  American  soldiers,  inspired  by  the  love  of  liberty  regulated  by  law;  an  in- 
carnation of  the  bold,  virile,  intelligent  Americanism,  born  in  the  fires  of  the 
Revolution. 

"  From  this  initiative  followed  the  agitations  which  formed  and  deter- 
mined the  character  of  the  RepubHc.  The  liberated  colonies  turned  from  the 
jealousies,  poverty  and  discouragements  of  the  hour,  and  became  absorbed 
in  the  inspiring  problems  of  the  future — the  need  of  forming  an  effective 
government ;  defining  and  limiting  its  powers ;  and  assuming  the  empire  of  the 
continent.  New  York  generously  and  fraternally  surrendered  her  claims  to 
the  Ohio  country ;  Virginia  followed ;  and  then  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut. 
The  constitutional  convention  was  called;  Congress  sold  a  million  and  a  half 
acres  to  Putnam  and  his  emigrant  soldiers,  and  in  the  same  month  gave  them 
the  glorious  ordinance  of  1787 — the  first  great  charter  of  American  hberty — 
which  they  bore  as  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  to  the  promised  land. 

"  Here  was  the  founding  of  the  Republic.  By  a  system  of  public  sur- 
veys in  small  divisions  the  landlordism  wliich  blighted  most  of  the  old  thirteen 
states  was  prevented  and  a  general  distribution  of  lands  among  the  people 
forever  assured — a  policy  which,  accompanied  by  liberal  provisions  for  schools 
and  colleges,  has  been  followed  in  all  subsequent  dispositions  of  the  public 
domain,  and  has  proved  to  be  the  fountain  of  general  intelligence  and  prosper- 
ity. Slavery,  then  existing  in  a  majority  of  the  states,  was  forever  prohibited 
in  the  Northwest,  and  put  under  the  ban  of  American  civilization.  And  the 
fundamental  propositions  of  American  liberty,  which  were  incorporated  in  the 
ordinance  of  '87,  and  four  years  later  adopted  as  amendments  to  the  Federal 
Constitution,  became  the  corner-stone  of  state  after  state  as  it  set  its  star  in  the 
blue  field  of  the  Union. 

"  But  it  is  not  the  material  gi'owth  of  the  West,  past  or  to  come,  which 
signalizes  the  event  we  celebrate  as  one  of  the  great  epochs  of  history.  It  is 
the  fact  that  there  was  formulated  and  founded  then  a  new  type  of  govern- 
ment, unlike  any  states  of  the  Old  World,  and  unlike  most  of  the  just  liberated 
states  of  the  New  World  which  still  wore  some  of  the  tattered  Hvery  of  aristo- 
cratic institutions.  After  a  hundred  years  of  trial  this  American  type  of  state 
government  has  convinced  us,  and  is  fast  convincing  mankind,  that  the  people 

58 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

alone  have  a  right  to  rule,  and  are  also  the  best  rulers.  The  Republic  formed 
of  such  states  stands  pre-eminent  among  nations  in  prosperity  and  peace,  and 
is  leading  the  world  by  its  silent  and  shining  example  to  the  blessed  consum- 
mation when  ever}^  dynasty  shall  be  dethroned,  when  every  great  army  shall  be 
disbanded,  when  every  people  shall  rule  themselves ; 

"  '  And  man  to  man,  the  Avorld  o'er, 
Shall  brothers  be,  and  a'  that.'  " 

Several  letters  of  regret  were  then  read  by  Judge  Higley.  That  from 
Senator  John  Sherman  was  loudly  cheered.    It  was  as  follows : 

"  Senate  Chamber,  Washington,  April  2,  1888. 

"  I  have  received  the  kind  invitation  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  to 
attend  their  third  annual  banquet  on  the  7th  inst.,  at  Delmonico's,  and  also  the 
inclosed  cards.  I  assure  you  it  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  accept  this 
invitation,  not  only  for  the  good  cheer  of  such  a  meeting,  but  to  mark  my 
appreciation  of  the  great  event  of  the  first  settlement  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  one 
hundred  years  ago.  The  centennial  ma}^  well  be  celebrated  with  hearty  re- 
joicings, with  songs  and  music,  and  cheers  by  all  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  but  especially  b}^  the  sons  of  the  pioneers  of  Ohio.  To  our  ancestors 
it  was  the  beginning  of  an  important  event  in  American  history.  It  was  the 
first  outflow  of  population  into  the  West  and  the  first  dedication  of  any  por- 
tion of  our  territory  to  free  institutions.  It  was  the  first  proclamation  of 
emancipation  from  the  evils  of  slavery.  I  regret  that  other  duties  will  pre- 
vent me  from  sharing  in  your  happiness.  But  I  wish  you  a  good  time  and  I 
know  you  will  have  a  joyous  reunion. 

"  John  Sherman." 

The  mention  of  Governor  Foraker's  name  was  also  the  signal  for  applause. 
He  wrote  as  follows: 

"  Marietta,  Ohio,  April  6,  1888. 
"  To  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  On  behalf  of  the  people  of  Ohio  and  particularly  those  here  assembled 
to  celebrate  the  centennial  anniversary  of  our  first  settlement,  I  send  you  enthu- 
siastic greeting.  While  we  are  justly  proud  of  our  state  and  the  conspicuous 
part  she  has  borne  in  the  achievements  of  the  centur^s  our  hearts  are  filled  with 
grateful  emotions  b}'^  the  loving  pride  and  kind  remembrances  of  our  absent 
children.    May  God  bless  and  prosper  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  J.    B.    FORAKER." 

59 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Other  letters  of  regret  were  read  from  Congressman  Charles  H.  Gros- 
venor,  General  Sheridan,  Governor  Hill,  ex-Congressman  Follett,  Senator 
Allison,  ex-Governor  R.  M.  Bishop,  John  R.  McLean,  ex-Senator  Harrison,  of 
Indiana ;  Senator  Jones,  of  Nevada ;  Congressman  R.  F.  Kennedy  and  Senator 
Plumb,  of  Kansas. 

It  had  been  expected  that  Mayor  Hewitt  would  be  present.  Judge 
Higley  said  that  the  Mayor  had  told  him  on  Friday  afternoon  that  if  he  slept 
well  that  night  he  would  come,  but  he  had  received  subsequently  a  letter  from 
the  Mayor  regretting  his  inability  to  be  present. 

Judge  Higley  concluded  by  reading  a  poem  by  W.  H.  Venable,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, which  contained  a  great  many  statements  flattering  to  Ohio.  Carson 
Lake  next  read  a  poem  by  Miss  Bertha  Monroe  WickofF  on  Ohio.  It  was  well 
received. 

The  chairman  then  introduced  General  Sherman  amid  a  salvo  of  cheers 
by  referring  to  him  as  "  the  son  of  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Ohio  and  the 
bearer  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  names  in  her  civil  roll."  General  Sher- 
man on  rising  to  speak  was  greeted  with  another  outburst  of  cheering.  After 
stating  that  he  had  not  yet  the  honor  to  belong  to  the  Society  and  recounting 
a  couple  of  pleasant  anecdotes,  he  said : 

"  My  young  friends  from  Ohio,  whilst  you  bear  your  honored  state  in 
memory,  honored  memory,  never  reflect  upon  others.  There  were  good  men 
bom  long  before  there  were  in  Ohio.  There  are  a  great  many  good  men  born 
in  other  states  out  of  Ohio.  I  have  encountered  them  everywhere  on  this  broad 
continent  and  in  Europe.  There  seems  to  be  a  pretty  fair  representation  of 
Ohio  in  this  great  city  of  New  York,  and  I  claim  you  have  the  same  right  here 
as  the  native-bom  citizens,  not  by  sufferance,  but  by  right;  and  I  hope  you 
will  bear  in  mind  that  you  are  citizens  of  a  greater  country,  the  United  States 
of  America.  As  your  president  has  well  told  you  in  eloquent  words  to-night, 
our  friends  in  Marietta  are  celebrating  a  past  of  vast  importance  in  the  history 
of  Ohio  and  the  United  States  and  of  all  mankind.  One  hundred  years  ago 
there  landed  at  Marietta  that  little  body  whose  influence  was  then  felt  and  is 
now  felt  all  over  the  earth's  surface;  an  organized  body  of  men  with  dis- 
cipline, seeking  to  make  homes  for  themselves  and  their  families  and  to  rear 
up  a  state,  free,  where  all  men  could  enjoy  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness in  their  own  way  and  at  their  own  time.  Ohio  was  the  first  of  the  states 
created,  not  the  first  of  the  thirteen,  but  it  was  the  child  of  the  Revolution, 
although  the  ordinance  of  1787  preceded  the  constitution  by  two  years.  Yet 
it  was  made  by  the  same  men,  breathing  the  same  spirit  of  freedom  and  na- 
tionality. 

"  I  was  bom  in  the  town  of  Lancaster,  and  I  doubt  if  any  town  anywhere 
possessed  a  larger  measure  of  intelligence   for  its   numbers,   about   8,000. 

60 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

There  was  General  Beecher,  Henry  Stanbury,  Thomas  Ewing,  William  Irvine. 
(A  voice — 'Tom  Corwin.')  Yes;  he  belonged  in  Lebanon,  and  I  knew  liim 
well.  His  name  suggests  to  me  something  which  I  am  frequently  reminded  of 
when  I  go  to  Ohio.  In  these  modern  times  I  don't  think  they're  as  good  as 
they  used  to  be  in  those  early  days.  I  suppose  it  is  a  common  weakness  A\'ith 
old  men  to  view  things  in  that  way.  I  could  recount  a  great  many  things  about 
those  early  days.  My  memory  goes  back  to  1826.  I  remember  perfectly  the 
election  of  General  Jackson  in  182S.  I  remember  the  coffin  handbills  put  out 
by  The  Cincinnati  Gazette  to  stigmatize  Armstrong  and  Arbuthnot.  At 
that  time  I  belonged  to  a  strict  Whig  family,  and  we  all  thought  Jackson  a 
tyrant.  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  in  later  years  that  old  Jackson  was  a 
very  clever  fellow.  There  used  to  be  a  man  in  Columbus  named  Gustavus 
Swain,  and  what  he  didn't  know  about  Ohio  nobody  did.  Ohio  had  its  fun, 
and  its  serious  times,  and  always  bore  in  mind  that  they  were  the  first  free  state 
northwest  of  the  Ohio.  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Minnesota  followed 
aften^ard  by  catching  the  inspiration  from  her.  It  traveled  beyond.  I  went 
with  McCook  to  Arizona  and  found  our  fellows  there  from  Yellow  Creek. 
Everywhere  we  stopped  we  met  them.  They  didn't  know  they  were  from 
Ohio,  but  we  convinced  them  they  were." 

Ex-Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Windom,  the  next  speaker,  was  received 
with  applause.     He  said,  among  other  things : 

"  Pride  is  not  a  characteristic  of  Ohio  by  any  means.  Under  the  inspira- 
tion of  this  occasion  I  think  I  could  express  my  sentiments  well  were  it  not  for 
that  peculiarly  Ohio  characteristic  of  modesty.  Ohio  has  many  things  which 
distinguish  her,  her  material  resources,  her  horses  and  cattle  and  hogs  and 
wheat  and  corn.  And  of  the  whiskey  of  Ohio  we  are  all  peculiarly  proud.  We 
are  proud  of  her  men  and  her  women.  Her  sons  are  found  upon  all  the  fields 
of  commerce,  of  war  and  of  politics — particularly  of  politics.  Wherever  a 
dollar  is  to  be  honestly  made,  wherever  an  office  is  to  be  filled,  you  will  find  an 
Ohio  man  on  hand.  In  war  her  sons  held  a  front  rank ;  and  when  you  come 
to  the  civil  offices  of  the  country  Ohio  is  not  far  behind.  Of  the  last  four 
Presidents  Ohio  has  had  three  of  them,  and  so  far  as  I  can  see,  among  the 
names  of  the  gentlemen  who  are  spoken  of  in  the  party  to  which  I  belong, 
she  has  a  fair  chance  of  getting  another.  He  would  have  been  an  Ohio  man  four 
years  ago,  too,  almost.  The  gallant  chieftain  who  led  the  Republican  party 
four  years  ago  came  near  it.  He  was  bom  within  sight  of  Ohio.  In  his  early 
youth  he  breathed  the  inspiring  air  that  swept  Ohio's  hills.  Had  he  been  on 
the  other  side  of  that  promised  land  he  would  have  been  elected  four  years  ago." 

Whitelaw  Reid  then  rose  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  Mr.  Depew.  He 
said  in  substance: 

"  The  Ohio  Society  is  nothing  if  not  original.     Your  president  seems 

61 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  have  the  idea  that  the  vice-president  should  do  something.  Now  you  have 
been  very  Hberal  to  him,  j^ou  have  provided  him  with  five  vice-presidents  to 
take  the  surplus  work  off  his  hands.  It  is  a  curious  reversal  of  things  which  in 
that  list  makes  me  the  senior  and  our  venerable  friend  Governor  Hoadly  the 
junior.  Between  us  is  §andwiched  in  the  only  other  surviving  vice-president 
who,  I  fear,  is  not  always  remembered  as  a  soldier,  because  of  the  brilliant  re- 
nown he  has  won  as  a  lawyer. 

"  Now  one  of  these  vice-presidents,  as  I  am  credibly  informed,  is  about 
to  explain  the  significance  of  the  day  we  celebrate — the  day  that  made  Ohio, 
and  so  saved  the  country  from  awful  trouble  about  finding  presidents  and  chief 
justices  and  generals.  The  other,  as  is  said  on  equally  good  authority,  is  going 
to  vindicate  the  consistency  of  liis  own  political  record  and  that  of  all  his 
associates,  present  and  past.  You  see,  gentlemen,  there  are  two  very  long 
speeches  before  you! — ^mine  shall  be  short. 

"  You  noticed  that  General  Ewing  told  us  about  how  willing  New  York 
and  other  states  were  in  Washington's  time  to  give  up  to  Ohio.  Well,  alas, 
Washington  is  dead.  They  don't  seem  so  eager  to  give  up  to  Oliio  now.  We 
are  perfectly  willing  to  let  them  give  up.  Why,  we  can  furnish  more  presiden- 
tial candidates  to-day  than  half  the  rest  of  the  country  put  together,  and 
they'll  average  pretty  high,  too.  We  can  do  more  than  that.  We  can  furnish 
the  only  man  now  living,  or  that  ever  will  live,  that  said,  and  meant  it,  that  he 
wouldn't  have  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States  if  it  were  brought  to  him  on 
a  silver  salver. 

"  He  didn't  intend  to  be  mean  about  it,  either.  '  Why,'  he  said,  '  if  they 
don't  take  my  brother  John,  bless  their  eyes,  why  don't  they  take  my  brother- 
in-law  Tom?  '  Well,  gentlemen,  even  that  doesn't  exhaust  the  list.  Only, 
when  you  find  three  candidates  growing  in  one  family — hke  three  monster  ears 
of  com  on  one  stalk — you  begin  to  get  some  Idea  of  the  size  of  the  Ohio  crop. 

*'  There's  been  some  reference  to  John  Sherman.  Nobody  will  question 
that  whether  for  length  or  distinction  of  public  service  he  easily  leads  the  pres- 
ent list.  Nobody  will  hesitate  much  in  saying  that  just  now  Harrison  and 
Allison  stand  next.  Both  are  sons  of  Ohio ;  both  ought  to  have  been  here  to- 
night, and  both  would  have  been  only  for  the  secret  fear  of  each  that  some 
Incautious  utterance  at  this  critical  moment  might  blast  his  boom.  It  Is  but 
fifty  years  since  the  grandfather  of  one  of  them  was  badly  beaten  In  the  race 
for  the  presidency.  But  he  had  staying  powers,  and  four  years  later  he  made 
one  of  the  most  trlimiphant  canvasses  In  our  history,  and  was  borne  to  the 
White  House  on  the  wave  of  a  tremendous  popular  uprising. 

"  Ten  years  later  the  other,  before  leaving  his  native  state  for  the  wilds 
of  Iowa,  resolved  to  get  a  stamp  by  wlilch  he  could  always  make  good  his  Ohio 
claim,  and  so  took  his  degree  from  the  Western  Resel'^'e  College. 

62 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  But  I'm  not  going  into  the  list  of  Ohio  candidates.  Life  is  short. 
And  besides,  it  has  always  been  thought  that  an  after-dinner  speech  should 
not  be  too  personal,  and  you'll  bear  me  witness  that  I  always  try  to  obey 
that  rule.  I  have  been  endeavoring  by  gentle  stages,  by  mildly  introducing 
the  subject  of  the  presidency,  to  lead  up  to  the  introduction  of  the  gentleman 
whom  I  am  charged  by  the  president  to  introduce  to  you  to-night  as  an 
adopted  son  of  Ohio.  I  present  to  you  this  modest  youth,  Chauncey  M. 
Depew." 

jNIr.  Depew  began  in  a  humorous  vein,  by  acknowledging  that  he  had  no 
near  relationship  with  Ohio,  and  that  though  he  was  on  good  terms  with  all  the 
other  great  nationalities  at  their  celebrations,  when  he  tried  to  make  out 
some  claim  of  kinship  he  was  at  a  loss  for  it  on  tliis  occasion.  He  then  went 
on  to  show  that  Ohio  was  "  all  over  everywhere,"  and  not  only  a  shining  ex- 
ample in  her  institutions,  but  somewhat  of  a  monopolist  in  the  possession  of 
men  fitted  for  high  national  positions.  The  following  sketch  of  his  re- 
marks gives  some  of  the  points  he  made: 

"  Ohio  understands  the  presidential  game  so  well  that  she  has  not  only 
arranged  it  herself  within  her  own  borders,  but  she  has  studied  the  quality 
and  the  peculiarity  of  presidential  lightning  so  as  to  put  somebody  where- 
ever  it  is  likely  to  strike.  It  is  the  peculiarity  of  New  York  that  she  is  the 
most  conquered  city  in  the  world.  She  has  been  successively  conquered  by 
the  English,  by  the  Yankees,  by  the  Germans,  by  the  Irish.  But  still  she 
thought  her  business  was  secure;  but  when  she  turned  to  look  for  the  money 
the  Standard  Oil  of  Ohio  had  it  all,  and  in  business,  law,  politics  and  jour- 
nalism Ohio  has  captured  New  York;  but  then  New  York  reveres  Ohio. 
Ohio  has  alwa3^s  been  devoted  to  a  high  order  of  politics.  She  could  not 
have  furnished  chief  justices,  justices  in  the  Supreme  Court  and  presidents 
of  the  United  States  in  such  abundance  except  for  the  quality  of  her  men 
and  tlie  character  of  her  politics.  The  great  political  leaders  of  Ohio  on  all 
sides  and  in  all  parties  have  always  been  easily  the  leaders  of  their  party 
upon  the  party  thought  and  sentiment  of  the  hour.  Senator  Shopman's  fight 
for  honest  currency  and  Garfield's  magnificent  struggle  for  honest  credit 
and  for  the  purity  of  the  government  In  every  department  of  policy  and 
finance  will  long  be  remembered  as  a  period  when  it  required  courage,  con- 
sistency and  abilty  to  stand  up  against  the  errors  of  the  day.  Among  the 
Democratic  leaders  of  the  nation  there  is  no  one  who  has  stood  up  for  his  con- 
victions and  compelled  his  party  to  follow  him  because  he  knew  he  was  right 
— and  they  found  he  was  right — so  well  as  the  old  Roman,  Allan  G.  Thur- 
man,  and  that  elegant  gentleman,  accomplished  scholar  and  diplomat,  George 
H.  Pendleton,  who  taught  the  Democratic  party  the  reversal  of  the  old  Jack- 
sonlan  motto,  that  to  the  victor  belongs  the  spoils,  and  the  failure  of  this  most 

63 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

beneficent  reform  was  due  to  that  combination  of  good  intentions  and  rural 
inexperience  as  illustrated  by  President  Cleveland,  except  the  man  comes 
from  Ohio,  which  always  falls  a  victim  to  the  wiles  of  the  Hungry  Joe  of 
politics. 

"  We  have  had  eight  years  of  continuous  centennials ;  and  none  of  them 
more  significant  than  that  celebration  going  on  to-day  in  Marietta,  Ohio. 
It  is  more  than  a  local  celebration.  It  is  an  international  celebration  of 
the  kind  which  affects  the  globe,  because  it  affects  and  has  affected  the 
destiny  of  the  human  race.  If  every  one  of  the  hundred  people  who 
landed  at  Marietta  a  hundred  years  ago  to-day  could  be  a  sentinel 
down  the  century,  one  for  each  year,  and  there  could  be  attached  to 
each  man  or  each  woman  all  that  the  year  he  or  she  represented  meant  in  what 
Ohio  was,  what  she  has  accomplished  and  what  she  is,  that  man  and  that 
woman  would  stand  out  conspicuously  in  each  one  of  the  hundred  years  of  the 
century  as  the  immortal  centurions  of  the  United  States.  " 

The  next  speaker  was  General  Wager  Swayne.  He  was  greeted  with  loud 
cheers  and  his  speech  was  listened  to  with  marked  attention  and  abundantly 
applauded.    This  is  part  of  what  he  said: 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  safe  to  assume  that  100  years  ago  to-night  our 
ancestors  were  not  dining  at  Delmonico's,  and  were  not  listening  to  Chauncey 
Depew.  Mr.  Reid  has  been  good  enough  to  suggest  that  I  was  not  much  of  a 
lawyer  because  I  was  something  of  a  soldier,  and  that  I  had  not  been  a  great 
deal  of  a  soldier  because  I  had  been  something  of  a  lawyer.  Nevertheless  I 
propose  to  say  something  of  the  influence  of  Ohio  both  in  the  results  of  the 
war  and  as  to  her  impress  upon  the  organic  law  of  the  land.  In  1783  our  revo- 
lutionary ancestors  were  encamped  at  Newburgh  in  this  state,  half  fed,  half 
clothed,  waiting  to  be  disbanded.  They  addressed  to  Congress  a  petition  ask- 
ing that  a  tract  of  land,  which  became  the  Territory  of  Ohio,  might  be  set 
apart  in  accordance  with  a  previous  provision  of  law,  and  in  their  plan  of 
settlement  they  declared  that  in  the  constitution  of  the  new  State  there  should 
be  a  total  exclusion  of  slavery.  Out  of  this  plan  came  the  resolutions  of  1787, 
which  provided  that  within  that  territory  from  which  so  many  States  were 
erected,  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for 
crime,  should  ever  exist.  For  ten  long  years  Indiana  laid  siege  to  Congress, 
asking  that  that  clause  might  be  repealed.  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke, 
although  reared  in  slavery,  reported  against  the  repeal.  The  free  State  of 
Ohio  resulted,  and  word  for  word  that  clause  was  written  in  the  Constitution 
also  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  In  1820  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  put  the  same  clause  into  the  Missouri  Compromise. 

"  In  1854  Congress  repealed  that  clause  as  far  as  it  applied  to  the  Ter- 
ritories, and  that  repeal  brought  on  the  Civil  War.    But  the  five  States,  made 

64 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

free  by  the  legends  of  Ohio,  put  into  the  war  for  the  Union  a  milHon  of  men 
who  marched  and  fought  and  gave  victory  to  the  Union.  No  words  of  mine 
can  be  appropriate  when  we  turn  to  contemplate  the  glory  of  the  State  which 
shed  such  inestimable  blessings  upon  all  generations  of  men.  Let  us  pray  God 
that  peace  may  be  within  her  walls  and  prosperity  in  all  her  homes." 

Three  cheers  and  a  tiger  greeted  the  close  of  General  Swayne's  speech. 

Charles  A.  Dana  was  the  next  speaker.    He  said  among  other  things : 

"  We  who  are  not  so  fortunate  as  to  have  been  born  in  Ohio  feel  to-night 
that  we  are  praising  what  belongs  to  us,  too.  The  glories  of  Ohio  belong  just 
as  much  to  the  sons  of  New  York  and  Massachusetts  and  of  South  Carolina 
as  to  the  sons  of  Ohio.  Ohio  is  a  great  commonwealth;  how  admirable  is  her 
situation !  How  great  is  the  intelligence  and  the  industry,  and  above  all  the 
virtue  of  her  people !  There  she  stands,  in  the  valley  of  that  beautiful  river, 
the  centre  of  the  continent  not  all  belonging  to  the  union  as  yet,  but  destined 
to  belong  to  it,  so  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  planted  in  Ohio  will  be  seen  in 
the  tropics  and  in  the  Arctic  regions.  The  observations  that  we  have  heard 
here  to-night,  I  am  obhged  to  say,  have  been  rather  political  in  their  tend- 
ency, and  also  rather  Republican.  (Laughter,  and  cries  of  '  Ohio  is  Republi- 
can ! ')  Well,  when  we  are  in  power,  we  all  try  to  stay  there,  and  when  we  are 
not  in  power  we  try  to  get  the  other  party  out,  but  there  can  be  no  party  in 
this  country  that  is  not  a  patriotic  party,  so  that  while  in  Ohio  you  possess 
an  extraordinary  crop  of  Republican  great  men,  men  who  are  eminently 
fitted  to  be  the  candidates  of  that  party  for  president,  and  while  you  have, 
as  my  friend,  Mr.  Depew,  has  said,  planted  a  great  number  of  them  in  other 
states,  where  they  can  be  ready  to  take  the  place  if  those  at  home  fail,  you 
can't  lose  anything  by  stretching  out  now  and  then  fraternal  hands  and 
adopting  an  outsider,  and  I  have  observed  that  you  have  a  pretty  warm  side 
for  our  friend  Chauncey,  and  I  say  you  are  right  in  it.  He  is  one  of  those 
men  of  whom  we  all  as  Americans  have  a  right  to  be  proud.  For  my  own  pai-t  I 
would  rather  that  no  Republican  should  be  elected  president  next  year,  but 
if  there  is  going  to  be  any  one  at  all  I  don't  know  of  any  one  that  I  would 
rather  it  should  be  than  Chauncey  Depew." 

It  was  ex-Gov.  George  Hoadly's  turn  next,  and  that  he  acquitted  himself 
to  the  satisfaction  of  everybody  was  attested  by  the  applause  he  received. 
The  following  is  a  summary  of  what  he  said: 

"  I  came  here  without  the  expectation  of  speaking.  Twenty-four  hours 
ago  I  hoped  for  an  even  greater  pleasure  than  that  of  dining  here  to-night, 
for  I  expected  to  be  to-night  on  the  sacred  soil  of  Ohio.  When  I  came,  it 
was  to  listen  to  him  who  deserves  the  title  given  him  the  other  day  by  the 
Republicans  of  Vermont,  the  Wizard  of  the  North,  unless,  indeed,  INIadame 
Diss  Debar  may  prove  her  better  title.    I  came  to  listen  to  New  York's  munici- 

65 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

pal  mayor,  whom,  although  we  have  had  some  past  differences  of  opinion, 
both  he  and  I  believe  to  be  the  best  mayor  in  the  country.  I  came  to  ask  the 
mayor  many  things,  and  he  is  not  here  to  enlighten  me.  I  am  told  by  my 
distinguished  friend,  who,  when  I  last  saw  him,  was  a  Democrat  of  the  Demo- 
crats, Avliile  I  was  a  Republican,  I  must  speak  to  a  text,  must  speak  of  my 
record.  In  Spanish  architecture  there  is  employed  an  ascending  spiral,  used 
in  building  stair-banisters,  but  the  architect  can  never  place  projection  oppo- 
site projection;  so  I  find  the  records  of  myself  and  my  friend — they  won't  lie 
spoon-fashion.  Do  you  once  think  what  you  could  have  done  if  you  had 
drafted  the  whole  state  in  the  service.'^  You  have  made  your  presidents,  your 
senators,  your  chief  justices,  with  one  hand  tied  behind  your  back,  with  half 
your  population  allowed  only  to  pay  taxes  and  do  convict  labor.  We  Demo- 
crats have  been  allowed  to  do  all  the  fighting  and  heavy  work,  and  have  been 
defeated  in  elections  without  number,  but  we  have  always  come  up  smiling  the 
next  day. 

"  Tom  Corwin  was  once  asked  whether  he  had  heard  a  certain  story 
about  a  friend  of  his.  '  I  don't  know.  Was  it  about  himself  ?  '  'No.'  'Then 
I  have  not  heard  it.'  So  there  can  be  no  speech  from  me  to-night  unless  it  is 
personal." 

After  ex-Governor  Hoadl}',  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Attorney-General  Cole- 
man and  Mr.  Struss  made  short  addresses.     Then  the  company  dispersed. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  Society,  the  committee  of  arrangements, 
in  making  its  report  as  to  this  banquet,  said: 

"  The  committee  take  pleasure  in  calling  your  attention  to  the  financial 
part  of  the  banquet.  A  full  and  detailed  report  of  the  treasurer  of  the 
committee,  Mr.  Crall,  with  vouchers,  is  contained  in  the  books  of  accounts 
kept  for  this  purpose,  among  the  records  of  the  Society,  and  to  which  mem- 
bers are  referred  for  particulars.  The  thanks  of  the  committee  and  the 
Society  are  due  to  Mr.  Crall  for  the  important  service  he  rendered  in  the 
work  he  has  done.  It  is  only  necessary  in  this  report  to  add  that  the  gross 
receipts  from  the  sale  of  tickets  were  $1,302.  The  total  expenditures  (and 
all  bills  of  every  kind  have  been  paid),  are  $1,125.15,  leaving  a  balance  of 
$176.85,  which  the  committee  now  pay  over  to  the  Society." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  held  on  May  14,  signs  of  that  reserve 
fund  which  the  organization  has  been  laying  away  were  apparent  in  a  re- 
port from  the  treasurer,  showing  a  balance  on  hand  of  $1,743.80. 

Col.  W.  P.  Fogg  presented  to  the  Society  a  handsomely  bound  volume 
entitled  "  Charter  Members,"  containing  the  original  signed  copies  of  the 
constitution.     The  gift  was  accepted  with  sincere  thanks. 

Colonel  Fogg's  letter  of  presentation  was  as  follows : 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  New  York,  April  16,  1888. 
"  The  President  of  the  Ohio  Society. 

"  Dear  Sir : — I  have  the  pleasure  to  present  to  the  Ohio  Society  the 
bound  volume,  herewith  sent,  containing  the  original  signatures  to  the  con- 
stitution of  the  one  hundred  and  sixteen  charter  members.  These  include 
the  honored  names  of  several  of  our  brother  members  who  have  passed  away 
since  our  organization,  and  this  volume  may  well  be  treasured  among  our 
most  valued  memorials. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"Wm.   Perky  Fogg." 

The  volume  is  bound  in  heavy  morocco,  with  ornamentation  and  lettering 
of  gold.  It  is  eleven  by  eight  and  one-half  inches  in  size.  On  the  outside  in 
gold  letters  are  the  following  words : 

The  Ohio  Society 

OF 

New  York. 

Charter    Members. 

1885. 
Presented  by  Wm.  Perry  Fogg. 

The  book  consists  of  various  copies  of  the  constitution  of  the  Society, 
each  one  of  which  is  ornamented  with  a  handsome  engraving  of  the  seal  of 
the  state  of  Ohio.  Every  member  of  the  list  of  charter  members  given 
below  signed  one  copy  of  this  constitution,  except  in  several  cases  where  two 
signed  the  same  sheet,  making  a  unique  and  valuable  souvenir.  The  names 
are  given  in  the  following  order: 

INDEX. 

« 
(Arranged  in  the  order  of  their  reception  by  committee  on  organization.) 

1.  C.  W.   Moulton.  8.  J.  M.  Chandler. 

2.  Homer  Lee.  9.  L.  H.  Crall. 

3.  Wm.  Perry  Fogg.  10.  Henry  Monett. 

4.  M.  D.  Hanover.  11.  G.  E.  Armstrong. 
.5.  Frank  E.  Wing.  12.  H.  J.  Jewett. 

6.  Charles  T.  Wing.     -  13.  W.  C.  Andrews. 

7.  Henry  A.  Glassford.  14.  John  Q.  Mitchell. 

67 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


15.  A.  J.  C.  Foye. 

16.  Wager  Swayne. 

17.  Cyrus  Butler. 

18.  John  W.  Harman. 

19.  Granville  W.  Harman. 

20.  George  V.  Harman. 

21.  C.  C.  Hine. 

22.  D.  M.  Edgarton. 
'23.  Carson  Lake. 

24.  S.  B.  Elkins. 

25.  Wm.  Henry  Smith. 

26.  Whitelaw  Reid. 

27.  Waxren  Higley. 
J.  J.  Slocum. 

28.  W.  L.  Strong. 

29.  Wm.  Ford  Upson. 

30.  James  Q.  Howard. 

31.  J.  S.  Gorham. 

32.  Bernard  Peters. 

33.  Mahlon  Chance. 

34.  Joseph  Pool. 

35.  Wallace  Mayo. 

36.  Thomas  S.  King. 

37.  C.  H.  Applegate. 

38.  Thomas  Ewing. 

39.  Milton  I.  Southard. 

40.  W.  V.  McCracken. 

41.  Gus  M.  Miller. 

42.  W.  H.  HofFer. 

43.  Theo.  Ricksecker. 

44.  Henry  L.  Burnett. 

45.  Algernon  S.  Sullivan. 

46.  Frank  M.  Lahm. 

47.  W.   Harry  Beard. 

48.  J.  H.  Beard. 

49.  David  Harbaugh. 

50.  A.  W.  Green. 

51.  George  Follett. 

52.  A.  W.  Follett. 

53.  H.  L.  Terrell. 
Calvin  S,  Brice. 


54.  Washington  Belt. 

55.  W.  K.  Jewett. 

56.  Philander  D.  HaU. 

57.  Wm.  Knisely. 

58.  R.  C.  Kimball. 

59.  Giles  N.  Hewlett. 

60.  P.  S.  Jennings. 

61.  W.  L.  Brown. 

62.  J.  M.  Edwards. 

63.  Geo.  H.  VaiUant. 

64.  Wm.  S.  Hawk. 

65.  J.  Monroe  Brown. 

66.  S.  D.  Brewster. 

67.  Wm.  Hunter. 

68.  Theodore  Shotwell. 
Wm.  W.  Shotwell. 

69.  Max  Fleischmann. 

70.  J.  Q.  A.  Ward. 

71.  Isaac  K.  Funk. 

72.  H.  K.  Enos. 

73.  Thos.   T.   Eckert. 

74.  Thos.  T.  Eckert,  Jr. 

75.  Joseph  S.  Tunison. 

76.  Harwood  R.  Pool. 

77.  Frank  M.  Foy6. 

78.  John  W.  Stout. 

79.  J.  H.  Hewson. 

80.  Lowell  M.  Palmer. 

81.  And.  J.  RickofF. 

82.  Geo.  Buckingham. 

83.  Clinton  Corwine. 

84.  John  T.  Granger. 

85.  Heman  Clark. 

86.  B.  W.  Gillett. 

87.  F.  M.  Gillett. 

88.  J.  D.  Gillett. 

89.  M.  H.  Gillett. 

90.  A.  D.  Juilliard. 

91.  Jacob  Oberholser. 

92.  Anson  G.  McCook. 

93.  Colgate  Hoyt. 


68 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

94.  Ensign  Newton.  104.  John  L.  N.  Hunt. 

95.  A.  O.  Beebe.  105.  C.  H.  Thyng. 

96.  I.  J.  Struble.  106.  Charles  Sprague. 

97.  John  A.  Smith.  107.  Walston  H.  Brown. 
J.  F.  Sadler.  108.  Theo.  F.  Allen. 

98.  Edwin  M.  Green.  109.  Charles  A.  Post. 

99.  W.  H.  Eckert.  110.  Cary  W.  Moore. 
David  G.  Wylie.  Geo.  K.  Clark,  Jr. 

100.  G.  M.  Worstell.  111.  Wm.  W.  Heaton. 

101.  Sherman  Moulton.  112.  W.  M.  SafFord. 

102.  Henry  E.  Abbey.  113.  Chas.  H.  Blair. 

103.  E.  W.  Root.  114.  W.  S.  Lloyd. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  held  on  June  14,  John  Dick- 
son was  unanimously  elected  permanent  chairman  to  succeed  Henry  L.  Bur- 
nett, resigned. 

Mr.  Nye,  in  the  session  of  the  Society  held  in  June,  on  behalf  of  the 
committee  on  the  Ohio  Centennial,  reported  progress  and  recommended  that 
arrangements  be  made  for  an  excursion  of  the  members  of  the  Society  to 
attend  the  celebration  at  Marietta.  The  report  was  accepted,  and  the  com- 
mittee continued  with  power  to  act,  it  being  understood  that  the  Society 
as  such  should  incur  no  expense.  A.  J.  C.  Foye  read  the  following  letter  from 
William   Ford  Upson : 

"  My  Dear  Mr.  Foye : — Will  you  please  present  the  name  of  Ralph 
Hazlett  Upson  for  membership  in  the  Society.?  He  was  bom  on  the  21st 
inst.,  and  will,  I  think,  make  a  worthy  member,  to  judge  by  the  strength  of 
his  lungs.  I  shall  not  be  able  to  attend  this  evening,  but  should  be  greatly 
obliged  if  you  will  provide  a  big  bowl  of  lemonade  (no  stick),  with  the  young 
man's  compliments,  charging  the  expense  to  me. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  Wm.  Ford  Upson." 

"  There  being  no  further  business  before  the  Society,"  the  minutes  tell 
us,  "  except  the  drinking  of  the  lemonade,  thus  generously  provided  for  by 
Mr.  Upson,  the  Society  adjourned  for  that  purpose.  Whereupon,  the  mem- 
bers being  gathered  together  fraternally  with  the  bowl  of  lemonade,  of  gener- 
ous measure,  close  at  hand,  all  standing  and  each  duly  supplied  with  a  goblet 
of  the  same,  it  was  ordered  that  the  following  minute  be  spread  at  large 
upon  the  journal  of  the  Society,  and  that  a  copy  thereof  be  sent  to  Messrs. 
William  F.  and  Ralph  Hazlett  Upson,  viz. : 

"  At  an  informal  meeting  of  the  Ohio  Societ}^,  held  at  the  Society's 

69 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

rooms,  Monday  evening,  June  25,  1888,  it  was,  upon  motion  of  General 
Swayne, 

"  Resolved,  That  Ralph  Hazlett  Upson  be  and  he  is  hereby  unanimously 
chosen  the  first  member  of  the  Ohio  Society  by  inheritance. 

"  Resolved,  That  our  congratulations  are  extended  to  his  parents,  with 
fervent  trust  that  though  he  may  sometimes  lengthen  their  nights,  he  may 
never  shorten  their  days,  but  make  them  brighter  always."* 

When  the  sessions  were  resumed  on  September  10,  1888,  it  was  ordered 
that  a  ladies'  reception  be  held  on  the  third  Monday  of  October.  Judge 
Higley  was  instructed  to  arrange  for  an  informal  dinner  during  the  month. 
A  committee  of  five  were  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  ladies'  reception, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Higley,  Gard,  Shayne,  Doyle  and  Harbaugh. 

lAt  the  meeting  of  October  8,  by  unanimous  consent,  at  the  president's 
suggestion,  the  election  of  the  committee  on  nominations  under  the  by-laws 
was  taken  up,  and  the  following  were  chosen  by  ballot:     Wm.  H.  Eckert, 

A.  J.  C.  Foye,  J.  W.  Harman,  Geo.  B.  Hibbard,  Homer  Lee,  Dr.  Zachos, 

B.  F.  Peixotto,  F.  C.  Loveland,  W.  V.  McCracken.  On  November  12  the 
committee  on  the  ladies'  reception  reported  that  they  were  making  arrange- 
ments for  one  to  be  held  on  the  26th  inst.  It  was  resolved,  on  motion  of  Mr. 
Shayne,  that  an  engrossed  copy  of  the  original  apphcation  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  Society  be  duly  framed  and  hung  in  the  rooms. 

The  gathering  for  the  ladies  was  a  successful  reunion  of  the  members 
and  their  friends.  The  full  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge  consisted 
of  the  following:  Warren  Higley,  Wm.  L.  Strong,  Henry  L.  Burnett, 
Homer  Lee,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Anson  A.  Gard,  George  Hoadly, 
David  F.  Harbaugh,  Sumner  T.  Dunham,  G.  D.  M.  Peixotto,  John  Q.  Mit- 
chell, Alexander  Doyle,  Cary  W.  Moore,  Marshal  Halstead. 

The  reception  committee  was  composed  of  the  following  ladies:  Mrs. 
W.  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Mrs.  George  Hoadly,  INIrs.  Cary  W. 
Moore,  Mrs.  Mary  P.  Bigelow,  Miss  Strong,  Miss  Hoadly,  Mrs.  Samuel 
Thomas,  Mrs.  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Mrs.  Frank  C.  Loveland,  Mrs.  Carson 
Lake,  Mrs.  Anson  A.  Gard,  Miss  Ewing,  Miss  Perry. 


*  Ralph  H.  Upson  was  born  on  June  21,  1888,  and  is  now  past  seventeen  years  of  age. 
He  has  finished  a  course  in  the  high  school  at  Glen  Ridge,  New  Jersey,  preparatory  to  one 
in  mechanical  engineering  at  Stevens  Institute.  His  father,  when  the  above  action  was 
called  to  his  attention,  commented  upon  it  in  these  words :  "  As  to  his  benefits  from  this 
membership  in  the  Ohio  Society,  they  are  for  the  most  part  in  the  future.  He  is,  I  should 
say,  in  the  position  of  one  who  is  by  infant  baptism  a  member  of  the  church,  but  has  not  yet 
reached  the  age  of  confirmation.  We  have  preserved  in  the  family  archives  for  his  benefit 
the  letter  of  the  secretary  of  the  Society  transmitting  the  copy  of  General  Swayne's  resolu- 
tion, from  which  we  intend,  at  the  proper  time,  to  claim  for  him  aU  the  privileges  and 
immunities  appertaining  to  such  membership." 

70 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  programme   of  entertainment   and   the   catalogue   of   pictures   on 
view  were  as  follows: 


Song,  "  Chickk-Cklchie" — The  Poultry  Maid's  Song. 

Words  by  Sidney  Rosenfeld.     Music  by  Ceurelio  Ceurelos. 

Genie  Holtzmeyee  Rosenfeld. 

Accompanied  by  Sen.   Ceurelos. 


Trio, 


D  Minor,  Op.  40, 


'*  Andante,"  \ 

"  Allegro  Assai"  ' 

Mme.  Eugenie  De  Roode,  Piano. 

Me.  Harey  Schloming,  Violin. 

Me.  Heney  Finzi,  Violoncello. 


Mendelssohn 


Song, 


"  The  Creole  Lover's  Song," 

Miss  Claea  E.  Stutsman. 

Accompanied  by  Girant  C.  Odell. 


Dudley  Buck 


Addeess, 


"The  Carey  Sisters." 
Mrs.  Lucy  P.  Thomas. 


Tenge  Solo, 


■*  Come  to  Me," 

WiLBUE    GUNN. 


Denza 


71 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


CATALOGUE 

Robert  Blum. 

Landscapes  in  pastel.     For  Sale. 

Wm.  Verplanck  Birney. 
"Photographic  Memories,"        ....     $175 
"Reading  Her  Fortune,"        ....       100 

"  The  Rose," 50 

"Au  Revoir," 200 

J.  G.  Brown. 

"  Thoughts  by  the  Sea," $1,000 

Otto  Backer. 

"  Interior  of  St.  Marc's,  Venice,"      For  Sale. 

"  The  Palace  of  Desdemona,  Venice," 

For  Sale. 

Albert  Bierstadt. 

"  Sunrise  on  the  Matterhorn,"     .     .     .  $5,000 

Wm.  M.  Chase. 

Studies  in  oil  and  pastel,    .    .     .     For  Sale. 

J.    H.    DOLPH. 

"  Interior,  Amsterdam," $400 

RoBT.  A.  Eichelberger. 

Landscape, $500 

De  Haas. 

"  Moonlight  on  the  Water,"  .     .     .     For  Sale. 

Thos.  Moran. 

Landscape, For   Sale. 

J.  Francis  Murphy. 

Landscape, For   Sale. 

J.  Symington. 

"On  the  Bridge." 


OF    PICTURES. 

Carrol,  Beckwith. 

Portrait. 

Stanley  Middleton. 

Marine,       For  Sale. 

J.   C.   NiCOLL. 

"  Early  Morning  at  Sea." 
"  With  Yacht  Katrina." 

G.  D.  Madura  Peixotto. 

Study  head  of  H.  E.  Cardinal  Manning, 

$1,500 

Wm.  a.  Rogers. 

"  The  Carpet  Weaver's  Children." 
"  An  Autumn  Walk." 
"  Great  Grampus  House." 

Walter  Satterlee. 

"The  Puritan  Mayflower." 

James  Smillie. 

Landscape, For   Sale. 

George  Smillie. 

Landscape, For   Sale. 

Theo.   Wores. 

"Lotus  Pond  in  Tokio," $850 

"  Street  Scene  in  Tokio,"     .....  850 

"  A  Tea  House  and  Cherry  Blossoms,"  1,500 

Irving  R.  Wiles. 

"  Study  in  Costume," For  Sale. 

Hamilton  Hamilton. 

"  The  Dominie's  Daughter,"      .    .    For  Sale. 

Louise  Lawson,  Sculpsit. 
"Abyssinian  Boy." 


It  had  been  decided  by  the  entertainment  committee  that  on  this  occasion 
a  formal  presentation  of  the  portrait  of  a  great  Ohioan  would  be  made  by 
the  president,   Gen.   Wager   Swayne. 

George  D.  M.  Peixotto,  a  member,  had  presented  to  the  Society  his 
painting  of  Mon*ison  R.  Waite,  chief  justice  of  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Peixotto  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  chief  justice  and  decided  to  give  a 
proof  of  that  personal  interest  by  painting  a  portrait  of  the  eminent  jurist 

72 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

for  the  Ohio  Society.  The  chief  justice  cheerfully  granted  Mr.  Peixotto 
the  time  required  for  the  sittings,,  which  were  had  at  Washington  in  1888. 

^Ix.  Waite  being  engaged  at  that  period  in  writing  his  opinion  in  the 
Bell  Telephone  case  as  well  as  that  of  the  Chicago  anarchists,  the  artist  de- 
picted him  in  a  mood  which  conveys  some  reflection  of  the  great  responsi- 
bilities of  his  office. 

At  an  appropriate  moment  in  the  evening,  General  Swayne,  in  a  few 
well  chosen  words,  presented  the  portrait  to  the  Society  in  the  name  of  the 
artist,  and  then  in  accepting  the  portrait,  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  he 
referred  eloquently  to  the  high  quahties  of  the  chief  justice,  and  in  sym- 
pathetic manner  commended  tlie  artist  for  having  contributed  this  memorial 
of  one  of  Ohio's  greatest  sons;  a  gift  he  described  as  not  only  a  magnificent 
portrait  but  a  token  of  the  artist's  patriotic  feeling  and  true  interest  in  the 
purpose  of  the  Ohio  Society.  A  seated  figure,  half  length  life  size,  the  por- 
trait represents  Mr.  Waite  robed  in  the  black  gown  of  a  chief  justice,  in  one 
hand  a  vellum  bound  book,  the  other  hand  resting  on  the  arm  of  the  chair. 

It  was  ordered  at  the  meeting  of  December  10,  which  was  the  annual 
gathering  for  the  election  of  officers,  that  a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs. 
Ewing,  Caldwell  and  Glassford,  be  appointed  to  confer  with  the  committee 
on  the  centennial  of  the  inauguration  of  George  Washington  as  first  president 
of  the  United  States,  to  get  such  information  as  may  be  necessary  for  the 
members  of  the  Society  as  desire  to  take  part  in  the  festivities,  and  to  re- 
port at  the  next  regular  meeting. 

The  report  of  the  nominating  committee  having  been  already  sub- 
mitted, the  Society  proceeded  to  the  election,  and  the  following  officers  and 
trustees  were  chosen  by  ballot:  President,  Wager  Swayne;  Vice-Presidents, 
William  L.  Strong,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Bernard  Peters, 
Calvin  S.  Brice;  Secretary,  Warren  Higley;  Recording  Secretary,  Charles 
F.  Bliss ;  Treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall ;  Trustees,  for  three  years,  Wallace  C. 
Andrews,  S.  S.  Packard,  C.  C.  Shayne;  for  two  years,  George  IVIilmine, 
William  S.  Hawk,  J.  F.  Holloway ;  for  one  year,  A.  D.  Juilliard,  Ralph  H. 
Waggoner,  Henry  A.  Glassford. 

President  Ewing,  on  retiring  from  the  chair,  and  before  handing  the 
gavel  to  his  successor,  spoke  as  follows : 

"  It  is  three  years  since  the  Ohio  Society  was  founded.  It  has  not  ac- 
complished all  its  founders  hoped  for — few  men  hit  the  mark  they  aim  at, 
especially  if  it  is  high.  But  we  have  gone  on  each  year  with  increasing  num- 
bers and  interest,  and  the  Society  to-day  is  stronger  and  more  assured  of 
permanent  life  than  ever  before. 

"  Much  yet  is  needed.  We  want  more  social  life.  First,  it  seems  neces- 
sary to  have  a  good-sized,  commodious  and  well  located  house  of  our  own, 

73 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

or  one  held  by  a  long  lease  at  a  low  rent.  We  want  it  fitted  up  so  as  to  be 
an  attractive  resort  day  and  night  for  residents  here  and  friends  from 
abroad — as  attractive  as  other  club-houses  of  the  city — not  necessarily  as 
large  and  elegant,  but  with  the  appointments  and  conveniences  of  an  agreeable 
resort  for  ourselves  and  our  friends. 

"  We  want,  too,  much  more  of  intellectual  Hfe.  I  think  we  should 
strive  especially  to  have  discussions  on  interesting  topics  of  the  day,  as  at 
the  Twihght  and  other  hterary  clubs,  and  also  to  have  more  of  essays,  the 
taste  and  spirit  for  ha-Yiug  which  is  strong,  but  the  willingness  to  prepare  it 
not  so.  For  instance,  I  am  in  default  for  a  paper  for  two  years  past  and  my 
successor  is,  I  think,  somewhat  derelict  also. 

"  We  were  innovators  in  New  York  in  establishing  the  first  society  of 
men  from  a  single  state.  Our  innovation  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Southern 
Society  and  will  lead,  no  doubt,  to  the  formation  of  other  state  societies. 

"  Now,  in  both  our  intellectual  and  social  aims  we  need  the  help  of  Ohio 
women  in  New  York.  We  have  all  enjoyed  the  ladies'  receptions  we  have  had, 
and  the  informal  dinners.  With  our  new  house  why  can't  we  admit  women 
as  members  ?  Our  constitution  does  not  forbid  it ;  it  does  not  limit  membership 
to  men.  Let  us  enlist  their  minds  and  hearts  and  graces  in  the  intellectual  and 
social  life  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  by  broadening  the  membership  we  will 
heighten  the  aims  and  increase  the  good  work  of  the  Society. 

"  In  surrendering  the  presidency  of  the  Society  with  which  I  have  been 
honored  so  long,  I  am  troubled  with  a  humbling  sense  in  my  failure  to  ade- 
quately exert  myself  for  its  welfare,  and  the  grateful  sense  of  the  kindness 
which  kept  me  so  long  at  the  head  of  the  Society.  I  am  rejoiced  to  know, 
however,  that  the  next  president  will  give  a  greater  help  than  I  have  done. 
He  has  been  identified  with  it  from  its  birth,  is  zealous  for  its  success,  has 
high  intellectual  ability  and  sterhng  worth  which  commands  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  every  member.  To  his  hands,  now,  my  fellow  members,  I 
deliver  the  insignia  of  authority  as  president  of  the  Ohio  Society.  The  Society 
is  a  democracy  and  the  president  has  no  power  vested  in  him  except  as  a  pre- 
siding officer.  The  emblems  of  his  authority  are  only  these  two  gavels,  one 
of  stainless  ivory,  the  gift  of  Captain  Glassford,  the  other,  the  gift  of  jNIr. 
Nye,  carved  from  a  log  of  the  double  cabin  in  one  room  of  which  was  held 
the  first  court  of  justice  and  in  the  other  the  first  school  in  the  Northwest 
Territory.  It  is  of  oak,  which  stood  perhaps  for  centuries  in  the  primeval 
forest,  awaiting  the  coming  of  civilization.  May  it  call  our  Society  to  order 
for  a  century  to  come,  and  may  education  and  liberty,  regulated  by  law, 
virtues  of  American  civilization  which  it  typifies,  be  illustrated  by  our  Society 
for  a  century  to  come,  and  may  it  always  be  wielded  by  one  as  fit  to  bear  it 
as  our  excellent  friend  and  brother.  General  Swayne. 

74j 


General   Wager   Swayne 
President  from  November  29,  1888,  to  November  39,  1891 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  And  now,  brethren  of  the  Oliio  Society,  with  grateful  appreciation  of 
the  honors  you  have  done  me,  I  bid  you  farewell  as  your  president  and  take 
my  place  as  a  worker  in  the  ranks." 

On  motion  of  General  Burnett,  it  was  "  Resolved,  That  the  hearty 
thanks  of  the  Ohio  Society  are  hereby  tendered  to  the  retiring  officers  for 
their  devotion  to  the  interest  of  the  Society  during  the  terms  they  have 
respectively  served." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  the  same  night,  Henry  A. 
Glassford  was  elected  chairman  and  C.  F.  Bliss  secretary.  A  house  com- 
mittee of  three  was  then  elected,  consisting  of  Alexander  Doyle,  Cyrus  But- 
ler and  E.  B.  Bruch. 

At  the  meeting  of  January  14,  President  Swayne  announced  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  following  committees:  Art  and  Literature  Committee: 
John  Q.  A.  Ward,  chairman;  George  D.  M.  Peixotto,  Cyrus  Butler,  Carson 
Lake  and  J.  Q.  Howard.  Auditing  Committee:  Wm.  Perry  Fogg,  John  M. 
Guiteau,  F.  C.  Loveland,  Carey  W.  Moore  and  J.  Q.  Mitchell.  Entertain- 
ment Committee :  Homer  Lee,  chairman ;  Thomas  Ewing,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Jay 
O.  Moss  and  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye. 

It  was  announced  that  the  fourth  annual  banquet  of  the  Society  would 
be  held  at  Delmonico's  on  Tuesday  evening,  February  19.  The  following 
reception  committee  for  the  banquet  was  announced:  John  W.  Ellis,  chair- 
man ;  John  D.  Archbold,  S.  D.  Brewster,  Watson  H.  Brown,  H.  B.  Brundrett, 
H.  H.  Brockway,  S.  B.  Elkins,  Wm.  W.  Heaton,  Colgate  Hoyt,  George 
Hoadly,  E.  W.  Hoagland,  Anson  G.  McCook,  H.  J.  Morse,  Chas.  B.  Peet, 
Joseph  Pool,  John  C.  Schooley,  Samuel  Thomas,  Wm.  Ford  Upson,  Frank 
Work,  F.  H.  Wheeler. 

By  resolution  it  was  decided  that  a  committee  of  two  should  be  appointed 
with  a  view  to  musical  development  in  the  Society. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Chance,  it  was  ordered  that  a  committee  of  five  be 
appointed  by  the  chair  to  take  steps  towards  the  entertainment  of  the  com- 
missioners from  Ohio  to  attend  the  centennial  celebration  of  the  Washington 
inauguration,  and  to  report  at  the  next  meeting. 

The  chair  urged  upon  the  Society  the  desirability  of  its  members  con- 
tributing literature  relating  in  any  way  to  the  state  of  Ohio,  to  the  hbrary, 
whether  as  loans  to  be  returned  to  the  members  so  lending  at  their  pleasure, 
or  as  absolute  gifts. 

The  annual  banquet  was  held  at  Delmonico's,  on  the  evening  above 
designated,  Tuesday,  February  19,  1889,  when,  as  a  local  chronicler  of  the 
day*  declared,  "Ohio  pluck,  Ohio  push,  and  Ohio  perseverance  were  loyally 
celebrated. 


New  York  Tribune,  February  20,  1889. 

75 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Rufus  Putnam  and  the  ordinance  of  1787,"  the  writer  continued, 
"  were  the  themes  of  patriotic  eulogy,  and  the  grounds  of  the  territory  which 
takes  its  name  from  the  river  tliat  the  French  called  '  beautiful '  was  pro- 
claimed with  eloquence  and  wit. 

"  Although  the  Society  is  young,  it  makes  up  in  enthusiasm  what  it 
lacks  in  age  and  numbers.  The  Ohio  men  are  noted  for  coming  to  the  front. 
Everybody  knows  that  the  aborigines,  whose  mammoth  mud  pies  still  exist, 
produced  a  superior  article  in  mounds  which  defy  competition.  Their  suc- 
cessors whom  the  intrepid  La  Salle  encountered  when  he  dodged  his  creditors 
and  went  picnicking  along  the  Ohio,  as  well  as  the  painted  and  befeathered 
hatchet  throwers  whom  Mad  Anthony  Wayne  subsequently  dispersed,  had 
no  rivals  in  the  fine  art  of  hair-hfting  and  their  stake  tortures  were  simply 
unapproachable ;  so  that  the  state  need  not  apologize  for  the  want  of  the  pic- 
turesque and  romantic  in  its  history.  Washington,  it  is  true,  lacked  the 
address  to  be  bom  on  the  '  Sacred  Soil,'  but  the  late  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try must  be  accounted  an  extenuating  circumstance,  and  if  there  were  no 
Buckeyes  at  Valley  Forge  it  was  merely  because  they  did  not  live  early 
enough." 

The  dinner  arrangements  were  democratic  in  their  simplicity.  No  raised 
table  made  the  honored  guests  targets  for  the  gaze  of  curiosity  and  debarred 
them  from  participation  in  the  common  mirth.  President  Wager  Swayne's 
figure  graced  the  head  of  the  centre  table  on  a  level  with  the  rest  of  the 
diners,  and  careful  scrutiny  was  required  to  pick  out  the  features  of  Cor- 
nelius N.  Bliss,  the  luxuriant  locks  of  Roger  A.  Pry  or,  the  rotund  and 
smihng  countenance  of  S.  B.  Elkins.  The  decorations  were  limited  to  a 
colored  representation  of  the  seal  of  Ohio,  which  displayed  its  golden  sun- 
burst above  the  president's  chair,  and  copies  of  the  national  shield  which 
adorned  the  walls  and  the  front  of  the  building,  and  were  draped  with  the 
Stars  and  Stripes. 

The  menu  was  a  tastefully  lithographed  card,  bearing  on  its  face  an 
outline  map  of  the  state,  with  a  star  showing  the  city  of  Marietta,  and  a 
dramatic  picture  of  a  stalwart  pioneer  braining  a  ferocious  grizzly  which 
had  just  feasted  off  the  head  of  his  favorite  watch  dog.  A  summary  of  the 
history  of  Ohio  since  the  organization  of  the  Ohio  Company  was  contained 
on  the  inside  cover,  as  well  as  a  note  setting  up  a  claim  to  the  new  nickname 
of  "  The  Birthday  State,"  on  the  ground  that  Ohio  was  the  first  state  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  literally  the  child  of 
the  Revolution. 

The  compilers  of  this  part  of  the  document  had,  however,  ingeniously 
hedged  on  their  history  by  citing  the  several  different  dates  which  different 
chroniclers  assigned  as  the  period  of  admission  and  defied  criticism  by  the 

76 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

triumphant  announcement  that  "  Ohio  and  Virginia,  up  to  date,  have  fur- 
nished twelve  out  of  the  twenty-three  presidents  of  the  United  States." 

The  invited  guests  were:  Ex-Secretary  WilHam  Windom,  Senator  P.  B. 
Plumb,  of  Kansas;  Gten.  Roger  A.  Pryor,  C.  N.  Bhss,  and  Congressmen 
A.  C.  Thompson  and  C.  H.  Grosvenor. 

At  about  nine  o'clock  President  Swayne  rapped  for  order.  He  made  no 
attempt  at  a  formal  speech,  but  congratulated  the  members  on  the  agreeable 
occasion  of  the  gathering,  and  warmly  welcomed  the  distinguished  guests. 
It  was  in  New  York,  he  reminded  them,  that  Ohio  was  really  bom,  under 
Virginia  auspices,  when  in  the  old  City  hall,  at  the  corner  of  Nassau  and 
Wall  streets,  the  Continental  Congress  passed  the  ordinance  of  1787  author- 
izing the  sale  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  Muskingum  River,  out  of  which  grew 
Ohio  and  the  other  states  which  have  since  clustered  about  her,  and  they  might 
therefore  recognize  the  peculiar  fitting  of  such  a  celebration  in  this  city. 

He  then  read  the  following  letters  of  regret,  remarking  that  he  would 
proceed  in  the  inverse  order  of  their  importance: 

General  Schenck :  "  The  sons  of  our  big  state  may  well  be  proud  of  her. 
Ohio  by  her  marvelous  growth  and  advancement  has  crowded  ages  of  time 
within  her  history  of  less  than  a  century.  Measured  by  the  succession  of 
events  and  progress  of  improvement,  instead  of  by  the  calendar,  she  now 
takes  rank  with  the  oldest  states  of  the  Union,  and  computing  by  the 
standard,  I  sometimes  feel  as  if  I  had  lived  five  hundred  years  instead  of 
eighty  since  my  birth  in  the  Miami  Valley." 

Hon.  S.  S.  Cox:  "  I  am  greatly  concerned  that  I  am  always  away  when 
tlie  good  things  are  spread  by  my  Ohio  friends.  As  I  cannot  be  there,  the 
next  best  thing  I  can  do  is,  perhaps,  the  best  thing — to  wish  you  all  a  happy 
evening,  with  much  good  cheer,  and  that  every  memory  of  Ohio  may  give 
an  additional  zest  to  the  festivity." 

Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans:  "The  saying  that  'blood  is  thicker  than  water,' 
has  always  been  suggested  to  my  mind  since  I  first  left  Ohio  for  West  Point, 
and  during  my  four  years  there  the  sight  of  an  Ohioan  made  me  feel  toward 
him  as  though  he  were  a  brother.  The  years  spent  in  the  war  for  the  Union 
strengthened  these  feelings,  and  age  has  confimied  them." 

Hon.  R.  B.  Hayes:  "Very  sorry  I  cannot  meet  the  'Ohio  Boys,'  as 
Corwin  called  them ;  but  some  day  my  turn  at  your  table  will  come." 

Other  letters  were  received  from  President  Cleveland  and  President-Elect 
Benjamin  Harrison;  also  from  many  other  prominent  men. 

Simon  Wolf,  formerly  consular  agent  at  Alexandria,  Egypt,  was  the 
first  speaker  called  upon.    He  said  in  substance : 

"  New  York  is  so  much  prepared  for  a  continual  dose  of  Chauncey  Dcpew 
that  no  one  else  has  a  chance,  so  our  honorable  president  thought  to-night 

77 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

he  would  give  you  the  speakers,  as  he  has  the  letters  of  regret,  in  the  inverse 
order  of  their  interest  and  raising  the  foundation  of  the  pyramid  gently  to 
the  apex.  It  was  the  ambition  of  my  life,  as  a  boy  in  Germany,  to  become  a 
citizen  of  America,  and  above  all,  a  citizen  of  Ohio.  I  succeeded  in  that  am- 
bition, and  it  has  been  my  pride  and  delight  to  represent  this  country  abroad, 
and  to  spread  the  fame  of  Ohio. 

"  Ohio  men  go  everywhere.  Who,  for  instance,  should  I  knock  up  against 
in  Egypt  but  the  genial  Samuel  Sullivan  Sunset  Cox.  The  first  thing  he 
said  to  me  was,  '  Old  boy,  here  I  am,  where  are  the  mumtmies  ?  '  I  took  him  to 
the  museum  of  Boulak  and  gave  him  a  glimpse  of  the  mummies  that  had  just 
been  unearthed  from  the  caverns  of  the  Nile.  There  was  a  Pharaoh  of  the 
expulsion,  the  man  who  did  us  the  great  good  of  expelling  our  ancestors  out 
of  Egypt,  and  Sam  says  to  me,  '  Wolf,  speak  to  the  old  duffer.'  Well,  not 
having  received  a  classical  education,  I  said,  '  Sam,  you  speak  to  him,  as  you 
are  well  versed  in  the  dead  languages.'  Being  a  good  Ohio  boy,  of  course, 
he  did. 

"  Last  year  at  our  banquet  we  predicted  that  the  United  States  would 
select  its  next  president  from  Ohio.  It  did.  We  also  predicted  that  two-thirds 
of  the  cabinet  would  be  Ohio  men.  I  am  not  going  to  give  secrets  away  be- 
cause I  have  received  cipher  dispatches  from  Indianapolis  telling  me  not  to, 
but  I  think  two-thirds  is  about  correct,  and  it  is  only  one  more  instance  that 
Ohio  men  will  always  prove  that  wherever  they  are,  there  are  life,  prosperity, 
vim  and  enterprise." 

The  chairman  next  introduced  A.  Minor  Griswold,  of  "  Texas  Siftings." 
Mr.  Griswold  said: 

"  This  introduction  reminds  me  of  an  introduction  that  I  received  once 
when  lecturing  in  a  little  town  known  as  Ashtabula,  on  the  Western  '  Preserve  ' 
of  Ohio.  The  president  seemed  to  think  it  necessary  to  make  an  apology 
for  having  a  comic  lecture.  He  said,  however,  that  in  the  formation  of 
matter  you  begin  with  the  lower  order  of  creation.  '  Take  the  monkey,'  he 
said,  '  who  gradually  advanced  to  the  higher  formation  of  man.'  It  was  a 
pretty  big  audience,  yet  during  my  lecture  not  one  of  them  laughed  that 
night,  but  during  the  next  day  they  began  to  snicker  a  little  bit.  I  feel 
at  all  events  that  they  are  in  convulsions  by  this  time,  for  it  is  now  fifteen 
years  off. 

"  At  this  stage  I  am  reminded  of  a  German  who  came  to  this  country, 
not  understanding  a  word  of  English.  He  was  in  a  flour  mill  and  a  barrel 
of  flour  fell  upon  the  top  of  his  head  and  injured  him,  as  it  were,  in  the  English 
language.  Not  understanding  a  word  of  that  language  the  man  did  not 
know  that  he  had  been  hurt — if  the  barrel  of  flour  had  struck  him  in  Dutch 
it  would  have  killed  him.     Time  passed  and  he  gradually  acquired  a  smatter- 

78 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ing  of  the  English  language,  and  presently  his  head  began  to  hurt.  At 
length  when  he  began  to  speak  English  fluently  he  died  of  his  ailment.  I 
hope  that  fact  won't  befall  my  Ashtabula  friends  when  they  come  to  reahze 
the  full  force  of  my  lecture. 

"  Although  born  in  New  York  I  was  a  resident  of  Ohio  for  twenty-five 
years.  I  gave  my  best  days  to  Ohio,  and  some  of  the  most  enjoyable  nights 
I  have  ever  spent  were  while  I  was  in  that  blissful  state.  Many  of  you  who 
were  in  that  bhssful  state  before  now  will  know,  no  doubt,  what  I  mean.  I 
was  frequently  urged  to  go  South,  but  I  replied :  *  No,  I  wiU  stay  with  my 
state;  nothing  could  persuade  me  to  leave  the  state  but  an  invasion.'  I  was 
drafted  in  two  cities,  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati,  and  there  was  only  one  thing 
prevented  me  going  to  the  front — I  was  not  twins. 

"  I  gave  my  initial  lecture  in  a  little  town  called  Morrow,  not  far  from 
Cincinnati.  I  said  to  the  brakeman,  who  did  not  know  stations,  '  I  want  to 
go  to  Morrow.'  '  Why  don't  you  wait.?  '  says  he.  '  I  can't,  sir,'  says  I. 
*  Does  this  train  go  to  Morrow.?  '  '  No,'  he  said,  '  it  goes  up  to-day  and 
comes  back  to-morrow.' 

"  I  told  the  landlord  in  Morrow  that  I  was  anxious  to  get  a  start.  He 
said  they  had  started  every  lecturer  so  far,  and  he  presumed  there  would 
be  no  exception  in  my  case.  He  was  right.  In  Cedarville,  where  our  old 
friend  Whitelaw  Reid  comes  from,  I  also  lectured.  I  described  a  painting  of 
Joseph  and  his  brothers,  where  they  were  putting  him  in  a  pit,  not  having 
money  enough  to  put  him  in  the  parquet." 

The  chairman  before  introducing  the  next  speaker  took  exception  to 
the  last  sentence  of  the  previous  speaker.  "  The  reason,"  he  said,  "  that 
Joseph  was  put  in  the  pit  was  because  they  had  no  room  in  the  family  circle." 

Congressman  C.  H.  Grosvenor  was  next  called  upon.  A  few  of  the  re- 
marks he  made  were: 

"  I  only  made  one  suggestion  to  the  president-elect  about  his  cabinet, 
which  was  that  he  should  pick  as  many  Ohio  men  as  possible,  and  when  his 
slate  comes  out  you  will  probably  see  that  the  president  made  a  note  of  it. 
Ohio  keeps  her  eye  on  whoever  is  bom  in  the  state.  She  keeps  a  register  of 
Ohio  men,  and  whether  they  go  West,  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  down 
across  the  Pacific  Coast,  or  whether  they  go  to  New  York,  or  become  famous 
at  the  bar,  on  the  bench,  or  in  the  halls  of  legislation,  Ohio  keeps  her  eye  on 
them. 

"  What  a  magnificent  spectacle  we  have  in  this  recent  presidential  elec- 
tion. An  Ohio  bom  man  gracefully,  triumphantly  elected  president  of  the 
United  States.  Ohio  man  gracefully,  smilingly,  magnificently  making  a  fight 
to  beat  the  others,  and  say  after  the  fight  that  he  was  at  any  rate  glad  that 
he  was  an  Ohio  man  who  won.     Underlying  the  growth  of  Ohio  is  the  great 

79 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

fact  that  she  built  her  institutions  on  a  solid  basis  of  freedom  and  liberty; 
liberty  of  conscience. 

"  Principles  underlying  our  organic  structure,  that  religion,  morality 
and  education  are  essential  to  the  growth  and  perpetuity  of  the  state,  are 
the  great  tilings  that  Ohio  built  upon.  Those  great  principles  were  carried 
to  us  engrafted  in  our  organic  law  by  the  men  of  New  England." 

With  a  graceful  allusion  to  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio  by  New  England 
people,  the  chairman  called  upon  Cornelius  N.  Bliss,  president  of  the  New 
England  Society.     Mr.  Bliss  said: 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — I  shall  make  no  apology  for  a  single 
word  that  I  may  say,  for  I  came  here  with  the  understanding  that  I  should 
not  be  called  upon  to  say  a  word.  The  witty  words  that  I  have  heard  uttered 
here  to-night  by  Ohio  men  make  me  wish  that  I,  too,  had  been  bom  in  Ohio 
and  always  stayed  there. 

"  I  wish  to  say  a  word  to  you,  however,  that  in  view  of  the  kind  words 
that  you  have  spoken  concerning  the  New  England  Society,  it  greets  you 
with  pride  and  gratification.  We  thank  you  and  are  glad  that  you  remember 
the  old  home.  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  extend  to  you  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship — with  the  same  pleasure  I  did  the  same  for  the  new  Southern 
Society.  It  seems  to  me  all  these  societies  are  calculated  to  do  great  good  in 
our  country.  I  believe  that  the  good  that  can  be  accomplished  by  them  will 
be  incalculable.  Let's  hold  together  until  we  bring  this  city  and  this  state 
and  this  nation  into  one  harmonious  whole.  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you  for  your 
kind  attention." 

Congressman  A.  C.  Thompson  followed  with  a  brief  but  happy  speech. 

Hon.  Roger  A.  Pryor  spoke  next,  making  an  eloquent  and  historical 
speech.     He  said  in  part: 

"  May  I,  gentlemen,  now  that  Virginia  has  fallen  from  her  high  estate, 
pause  a  moment  with  reminiscences?  Who  was  it  but  Patrick  Henry,  of 
Virginia,  that  offered  the  resolution  in  the  Continental  Congress  for  the  break- 
ing away  from  England?  And  who  but  Thomas  Jefferson  that  drafted  the 
immortal  Declaration  of  Independence?  G^eorge  Rogers  Clark,  under  the 
direction  of  Patrick  Henry,  organized  the  expedition  that  went  to  the  West 
and  wrested  the  state  of  Ohio  from  the  British.  In  1784,  when  our  fore- 
fathers were  endeavoring  to  form  the  Confederation,  it  was  objected  to  on  the 
ground  that  Virginia  was  such  a  large  territory,  and  Virginia  magnanimously 
surrendered  the  magnificent  territory  of  Ohio. 

"  But  when  it  was  feared  that  the  government  of  the  old  Confederation 
was  too  weak  to  stand,  Virginia,  through  the  immortal  George  Washington, 
recommended  the  call  of  a  convention,  and  the  result  of  that  convention  was 
the  written  constitution  that  is  the  basis  of  our  government  to-day.     It  was 

80 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  Virginian  who  on  the  fields  of  Lundy's  Lane  and  Chippewa  vindicated  the 
strength  of  the  American  anmy.  In  1861,  when  the  Civil  War  threatened  the 
existence  of  the  Union,  Virginia  dispatches  messengers  to  Washington  to  urge 
moderation,  and  when  the  first  shot  was  fired  on  Fort  Sumter,  Virginia  in  her 
convention  voted  two  to  one  against  secession.  But  when  the  conflict  became 
inevitable  Virginia  said,  '  I  am  of  the  South  and  I  will  fight  with  my  state,* 
although  she  knew  at  the  time  that  she  would  have  to  bare  her  breast  and  take 
the  brunt  of  the  battle. 

"  After  this  narration,  has  any  one  a  word  to  say  against  old  Virginia? 
What  has  Virginia  done  since  the  war-f*  There  is  not  a  man  in  Virginia  to-day 
that  would,  if  he  could,  reshackle  the  slaves  who  have  been  emancipated.  We 
have  come  back,  or,  rather,  we  have  been  brought  back,  into  the  Union  and 
we  are  here  to  stay,  and  don't  you  forget  it!  Do  not  confound  Virginia,  I 
implore  you,  with  other  Southern  states.  Virginia  looks  to  an  indestructible 
Union,  of  indestructible  states." 

Ex-Secretary  Windom  was  greeted  with  prolonged  cheering  when  he 
rose  in  response  to  the  president's  call.  It  was  some  minutes  before  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  audience  subsided,  and  when  it  did  his  remarks  were  singularly 
apt  and  graceful.    He  said  in  substance : 

"  I  want  first  to  congi'atulate  tliis  Society  on  the  splendid  success  of  this 
entertainment.  If  I  had  come  here  to-night  with  any  purpose  of  making  a 
speech  I  should  now  be  very  glad  to  refrain  from  doing  so,  for  after  the 
speeches  we  have  heard  the  attempt  would  be  a  greater  task  than  I  can  per- 
form. However,  I  have  congratulated  myself  very  much  since  I  sat  here 
to-night  upon  my  great  wisdom  and  good  luck.  In  the  first  place  I  con- 
gratulated myself  on  my  wisdom  in  being  bom  in  the  great  state  of  Ohio. 

"  I  hstened  to  my  distinguished  friend  who  paid  so  glowing  a  tribute 
to  old  Virginia,  and  remarked,  too,  that  nearly  thirty  years  ago  two  such 
mere  youths  as  he  and  I  represented  our  respective  states  on  the  floor  of 
Congress,  and  have  scarcely  seen  him  since,  and  am  happy  to  meet  him 
to-night.  I  congratulate  myself  on  my  wisdom,  ggod  judgment  and  good  luck 
in  having  both  father  and  mother  bom  in  the  state  of  Virginia ;  then  again 
turning  to  our  distinguished  friend,  president  of  the  New  England  Society, 
I  congratulate  myself  more  than  in  all  other  respects  upon  my  very  good 
wisdom  and  my  extreme  good  luck  in  getting  a  wife  from  New  England. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  can  you  get  up  a  better  combination  than  that.'' 
There  is  but  one  thing  that  I  can  add  to  it  to  give  you  a  further  idea  of  my 
great  good  luck  and  judgment — that  was,  perhaps,  in  removing  from  Ohio 
to  the  great  state  of  Minnesota,  the  queen  of  the  head  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  We  are  all  proud  of  our  native  state.  I  am  especially  proud  of  Ohio. 
I  am  proud  of  the  combinations  who  have  been  represented  here  to-night,  of 

81 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  glories  which  are  visible  all  about  her,  and  the  halo  of  glory  in  being  de- 
scended from  Virginia,  as  it  is,  in  having  such  a  great  mother  as  our  friend 
has  told  us  of  in  New  England.  There  is  no  reason  why  Ohio  should  not  be 
great,  and  she  is,  and  patriotic  besides.  You  may  go  where  you  will  on  this 
great  earth,  and  if  there  is  a  dollar  to  be  honestly  made,  or  an  office  to  be 
honestly  filled,  Ohio  is  ready  to  make  it  or  fill  it.  I  believe  it  is  reported  that 
General  Garfield  once  said  that  he  never  could  look  upon  a  boy  without  taking 
off  his  hat  when  he  remembered  the  responsibilities  buttoned  up  in  his  coat. 
He  was  speaking  of  Ohio  boys,  without  doubt. 

"  I  have  been  making  a  little  calculation  as  I  sat  here.  There  are  about 
two  hundred  and  forty  Ohio  men  in  this  room,  everyone  of  whom  could  make 
a  better  speech  than  I  could,  and  if  each  one  takes  one  minute — it  is  eleven 
o'clock  now — it  will  be  fifteen  o'clock  before  we  get  through,  I  therefore  shall 
not  take  up  the  time  of  any  Ohio  men  any  longer." 

As  Mr.  Windom  resumed  his  seat  he  was  again  loudly  cheered.  Maj.- 
Gen.  O.  O.  Howard  was  the  next  speaker.  In  the  course  of  a  short  but  in- 
teresting address  he  said: 

"  If  I  am  at  the  base  of  the  pyramid  I  must  occupy  a  very  thin  place.  I 
have  listened  to  speeches  that  made  me  wish  that  I  was  like  the  speakers  and 
not  like  a  simple  soldier.  I  have  listened  to  the  speeches  and  I  have  rejoiced 
that  I  was  here.  I  was  telegraphed  to  come  and  I  came.  I  cannot  make  much 
of  a  speech.  I  was  bom  in  Maine.  I  have  been  in  Oliio  where  I  have  seen  the 
little  children  strewing  flowers  in  the  way  of  the  soldiers  returning  from  the 
war. 

"  But  my  mind  has  run  back  to  Maine  to-night  where  I  was  bom,  on  a 
bleak  hill.  I  have  traveled  in  the  Old  World  and  I  have  returned  to  the 
United  States  to  rejoice  that  I  was  bom  here.  It  is  a  good  country  to  be  bom 
in  and  it  is  a  good  country  to  return  to.  I  looked  about  to-night  when  I 
came  in  and  said  to  myself,  '  What  a  fine  set  of  men — these  men  bom  in 
Ohio.'  I  rejoice  in  the  principles  that  have  been  taught  me  in  my  youth 
and  for  which  I  have  stood  up  and  am  willing  to  stand  up." 

President  Swayne  then  bade  the  gentlemen  good  night,  and  the  annual 
dinner  came  to  an  end. 


8S 


CHAPTER    VII 
1889-1890 

AT  the  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  March  4th,  on  motion 
of  Mr.  Holloway,  the  following  declaration,  prepared  by  General 
Swayne,  was  directed  to  be  presented  to  the  Society  at  its  next 
regular  meeting,  and  to  be  embodied  in  the  chairman's  report  of  the  govern- 
ing committee,  to-wit: 

"  The  governing  committee  having  been  instructed  to  consider  and  re- 
port upon  several  constitutional  amendments  looking  to  the  extension  in 
various  directions  of  the  field  of  membership,  and  changing  in  some  particu- 
lars the  amounts  payable  by  members,  respectfully  report  that  in  their  judg- 
ment the  Society  at  this  time  would  be  more  benefited  by  stability  and  per- 
manence in  both  those  features  of  its  character,  than  by  any  present  change. 

"At  the  same  time  the  committee  recognizes  and  appreciates  the  desire 
and  need  of  a  larger  place  for  the  social  element  in  the  Society's  affairs. 
They  beg  to  suggest,  therefore,  that  the  full  time  of  one  evening  in  each 
month  is  not  required  for  the  Society's  current  business,  and  suggest  the 
propriety  of  occasionally  giving  notices  that  at  the  next  regular  meeting 
the  regular  order  of  business  will  be  dispensed  with  and  the  evening  given  in 
charge  of  the  entertainment  committee,  who  will  provide  appropriate  and 
interesting  features,  and  that  ladies  and  other  guests  of  members  will  be 
welcome.  The  committee,  if  authorized  by  the  Society,  will  give  such  notice 
whenever  in  their  judgment  the  Society's  current  business  will  permit. 

"  The  committee  recognizes  also  the  desirability  of  purchasing  works  of 
art,  whenever  such  a  purchase  will  not  only  be  desirable  in  itself,  but  will  also 
secure  to  the  Society  a  valuable  member.  They  are  advised,  however,  by  the 
experience  of  other  associations  that  life-memberships  are  apt  to  give  rise  to 
very  inconvenient  and  difficult  situations.  The  result  in  their  judgment  is  that 
•a  simple  authorization  to  them  to  occasionally  purchase  works  of  art  and 
give  in  payment  therefor  receipts  for  initiation  fees  and  for  dues  paid  in 
advance  for  not  exceeding,  say,  five  years,  would  best  accomplish  what  is 
desired,  and  they  recommend  that  such  authority  be  given." 

This  report  was  presented  to  the  Society  on  March  11th,  and  on  motion  of 
Mr.  Butler  was  adopted. 

The  report  of  the  entertainment  committee  upon  the  fourth  annual  ban- 

83 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

quet  was  submitted  by  Mr.  Crall,  showing  receipts  from  tickets  sold  to  be 
$1,377.00;  disbursements  amounting  to  $1,104.03,  and  a  surplus  to  be  paid 
into  the  treasury  of  $272.97.  The  report  was  adopted.  The  thanks  of  the 
Society  were  also  tendered  to  the  members  of  the  banquet  committee. 

General  Burnett  moved  that  at  the  next  monthly  meeting  the  regular 
order  of  business  be  omitted  and  the  evening  be  given  in  charge  of  the  enter- 
tainment committee,  which  was  to  provide  appropriate  and  interesting  en- 
tertainment which  ladies  might  attend.  Carried.  General  Burnett  moved 
that  the  governing  committee  be  authorized  to  purchase  works  of  art  for  the 
Society,  and  to  give  therefor  receipts  for  initiation  fees  and  dues  not  exceed- 
ing five  years.     This  was  also  carried. 

A  valuable  and  interesting  paper  was  read  before  the  Society  on  April  8th 
by  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  on  "  Our  Military  and  Naval  Establishments. 
The  Armaments  of  the  Great  Powers.  Our  Defenseless  Coasts."  It  was 
listened  to  with  great  interest,  and  on  motion  of  General  Ewing  was  ordered 
printed  at  the  expense  of  the  Society. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  April  20th  it  was  decided 
to  decorate  the  Society  building  during  the  centennial  exercises  and  to  provide 
a  platform  at  the  front,  from  which  members  and  their  families  could  view 
the  parade.  Steps  were  taken  to  entertain  the  commission  from  Ohio  while 
in  the  city. 

On  June  10th  Captain  Glassford,  on  behalf  of  the  governing  committee, 
read  a  report  stating  among  other  things  that  the  Society  was  in  a  prosperous 
and  improving  condition;  that  its  funds  had  been  husbanded  to  the  utmost 
extent,  and  that  its  finances  were  in  excellent  condition,  the  balance  of  cash 
on  hand  at  the  time  of  the  report  being  $2,790.57,  and  that  all  debts  had  been 
paid. 

The  committee  on  entertainment  of  the  commissioners  from  Ohio  to  at- 
tend the  centennial  celebration  of  the  first  inauguration  of  Washington  re- 
ported through  Mr.  Caldwell  that  they  had  met  the  commissioners;  had  ex- 
tended to  them  the  privilege  of  the  Society  rooms,  and  had  given  them  enter- 
tainment of  a  private  character.     The  report  was  accepted. 

The  president  reported  that  he  had  been  invited  to  meet  the  general 
committee  of  the  World's  Exposition  of  1892 ;  and,  on  motion,  it  was  resolved 
that  he  represent  the  Society  in  said  committee. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  fall  was  held  on  September  12,  1889,  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  appropriate  action  relative  to  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Samuel 
S.  Cox.  A  committee  appointed  to  draft  a  series  of  resolutions  reported,  and 
the  same  were  adopted.  A  number  of  members  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  attend  the  funeral. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  October  7th,  a  com- 

84 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

munication  was  received  from  Ralph  H.  Waggoner,  accompanied  b}'  a  cer- 
tificate of  the  Oliio  Auxihary  of  the  World's  Exposition  at  Chicago,  urging 
the  cooperation  of  Ohioans  in  furthering  the  interest  of  Chicago  in  that  direc- 
tion. General  Swayne  addressed  the  committee  requesting  that  action  be 
taken  in  favor  of  New  York  city  as  the  site  of  the  fair.  The  following  pre- 
amble and  resolution  was  offered  by  him :  "  In  view  of  the  appointment  of  our 
president  on  the  general  committee  of  the  World's  Exposition  of  1892,  it  is 

"  Resolved,  That  the  committee  pledges  itself  to  the  president's  sup- 
port and  will  promptly  carry  out  his  suggestions  or  those  of  the  general 
committee."     This  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Milmine  and  carried. 

Judge  Higley  moved  that  a  series  of  entertainments  be  given  during  the 
coming  winter  season  to  consist,  first,  of  an  address  by  the  president  on  a 
subject  of  interest  to  Ohioans  which  he  might  select;  secondly,  of  an  informal 
dinner;  thirdly,  a  ladies'  reception  with  luncheon,  followed  by  a  dance;  and 
fourthly,  about  the  holiday  time,  to  consist  of  musical  entertainment  and 
dance.     The  report  was  adopted. 

The  chair  then  called  for  the  election  of  a  committee  to  recommend  mem- 
bers for  the  offices  to  be  filled  at  the  annual  election  to  be  held  in  November. 
The  following  gentlemen  were  chosen  as  members  of  the  nominating  com- 
mittee: Messrs.  Holloway,  Chance,  Stout,  Upson,  Butler,  Sisson  and  Love- 
land. 

Ex-Gov.  George  Hoadly,  of  Ohio,  was  then  presented  to  the  Society  by 
the  chair;  deHvered  a  eulogy  upon  the  late  Samuel  S.  Cox,  and  referred  to 
his  early  life  and  training  and  subsequent  career  as  a  statesman. 

Mr.  Crall,  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Schuckers,  the  author,  presented  the  Society 
with  a  life  of  Chief  Justice  Chase;  also  a  portrait  of  Gen.  William  Henry 
Harrison.  The  g-ifts  were  accepted  and  the  secretary  instructed  to  return 
the  thanks  of  the  Society  for  the  same. 

The  nominating  committee  reported  through  Mr.  Chance,  chairman,  the 
following  ticket  to  be  balloted  for  at  the  annual  mGd:ing  on  the  29th  inst., 
to-wit :  President,  Wager  Swayne ;  Vice-Presidents,  William  L.  Strong, 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Henr}^  A.  Glassford,  John  W.  Harman; 
Secretary,  Wan-en  Higley ;  Recording  Secretary,  Edward  B.  Bruch ;  Treas- 
urer, Leander  H.  Crall;  for  Trustees  for  three  years,  Benjamin  F.  Peixotto, 
William  H.  Caldwell,  Carson  Lake. 

The  annual  meeting  for  1889  was  held  on  November  29.  The  report 
presented  by  the  governing  committee  was  as  follows: 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — Your  governing  committee  begs  to  re- 
spectfully submit  the  following  report:  Much  of  their  attention  has  been 
given  to  your  expressed  wish  for  a  permanent  home,  and  in  conjunction  with 
3'our  building  committee  two  efforts  were  made.    One  contemplated  a  purchase, 

85 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  other  a  leasehold.  Both  failed  of  success,  and  the  plan  of  conducting  the 
Society  on  a  club  basis  has  for  the  present,  at  least,  been  left  in  abeyance 
on  the  recommendation  contained  in  the  special  report  of  the  building  com- 
mittee recently  adopted. 

"  The  lease  of  the  rooms  now  occupied  by  the  Society  expires  April  30th 
next,  and  steps  should  be  taken  at  the  proper  time  towards  its  renewal  or  the 
procurement  of  other  quarters.  On  this  point  it  is  recommended  that  the 
Society  should  seek  other  apartments  at  a  lower  rental,  where  its  meetings 
may  be  held  and  its  property  be  protected,  such  as  may  be  found  on  some  of 
the  streets  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  avenues,  and  that  a  hall  be  engaged  for 
entertainments  for  and  as  the  occasion  may  require.  Your  committee  thinks 
a  saving  in  expenses  may  thus  be  made  and  the  financial  and  social  interests 
of  the  Society  be  better  promoted. 

"  The  arrangement  for  the  partial  use  of  these  rooms  by  the  Republican 
Men's  Association  was  fairly  profitable  while  it  lasted,  but  under  the  contract 
it  was  terminable  on  notice.  Such  notice  was  given  by  the  association  and 
their  occupancy  closed  June  30,  1889.     It  was  not  renewed,  as  was  expected. 

"  The  president.  General  Swayne,  was  invited  by  the  chairman  of  the 
general  committee  of  the  World's  Fair  of  1892  (Mayor  Grant)  to  a  place 
on  the  committee  as  a  member  representing  this  Society,  and  your  governing 
committee  thereupon  pledged  to  him  its  prompt  support  of  his  recommen- 
dations and  those  of  said  general  committee. 

"  The  Society  mourns  the  loss  by  death  of  three  of  its  members  during 
the  past  year:  Merrill  H.  Gillett,  S.  S.  Cox  and  Henry  Beard.  The  Society 
has  adopted  in  due  form  the  proper  and  customary  resolutions  of  condolence 
in  relation  to  the  first  two;  as  to  the  latter,  the  usual  action  will  doubtless  be 
taken;  and  while  on  this  subject,  jonv  governing  committee  would  respectfully 
suggest  that  uniformity  and  simplicity  in  the  method  and  style  of  the  publica- 
tion of  obituary  resolutions  might  with  advantage  be  adopted,  so  that  mem- 
bers of  the  Society,  as  well  as  the  families  of  the  deceased,  may  be  put  in 
possession  of  the  reports  of  obituary  committees.  The  usage  of  Loyal  Legion 
in  this  regard  is  recommended  for  adoption — special  report  attached. 

"  Your  efllcient  treasurer  will  in  his  report  furnish  particulars  of  the 
membership  of  the  Society  and  of  the  financial  condition,  anything  thereon 
from  this  committee  would,  therefore,  be  superfluous. 

"  Tlie  foregoing  committee  are  largely  indebted  to  the  house  committee 
for  their  valuable  and  indefatigable  sendees  during  the  entire  year. 

"  A.  D.  Juilliard,  Ralph  H.  Waggoner  and  Henry  A.  Glassford  retire 
from  this  committee  on  the  election  of  their  successors — they  are  not  eligible 
for  reelection.  "  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  Henry  A.  Glassford,  Chairman. 
"  No.  236  Fifth  avenue.  New  York.     Nov.  29,  1889." 

86 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  report  of  Leander  H.  Crall,  treasurer,  was  presented  and  ordered 
received,  as  was  also  that  of  the  entertainment  committee.  The  Society  then 
proceeded  to  ballot  for  the  candidsCtes  for  the  officers  for  the  ensuing  year. 
The  gentlemen  proposed  by  the  nominating  committee,  as  already  given,  were 
all  elected,  with  the  exception  of  trustees ;  George  E.  Armstrong  and  John 
Dickson  being  chosen  in  place  of  Benjamin  F.  Peixotto  and  Carson  Lake. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  December  2d,  S.  S. 
Packard  was  unanimously  elected  chairman  of  the  committee  for  the  ensuing 
year.  The  house  committee,  consisting  of  Cyrus  Butler,  Alexander  Doyle 
and  Edward  B.  Bruch,  was  reappointed. 

The  December  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  the  9th,  when  the  presi- 
dent announced  the  appointment  of  the  following  standing  committees:  En- 
tertainment: Homer  Lee,  R.  H.  Waggoner,  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Benjamin  F. 
Peixotto,  Benjamin  Le  Fevre;  Literature  and  Art:  Alexander  Doyle,  F.  C. 
Loveland,  Mahlon  Chance,  John  M.  Guiteau,  Cyrus  Butler;  Auditing:  Charles 
B.  Peet,  P.  B.  Armstrong,  John  W.  Stout,  John  T.  Granger,  M.  B.  Wright; 
Library:   Theodore  Nye,  J.  S.  Moulton,  C.  E.  Milmine. 

William  Henry  Smith,  one  of  the  Society's  members,  read  an  interesting 
and  historical  paper,  at  the  close  of  which  the  president  expressed  the  thanks 
of  the  Society  for  the  entertainment.  After  the  formal  meeting  adjourned, 
refreshments  were  served,  and  several  gentlemen  rendered  instrumental  and 
vocal  music. 

The  fifth  annual  banquet  was  given  at  Delmonico's  on  the  evening  of 
Wednesday,  February  19,  1890.  The  arrangements  were  in  the  hands  of 
the  entertainment  committee  of  the  Society,  which  was  constituted  as  follows : 
Homer  Lee,  chairman;  Benj.  Le  Fevre,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Ralph  H.  Wag- 
goner, B.  F.  Peixotto.  The  reception  committee  consisted  of  the  following 
gentlemen:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  Thomas  A. 
Edison,  George  L.  Pease,  Lowell  M.  Palmer,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  A.  W.  Follett, 
Chas.  H.  Zinn,  George  B.  Hibbard,  Charles  Sprague,  William  L.  Strong,  John 
D.  Archbold,  Cary  W.  Moore,  W.  C,  Andrews,  A.  L.  Bennett,  H.  H.  Hobbs, 
Thomas  Ewing,  Geo.  E.  Milmine,  John  W.  Stout. 

The  great  hall  of  Delmonico's  was  decorated  with  American  flags,  and 
blazoned  on  the  walls  was  the  following  record :  "  Our  Generals :  Grant,  Sher- 
man, Sheridan,  McPherson ;  our  Presidents :  W.  H.  Harrison,  Grant,  Hayes, 
Garfield,  B.  Harrison ;  our  Pioneers :  Putnam,  Washington,  St.  Clair." 

*'  In  looking  at  the  great  names  which  Ohio  so  worthily  claims,"  said 
Mr.  Depew  In  the  course  of  his  speech,  "  I  find,  on  a  cursory  examination, 
that  Grant  Is  counted  twice.  How  many  more  are  similarly  honored  I  do  not 
know ;  but  I  believe  that  one  of  the  current  questions  of  Ohio  is  an  honest 
ballot  box ! " 

87 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  members  and  guests  sat  at  five  tables.  There  was  no  dais,  all  being 
"  tables  of  honor."  At  the  head  of  the  centre  one  sat  Gen.  Wager  Swayne, 
the  toastmaster,  and  at  the  foot  sat  Judge  Warren  Higley.  At  the  right  of 
General  Swayne  sat  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  and  at  his  left  Hon.  John  S. 
Wise.  At  the  next  table  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing  sat  at  the  head  and  H.  A. 
Glassford  at  the  foot.  At  the  next,  S.  B.  Elkins  and  John  W.  Harman ;  at 
another,  William  L.  Strong  and  S.  S.  Packard ;  and  at  the  last,  Hon.  Calvin 
S.  Brice  and  Simon  Wolf.  At  the  right  of  General  Ewing  sat  Gen.  W.  T. 
Sherman. 

The  menu  card  was  artistic.  On  an  outer  page  it  bore  the  sign  of  "  The 
Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern,"  with  the  couplet: 

One  of  sour,  two  of  sweet. 

Four  of  strong,  and  eight  of  weak. 

Within  was  the  bill  of  fare,  and  a  series  of  quotations  having  reference 
to  the  "  Bunch  of  Grapes  "  and  its  associations.     These  were  as  follows : 

"  OHIO. 

"  *  A  Tavern  Chair  is  the  throne  of  human  felicity.' 

"  '  There  is  no  private  house  in  which  people  can  enjoy  themselves  so 
well  as  at  a  capital  tavern.' 

"  First  mention  of  the  Bunch  of  Grapes,  1711 : 

"  '  Mr.  Francis  Holmes  be  allowed  eight  pounds  in  consideration  of  a 
house  of  his  in  King  street  (Boston),  being  pulled  down  to  stop  ye  fire.' 

"  Bunch  of  Grapes  diary,  1712 : 

"  '  Deputies  treat  the  Governor  at  Homes's       *       *       *  ' 

"  '  I  invited  the  Governor  to  dine  at  Homes'.' 

"  '  Dine  at  Holm's.  I  supposed  the  Council  had  treated  the  Gov'r,  but 
the  Gov'r  would  pay       *       *       *  ' 

"  '  Friday  I  treat  the  Gov'r  at  Homes,  had  two  dishes  of  green  pease. 
Party  of  eleven  in  all,  paid  36s.' 

"  '  The  first  meeting  for  the  organization  of  Trinity  Church  was  held 
in  the  Bunch  of  Grapes.' 

"  '  The  Boston  Massacre  took  place  almost  before  its  very  door.' 

"  '  Washington's  stay  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  upon  his  coming  to  town 
after  the  evacuatiom  of  the  British.' 

"  1733.  '  The  foundation  for  the  first  Grand  Lodge  of  Free  accepted 
Masons  in  America  was  laid  in  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  tavern.' 

"  Lafayette  was  entertained  at'the  '  Bunch  of  Grapes.' 

88 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  '  The  Boston  Tea  Party  was  organized  at  a  meeting  held  at  the  Bunch 
of  Grapes.' 

"  '  The  first  meeting  for  organization  of  the  Ohio  Company  was  held  at 
the  Court  Chamber  of  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern.  From  this  feeble  beginning 
has  spi-ung  one  of  the  richest,  most  populous  and  powerful  states  in  our 
Union.' 

"  O-O-OHI-0." 

Tlie  entertainment  committee  introduced  something  new,  strange  and 
pleasing  into  the  proceedings.  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  was  one  of  the  speakers. 
Before  he  spoke,  there  were  thrown  on  a  white  screen,  by  the  stereopticon,  por- 
traits of  General  Grant,  General  Sheridan  and  General  Sherman.  The  orches- 
tra played  "  Rally  Round  the  Flag,  Boys,"  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner," 
and  "  Marching  Through  Georgia." 

Homer  Lee  read  letters  and  telegrams  of  regret  from  Whitelaw  Reid, 
John  Q.  A.  Brackett,  Thomas  N.  Hart,  Mayor  of  Boston ;  A.  Miner  Griswold, 
Gov.  James  E.  Campbell,  of  Ohio ;  Senator  John  Sherman,  and  John  L. 
Cooper,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Reid  sent  the  following  dispatch  to  General  Swayne: 

"  Most  cordial  greetings  in  answer  to  your  letter  and  sincere  regrets  for 
necessary  absence.  You  have  learned  to  appreciate  Ohio  more  than  ever  since 
you  came  to  New  York.  Come  abroad  and  you  will  be  still  prouder  of  your 
whole  country,  and  especially  of  that  fairest  spot  in  it,  the  spot  where  we 
were  born." 

Governor  Campbell  wrote : 

"  Upon  my  return  from  Washington  I  find  an  engagement  previously 
made  with  the  Columbus  Board  of  Trade  for  the  18th,  and  leara  that  there 
is  no  train  by  which  I  could  reach  New  York  in  time  to  participate  in  the  Ohio 
Society's  banquet,  very  much  to  my  regret.  I  send  the  state  flag,  however, 
and  hope  you  will  have  a  royal  good  time." 

Senator  Sherman's  letter,  dated  Febi-uary  6,  ran  as  follows: 

"  I  regret  to  say  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  attend  the  annual  banquet  of 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  on  the  19th  inst.  I  have  agreed  to  dine  with 
General  Sherman  on  his  seventieth  birthday  on  the  8th  inst.  in  New  York,  and 
will  probably  not  be  able  to  go  there  again  during  the  present  winter." 

General  Swayne,  as  usual,  made  an  excellent  presiding  officer.  His  pre- 
liminary remarks  were  witty  and  able,  and  he  introduced  the  speakers  with 
tact  and  grace. 

The  first  speaker  was  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  who  delivered  an  eloquent 
address,  of  which  the  following  is  a  part: 

"  The  Ohio  Society  is  founded  to  help  preserve,  interpret  and  hand  down 

89 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  traditions  of  the  most  beneficent,  peaceful  event  in  American  history,  ex- 
cepting only  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  But  for  the  movement  of  the 
old  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  in  their  last  encampment  at  Newburg  and  the 
legislation  they  procured  from  the  Continental  Congress  and  their  settlement 
at  Marietta,  the  Northwest  would  probably  have  been  still  held  by  the  British. 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky  were  threatening  to  cut  loose  from  the  Colonies, 
which  were  wrangling,  disunited,  penniless  and  powerless.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  our  republic  owes  largely  to  that  company  its  continental  expan- 
sion, its  free  institutions,  the  arrest  of  slavery  and  its  subsequent  overthrow 
and  destruction,  and  the  development  of  that  enlightened  and  progressive 
spirit  of  liberty  which  has  placed  it  foremost  in  the  majestic  march  of  civili- 
zation." 

Mr.  Wise  reminded  the  Buckeyes,  in  charming  phrases  and  well-chosen 
words,  of  the  ties  that  exist  between  their  state  and  "  Old  Virginia,  mother  of 
states."  Ohio,  he  said,  was  bom,  indeed,  iinder  a  lucky  star.  He  prayed 
that  the  active  life  of  Virginia  was  not  past,  but  that  she  was  only  recuperating 
for  new  effort.  If,  however,  her  days  of  glory  were  passed,  she  had  always  the 
old  proud  feehng  of  failing  womanhood  amid  age  and  decrepitude,  that  of 
maternity,  in  that  she  had  seven  times  reproduced  her  species.  He  continued : 
"  The  word  of  the  message  I  bring  you  from  old  Virginia  is,  '  God  be  praised 
for  Ohio's  past;  God  be  blessed  for  Ohio's  present;  God  grant  that  her  future 
may  be  the  full  and  free  fruition  of  what  the  present  and  the  past  give 
promise!  If  it  is,  Virginia,  her  mother,  feels  that  her  cup  of  happiness  is 
full.' " 

General  Swayne  introduced  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew  with  reminiscences 
of  Mr.  Depew's  Yale  life,  when  he  was  known  by  the  prophetic  name  of 
"  Chat  Depew."  Mr.  Depew,  after  several  quips  and  modern  instances  hav- 
ing more  or  less  reference  to  Ohio,  compared  the  children  of  Ohio  and  the 
children  of  New  York  in  respect  of  politics.  New  York  citizens,  he  com- 
plained, were  stanch  in  politics,  except  on  an  occasion  that  was  before  the 
eyes  of  the  whole  world,  and  then  New  York  saw  politics  as  in  everything  else. 
Said  he: 

"  Nobody  is  to  blame  for  this  condition  of  things  but  ourselves.  Public 
affairs  have  to  be  managed,  parties  have  to  be  managed,  and  if  the  people 
don't  do  it  they  will  be  managed  by  gentlemen  who  have  an  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  naturally  become  leaders.  Now  in  Ohio  how  different  it  is !  There 
efvery  man,  every  woman  and  every  child  takes  politics  in  with  their  mothers' 
milk.  The  first  question  which  an  Ohio  man  brings  before  you  is  either  the 
tariff  or  its  opposite.  You  never  can  discuss  a  professional  question,  a  busi- 
ness question,  or  the  promotion  of  a  railway  or  a  company  or  working  a  mine ; 
you  never  can  discuss  an  enterprise  to  build  up  a  Western  state,  with  an  Ohio 

90 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

man,  but  what  he  takes  a  recess  for  politics.  Scratch  a  Russian  and  you  find 
a  Tartar.  Scratch  an  Ohio  man,  whether  he  have  the  cloth  of  a  Bishop  or 
the  everyday  suit  of  a  railroad  man,  and  he's  after  an  office !  " 

The  chairman,  introducing  General  Sherman,  said: 

"  There  are  three  species  of  generals :  The  little  general,  who  is  desirous 
only  of  fame;  the  other  general  who  is  ambitious  of  opportunity  and  willing 
to  risk  danger  in  his  desire  for  distinction  and  regard ;  and  the  greatest  general 
of  all,  he  whose  heart  is  in  his  country  and  w^hose  country  is  in  his  heart ;  and 
for  such  a  one  the  country  can  not  do  too  much.  The  military  commander  of 
that  character  in  tliis  particular  instance  is  the  impersonation  of  Ohio,  Gen. 
William  Tecumseh  Sherman." 

Prolonged  cheering  greeted  the  introduction  of  the  renowned  leader  and 
patriot,  and  as  he  got  up  and  before  he  began  to  speak  the  warm  greeting  was 
repeated.     He  said  in  part: 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen : — I  have  sometimes  thought  that  we  at- 
tach more  importance  to  the  place  of  our  birth  than  it  is  really  entitled  to.  I 
was  there  myself — in  Ohio,  I  mean — but  still  I  have  no  memory  of  my  birth. 
I  am  told  that  I  was  bom  there,  but  that's  all  I  know  about  it — I  mean  in 
Lancaster,  Ohio.  I  do  believe  that  in  the  place  of  our  birth  the  mind  and  the 
character  of  manhood  begin  to  form  very  early  in  life;  when  the  mountains, 
the  woods  and  the  streams  that  flow  by  your  house  all  become  stamped  upon 
your  memory  and  form  part  of  yourselves.  It  is  chiefly  the  men  and  women 
with  whom  you  associate  in  early  life  who  have  the  greatest  influence  in  the 
formation  and  making  permanent  of  what  your  character  shall  afterward  be. 
I  recall  my  own  early  days  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  as  vividly  as  I  look  upon  your 
faces  now.  I  thought,  for  example,  Napoleon  was  a  very  small  soldier  when 
compared  with  old  General  Beecher.  And  I  remember  William  and  Christopher 
King  and  and  old  '  Bill '  King.  Of  the  great  men  among  whom  my  early  days 
were  cast,  '  the  noblest  Roman  of  them  all '  was  Thomas  Ewing.  A  better, 
nobler,  more  intellectual  man  never  lived  than  Thomas  Ewing  of  Ohio.  I  really 
think  I  received  the  inspiration  of  my  life  from  an  inferior  class  of  men,  if  it  is 
a  fact  that  I  received  it  from  men  other  than  those  whom  I  can  recall  as  having 
been  associated  with  me  in  the  days  of  my  youth. 

"  In  those  parts  was  the  home  of  Phil.  Sheridan.  His  parents  were  purely 
Irish,  and  they  claim  now  to  have  been  bom  in  Albany.  Well,  I  have  nothing 
to  say  against  that,  but  it  is  certain  that  Phil,  was  brought  up  in  Ohio.  These 
associations  and  places  were  the  schools  in  which  we  were  taught.  They  were 
good  schools,  better  schools  than  you  have  in  New  York  to-day.  Five  dollars  a 
quarter  was  the  fee,  and  this  included  Greek  and  Latin,  and  all  the  sciences, 
as  well  as  reading  and  writing.  That's  rarely  taught  nowadays.  Sheridan 
was  pure  Irish  and  I  pure  Yankee-Scotch  and  Yankee;  and  in  the  course  of 

91 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

events  each  of  us  load  to  play  important  parts  in  the  great  effort  to  preserve 
the  integrity  of  the  RepubHc,  by  virtue  of  which  we  are  free  citizens." 

At  the  close  of  General  Sherman's  speech  Mr.  Depew  jumped  to  his  feet 
and  cried :  "  Three  cheers  for  that  which  best  represents  what  Ohio  is,  has 
been,  and  can  be."     The  cheers  were  given  with  a  will. 

Professor  Harper,  of  Yale  College,  next  spoke,  and  was  followed  by  Sena- 
tor Calvin  S.  Brice,  who  spoke  briefly.    He  said : 

"  The  reason  Ohio  men  seek  office  is  because  they  value  the  good  opinion 
of  their  neighbors,  and  if  a  man  fails  in  obtaining  that  he  fails  in  what  he 
sought  and  his  hopes  are  not  realized.  The  reason  I  entered  the  contest  was 
because  my  neighbors  in  my  town  and  county  wished  me,  and  I  succeeded.  It  is 
the  little  country  colleges  in  states  like  Ohio  where  the  fibre  of  young  men  is 
toughened  for  the  battle  of  life,  and  we  should  keep  these  colleges  by  sending 
them  both  pupils  and  money." 

General  James  M.  Ashley  also  spoke.  It  was  late  when  the  diners  left  the 
haU. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  February  28th,  and  a  letter 
was  read  from  Hon.  John  B.  Mosby,  mayor  of  Cincinnati,  addressed  to  the 
Hon.  George  Hoadly,  of  New  York,  in  reference  to  the  memorial  service  to 
the  Hon.  George  H.  Pendleton,  late  ex-senator  of  Ohio.  An  invitation  was  ex- 
tended to  Governor  Hoadly  to  be  present,  and  the  letter  of  Mayor  Mosby  con- 
tinued as  follows : 

"  The  remains  are  now  on  their  way  to  this  country  on  the  ship  of  war 
Enterprise,  and  on  her  arrival  at  your  port  we  will  announce  the  day  for  the 
ceremonies  here.  It  is  also  our  desire  that  the  Ohio  Club  of  New  York  shall 
at  once  appoint  a  committee  to  receive  the  remains  at  New  York,  and  if  possible 
accompany  them  at  least  as  far  as  the  Ohio  line,  where  you  will  be  met  by  a 
committee  of  the  Ohio  legislature,  who  will  assist  you  as  an  escort  to  this  city. 
Will  it  be  too  much  to  ask  you  to  at  once  call  your  Societ}'-  together  and  make 
such  arrangements  as  you  think  proper  under  the  circumstances,  and  post  me 
at  once  as  to  your  own  acceptance,  as  well  as  the  action  of  your  Society? 

"  We  also  desire  you,  as  a  member  of  our  committee,  to  send  a  formal  and 
written  invitation  to  his  excellency  ex-President  Cleveland  to  be  present  at  the 
ceremonies  here." 

The  following  committee  were  appointed  to  wait  upon  Frank  K.  Pendle- 
ton, the  son  of  the  late  George  H.  Pendleton,  at  No.  44  Broadway,  to  consult 
with  him  with  reference  to  the  foregoing  request,  and  to  render  such  service  as 
might  be  found  to  be  appropriate :  Hon.  George  Hoadly,  Hon.  Calvin  S.  Brice, 
Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Gen. 
Henry  L.  Burnett  and  Hon.  Warren  Higley. 

At  the  meeting  of  March  10th  Mr.  Lee  presented  a  report  from  the  en- 

92 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tertalnment  committee  upon  the  recent  banquet  showing  that  the  bills  had 
been  paid  and  a  surplus  of  $263.81  left  in  the  hands  of  the  entertainment  com- 
mittee. The  committee  were  authorized  to  retain  and  spend  this  sum  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Society. 

Colonel  Strong  was  called  upon,  and  delivered  an  interesting  speech. 
General  Burnett  was  requested  to  deliver  an  address  at  the  next  regular  meet- 
ing of  the  Society.  Mr.  Nye  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  governing  committee  be  instructed  to  consider  the 
advisability  and  feasibility  of  having  the  proceedings  of  the  Society  steno- 
graphically  reported;  and  if,  in  their  judgment,  it  shall  not  involve  too  great 
an  expanse,  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  make  proper  provision 
for  such  verbatim  repoi-ts  of  future  proceedings  of  the  Society."  T.  T.  Eckert, 
Jr.,  gave  an  exhibition  of  the  phonograph. 

In  the  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  held  on  March  24th  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  matter  to  be  published  in  the  pamphlet  authorized 
by  this  committee  at  its  last  meeting  be  confined  to  the  dates  of  organization 
and  incorporation,  present  officers,  constitution  and  by-laws,  roll  of  member- 
ship and  roll  of  the  dead." 

In  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  March  10th,  the  proceedings  of  which 
are  above  given,  it  is  stated  in  the  terse  language  of  the  recording  secretary 
that  Col.  William  L.  Strong  made  a  speech.  There  was  present  as  a  guest  on 
that  occasion  an  Ohioan  newly  arrived  in  New  York,  who  set  down  and  pub- 
lished *  his  impressions  of  the  gathering.  It  has  been  thought  permissible  to 
make  the  letter  a  part  of  this  record,  as  indicating  the  spirit  of  these  gather- 
ings, and  as  showing  the  calibre  and  methods  of  the  eminent  Ohioans  who  then 
had  the  fortunes  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  in  charge.    It  is  as  follows : 

"  The  Buckeye  who  has  a  spare  evening  in  New  York  that  happens  to  be 
coincident  with  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  can 
afford  to  omit  his  usual  visit  to  the  theatre  and  send  in  his  card  at  No.  236 
Fifth  avenue. 

"  The  regular  monthly  meeting,  whether  held  in  rain  or  shine,  in  mud  or 
snow,  is  sure  to  call  out  three  or  four  dozen  at  least,  mostly  of  elderly  ex- 
Ohioans,  who  have  come  to  depend  upon  these  gatherings  as  upon  a  love  feast, 
from  which  they  could  not  bear  to  be  excluded.  A  half-hour  is  spent  in  hand- 
shaking and  gossip,  when  the  formal  call  to  order  is  given.  Generally  the 
veteran  and  venerable  Gen.  Wager  Swayne  is  in  the  chair ;  a  man  who  needs  no 
introduction  to  the  generation  of  Ohioans  now  coming  on  the  stage,  and  cer- 

*  James  H.  Kennedy,  in  the  Cleveland    (Ohio)    Plain  Dealer,  under  date  of  March 
23,  1890. 

93 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tainly  none  to  that  wliich  is  passing  away.  A  happier  presiding  officer  could 
not  be  constructed  out  of  the  best  parhamentary  materials  of  the  universe.  He 
is  not  only  at  ease,  but  master  of  the  situation,  knowing  when  to  accelerate 
business,  and  when  to  let  it  follow  its  own  meandering  course ;  when  to  throw  a 
dam  across  the  stream  of  a  too  profuse  eloquence,  and  when  to  clear  out  the 
channel  of  too  trivial  talk.  He  knows  when  there  can  be  speech-making  with 
profit,  and  whom  to  call  out,  and  when  one  has  spoken  upon  one  theme  and  is 
to  be  followed  by  some  one  else  upon  another. 

"  General  Swayne  knows  how  to  weave  in  a  few  happy  words,  that  dovetail 
the  one  into  the  other,  and  make  a  social  mosaic  of  the  whole.  He  is  a  combina- 
tion in  that  regard  of  Harvey  Rice  and  Henry  B.  Payne.  No  man  has  the 
past  of  Ohio  more  in  mind  and  regards  it  with  a  more  tender  veneration.  When 
the  General  and  some  of  the  older  members  get  fairly  started  in  an  informal 
way  upon  reminiscences  pertaining  to  their  home  state  it  becomes  a  symposium 
of  Ohioana  full  of  golden  gems  of  history  and  biography  that,  if  gathered  up 
and  preserved,  would  become  of  rare  historic  value. 

"  At  a  recent  gathering,  when  General  Swayne  was  absent,  Gen.  Henry 
L.  Burnett,  once  of  Cincinnati,  was  compelled  to  preside,  being  one  of  the  vice- 
presidents.  Although  not  possessing  the  experience  of  his  honored  chief,  Gen- 
eral Burnett  proved  himself  master  of  the  situation,  and  was  as  happy  in  his 
selection  of  speakers  as  General  Swayne  could  have  been.  William  L.  Strong 
had  been  upon  an  extended  tour  of  the  South,  and  after  some  persuasion  was 
set  upon  his  feet  and  delivered  a  speech  that  was  as  full  of  humor  as  it  was 
of  good  sense  and  information.  But,  remembering  that  he  was  there  in  the 
capacity  of  an  Ohio  man,  and  not  as  a  great  American  traveler  or  political 
economist,  Mr.  Strong  led  himself  around  to  his  experiences  when  he  was  a 
general  merchant  in  Mansfield  and  Loudonville,  back  in  these  days  when  there 
were  no  railroads,  no  money,  no  markets  and  a  great  deal  of  bartering  and 
*  getting  stuck '  on  wildcat  money.  He  recalled  the  time  when  he  sent  flour 
from  Mansfield  to  Cleveland  by  wagon  at  a  cost  of  fifty  cents  a  barrel,  and 
threw  in  the  parenthetical  information  that  it  could  now  be  shipped  from  Min- 
neapolis to  Liverpool  for  twenty-eight  cents ;  told  of  trades  of  home-made 
flannel  of  Richland  county  production  for  patent  medicine  warranted  to 
'  down '  the  fever  and  ague  natural  to  the  bottoms  of  the  Black  and  the  San- 
dusky rivers,  and  of  various  mercantile  transactions  native  to  the  Ohio  of  near 
half  a  century  ago. 

"  The  venerable  John  W.  Harman,  once  of  Canal  Dover,  but  for  many 
years  a  New  Yorker,  followed  with  a  few  anecdotes  of  his  early  personal  inter- 
views with  Abraham  Lincoln.  A.  M.  Jones  talked  for  a  time  of  wonders  of 
Idaho,  and  told  of  the  Ohio  men  he  found  in  every  direction ;  J.  F.  Holloway 
related  an  anecdote,  and  a  son  of  General  Eckert  gave  an  interesting  exhibi- 

94 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tion  upon  a  phonograph.  Then  came  a  light  lunch  and  more  conversation." 
On  April  14th  Mr.  Waggoner  read  a  letter  from  P.  F.  Collier,  publisher 
of  Once  a  Week,  presenting  to  the  Society  a  portrait  of  General  W.  T. 
Sherman.  A  letter  from  General  Sherman  regarding  the  same  was  also  read. 
The  thanks  of  the  Society  were  duly  tendered  to  Mr.  Collier  for  his  gift. 

The  president  introduced  Mahlon  Chance,  who  read  an  able  and  interest- 
ing paper  upon  the  question  of  the  date  of  Ohio's  admission  into  the  Union 
as  a  state,  at  the  close  of  which  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that  the  thanks  of 
the  Society  be  tendered  Mr.  Chance. 


95 


CHAPTER    VIII 

1890-1892 

IN  the  meetings  of  the  governing  committee  and  Society  on  May  12th 
the  house  committee  was  authorized  to  close  the  rooms  on  Sundays  of 
the  coming  summer  if  they  thought  it  wise,  and  were  directed  to  look 
about  for  another  available  place  for  the  use  of  the  Society.  An  interesting 
paper  on  "  My  Recollections  of  Ohio  "  was  read  by  S.  S.  Packard.  At  the 
June  gathering  Treasurer  L.  H.  Crall  reported  that  the  Society  had  a  balance 
of  $2,200  on  hand  and  all  debts  paid.  An  interesting  address  was  delivered 
by  Wallace  C.  Andrews. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  fall  was  held  on  September  8th.  President 
Swayne  delivered  an  address  upon  "  The  Ordinance  of  1787,"  and  the  thanks 
of  the  Society  were  tendered  by  formal  vote,  and  it  was  ordered  that  the 
address  be  published.  An  interesting  musical  programme  was  rendered  under 
the  direction  of  Eugene  Clarke.  On  October  13th  the  following  gentlemen  were 
elected  members  of  the  nominating  committee  to  select  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year:  John  Dickson,  S.  S.  Packard,  Cyrus  Butler,  H.  K.  Enos,  Cary  W. 
Moore,  Dr.  J.  S.  Converse,  John  W.  Stout. 

J.  F.  Holloway  read  a  paper  entitled  "  The  Story  of  an  Ohio  Boy  Who 
Became  an  Engineer." 

At  the  meeting  of  November  10th  President  Swayne  addressed  the  Society 
upon  the  recent  celebration  at  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  for  which  a  vote  of  thanks  of 
the  Society  was  tendered.  The  committee  on  nomination  made  the  following 
report :  President,  Wager  Swayne ;  vice-presidents,  William  L.  Strong,  C.  N. 
Hoagland,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Thomas  A.  Edison,  George  Milmine;  secretary, 
Warren  Higley;  recording  secretary,  Edward  B.  Bruch;  treasurer,  Leander 
H.  Crall;  trustees  for  three  years,  A.  J.  C.  Fbye,  E.  C.  Bodman,  Charles  B. 
Peet. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  at  the  Hotel  Imperial  on 
November  29th,  preceded  by  a  dinner,  at  which  eighty-five  members  were 
present.  President  Swayne  was  in  the  chair.  The  report  of  the  governing 
committee  was  read  by  its  chairman,  S.  S.  Packard.  It  was  so  replete  with  in- 
formation, and  suggested  so  much  for  the  good  of  the  organization,  that  it  was 
ordered  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  and  is  here  given  in  full : 

"  The  governing  committee  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  would  re- 

96 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

spectfully  report  that  during  the  fiscal  year  just  ended  they  have  held  eleven 
regular  meetings,  with  an  average  attendance  of  seven  members,  five  being  a 
quorum.  At  the  first  meeting  in  December,  S.  S.  Packard  was  chosen  chair- 
man and  the  following  members  reappointed  as  house  committee :  Cyrus  Butler, 
Alexander  Doyle  and  Edward  B.  Bruch.  A  resolution  was  also  passed  to  hold 
the  meetings  of  the  committee  hereafter  on  the  second  Monday  of  each  month, 
before  each  regular  monthly  meeting  of  the  Society.  At  the  monthly  meeting  of 
the  Society,  held  on  January  13,  a  lunch  was  served  at  the  conclusion,  which 
seemed  so  appropriate  and  hospitable  that  the  practice  has  been  uniformly 
observed  at  all  the  subsequent  meetings.  The  matter  of  expense  for  this  part 
of  the  entertainment  was  duly  considered  by  the  committee,  and  it  was  felt  that 
as  the  comfort  of  members  was  one  of  the  chief  considerations  of  the  Society, 
the  experiment  should  be  fairly  tried.  The  average  cost  of  the  nine  collations 
which  have  been  served  is  $28.44.  In  fact,  including  this  outlay,  the  average 
monthly  expenses  of  the  Society,  as  shown  in  the  treasurer's  statement,  have 
not  exceeded  the  average  of  former  years. 

"  The  renewal  of  the  lease  of  the  present  rooms  was  made,  after  full  con- 
sideration, and  with  the  approval  of  the  Society.  The  failure  of  the  efforts 
to  secure  a  permanent  home  for  the  Society  seemed  to  settle  the  policy  as  to  its 
future  character,  of  a  society  rather  than  a  club,  and  the  reaction  developed  a 
strong  tendency  on  the  part  of  some  thoughtful  members  to  do  away  alto- 
gether with  a  permanent  home,  and  keep  the  Society  together  by  monthly  meet- 
ings, after  the  manner  of  some  of  the  church  clubs  or  of  the  Twilight  club.  It 
was  felt  that  the  main  rallying  point  would  always  be  the  yearly  banquet,  which 
had  already  achieved  an  enviable  place  in  the  public  esteem  from  the  high  char- 
acter of  the  speakers  and  the  general  interest  felt  in  the  historical  importance 
of  the  state.  Another  argument  against  keeping  up  the  form  of  a  club  lay 
in  the  fact  that  those  members  who  were  of  the  clubable  kind  had  already  their 
affiliations  with  regular  clubs  where  the  attractions  were  greater  than  they  were 
ever  likely  to  be  in  a  club  which  should  grow  out  of  the  Ohio  Society.  Besides, 
the  Ohio  Society  was  now,  and  was  likely  to  remain,  greatly  a  society  of 
families,  and  the  tendency  already  shown  to  encourage  the  presence  of  ladies 
at  the  general  meetings  was  sure  to  increase  rather  than  diminish. 

"  The  president  of  the  Society,  as  well  as  some  of  the  prominent  members, 
had  shown  from  the  beginning  a  desire  to  bring  forward  for  discussion  Ohio 
topics,  and  members  were  encouraged  to  prepare  papers  touching  various 
points  of  interest  centered  in  the  state.  At  the  regular  meeting  in  January, 
William  Henry  Smith  read  a  thoughtful,  historical  paper  which  called  forth 
the  strongest  expressions  of  approval.  This  was  followed  in  the  Februai'y 
meeting  by  a  characteristic  talk  from  the  president  on  the  '  Early  Days  of  the 
City  of  Columbus.'     This  talk  elicited  much  pleasant  discussion,  from  which 

97 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cropped  out  personal  reminiscences  such  as  induced  the  president  to  attempt  to 
work  that  field  for  future  entertainment.  General  Ewing  and  General  Burnett 
were  placed  on  the  Hst  and  are  held  for  future  papers,  and  Thomas  Edison 
had  an  opportunity  to  decline.  The  failure  to  secure  regular  papers  at  once, 
and  the  interesting  talks  that  sprang  up  without  formal  preparation,  sug- 
gested to  certain  members  the  feasibility  of  employing  a  verbatim  reporter  in 
order  to  secure  for  the  archives  of  the  Society  the  many  delightful  things 
which  fell  from  witty  and  modest  members,  destined  otherwise  to  be  lost. 
Although  this  pohcy  did  not  prevail,  the  president  did  not  permit  himself  to 
grow  discouraged,  but  worked  arduously  along  the  line  he  had  lain  down.  And 
he  was  richly  rewarded  in  securing  a  carefully  prepared  paper  at  the  April 
meeting  from  Mahlon  Chance  on  the  admisson  of  Ohio  into  the  Union.  At  the 
May  meeting  Mr.  Packard  read  a  paper  covering  his  recollections  of  Ohio, 
which  was  ordered  printed;  and  at  the  June  meeting  Mr.  Andrews  gave  an 
interesting  talk  on  Youngstown  and  the  growth  of  the  iron  interests  in  the 
Mahoning  Valley.  For  the  September  meeting,  the  President  was  induced  to 
give  his  estimate  of  the  importance  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  which  he  did 
under  the  title  of  '  The  Legend  of  the  Northwest  Territory.'  To  this  meeting 
ladies  were  invited,  and  the  very  generous  response  to  the  invitation  at  once 
satisfied  the  members  that  the  key  to  the  future  of  the  Society  had  been 
struck.  And  in  another  direction  the  wisdom  of  the  new  departure  became 
manifest ;  '  The  Legend  of  the  Northwest,'  as  presented  by  the  speaker,  was 
found  to  so  aptly  emphasize  the  work  of  the  Society  in  mantaining  the  histor- 
ical importance  of  the  state,  that  there  was  a  great  unanimity  of  expression  in 
the  matter,  and  the  president  was  urged  to  continue  in  his  efforts.  A  further 
impetus  was  given  at  the  next  monthly  meeting  when  Mr.  Holloway  read  to  a 
large  assemblage  of  men  and  women  a  paper  on  '  How  an  Oliio  Boy  Became  an 
Engineer,'  which  proved  to  be  a  graphic  account  of  his  own  boyhood  struggles 
and  the  condition  and  development  of  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  state 
during  the  past  fifty  years.  The  president  then  began  to  reach  out  for  material 
of  the  same  sort,  and  has  secured  the  cooperation  and  promise  of  a  number  of 
eminent  Ohio  men  who  can  be  relied  upon  in  the  not  distant  future  to  entertain 
the  Society.  Meantime,  not  to  disappoint  the  Society  for  the  November  meet- 
ing, he  gave  from  his  own  careful  study  of  the  question  the  true  significance 
of  the  recent  centennial  gathering  at  Gallipolis.  The  continued  increase  of 
attendance  on  the  part  of  the  ladies  has  been  one  of  the  encouraging  incidents 
of  this  departure,  and  leaves  no  doubt  as  to  the  feeling  upon  the  subject.  It  is 
proper  to  state  that  at  these  meetings,  besides  the  paper  and  the  refreshments, 
we  have,  under  the  procurement  and  direction  of  Mr.  Eugene  Clark,  been  fa- 
vored with  excellent  divertisements  in  the  way  of  music  and  recitations.  There 
is  a  general  acquiescence  in  the  development  of  the  Society  along  these  lines, 

98 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  there  is  such  a  breadth  of  talent  to  be  made  avail- 
able, it  has  been  thought  that  it  would  be  well  not  to  confine  the  speakers  too 
closely  to  Ohio  topics.  Ohio  men  are  themselves  Ohio  topics,  and  anything  they 
may  choose  to  say  will  be  accepted  as  a  development  of  the  state  through  its 
eminent  and  honored  citizens. 

"  The  question  of  extending  the  area  of  membership  so  as  to  include  resi- 
dents of  the  states  contained  in  the  original  Northwest  Territory  is  still  an 
open  question,  and  by  a  resolution  passed  at  the  regular  meeting  in  May  the 
discussion  and  final  action  is  set  for  this  evening.  A  part  of  the  resolution, 
however,  provided  that  thirty  days'  notice  be  given  in  advance,  which  require- 
ment, I  think,  has  not  been  met.  It  might  be  well,  nevertheless,  in  the  remarks 
made  by  members  on  this  occasion  to  keep  this  suggestion  in  view. 

"  The  members  of  the  governing  committee  have  not  failed  to  see  the  im- 
portance of  some  well-defined  policy  for  the  future  guidance  of  the  Society. 
They  are  alive  to  the  fact  that  in  itself  Ohio  is  a  great  state,  even  without  in- 
cluding the  other  states  embraced  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  the  recent 
establishment  of  an  Ohio  Society  in  Chicago,  which  they  are  assured  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  prospective  offices  soon  to  be  doled  by  the  World's  Fair 
Commissioners,  as  an  indication  that  the  Ohio  idea  is  susceptible  of  expansion 
as  well  as  of  condensation.  And  while  there  may  be  warrant  for  extending  the 
area  of  membership  in  the  existence  of  the  New  England  Society  and  the 
Southern  Society,  the  recent  estabhshment  in  this  city  of  a  Delaware  Society 
shows  how  dear  to  the  heart  is  the  name  and  fame  of  the  state.  Whether  this 
state  pride  may  not  be  preserved  even  should  the  Society  take  on  a  secondary 
title  of  '  The  Northwest  Territory,'  members  must  decide  for  themselves. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  is  already  an  established  fact ;  it  is  on  record  in  a  way 
to  admit  of  no  diminishing  consideration.  It  must  grow  larger,  and  not 
smaller.  It  must  hold  a  greater  and  not  a  less  place  in  the  recognition  and  life 
of  the  metropolis.  There  should  be  attracted  to  it  more  young  men,  and  they 
should  have  a  hand  in  shaping  its  future.  It  should  be  so  embalmed  in  our 
affections  and  our  memory  that  its  life  and  its  interests  will  be  promoted  and 
guarded  as  we  promote  and  guard  the  interests  of  our  own  families.  At  present 
there  seem  to  be  good  reasons  for  retaining  a  home,  especially  as  by  sharing  the 
rental  with  other  organizations  we  may  bring  our  expenses  readily  within  our 
means.  This  keeping  of  a  home  will  be  necessary  if  it  is  ever  thought  best  to 
collect  and  preserve  books,  pictures  and  other  mementoes  of  the  state.  And 
while  it  is,  for  the  present,  at  least,  established  that  we  do  not  desire  a  club, 
there  are  indications  that  a  general  meeting  room  for  members  is  a  comfortable 
thought,  if  not  a  necessary  adjunct  to  our  permanent  growth.  The  report  of 
the  treasurer  will  disclose  the  fact  that  we  are  not  growing  rapidly  in  numbers 
and  neither  are  we  falling  off.     The  same  is  true  as  to  our  financial  condition. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

We  can  safely  say  that  we  are  on  a  sound  basis.  It  is  quite  evident,  however, 
that  there  has  been  during  the  past  year  no  great  zest  in  adding  to  our  num- 
bers; and  the  governing  committee  in  canvassing  this  fact  have  felt  that  it 
would  not  be  out  of  the  way  to  urge  upon  members,  while  accepting  the  admoni- 
tion for  themselves,  a  little  more  active  interest  in  this  direction.  A  very  little 
effort  on  the  part  of  each  member  would  double  our  numbers  and  put  us  in  a 
much  better  condition  to  carry  forward  whatever  policy  might  be  deemed  best. 

"  On  the  whole,  the  governing  committee  feel  that  some  progress  has  been 
made.  The  treasurer's  report  as  to  the  growth  of  the  Society  will  be  found 
encouraging.  Of  the  vacancies  b}'^  death,  that  of  General  Peixotto  appealed 
with  special  force  to  the  Society,  as  he  was  a  most  active  and  intelligent  mem- 
ber and  in  many  ways  a  man  of  mark.  A  special  meeting  was  called  on  Septem- 
ber 20,  and  suitable  resolutions  passed  and  proper  respects  paid  to  his  memory, 
and  a  committee  appointed  to  attend  the  funeral.  Proper  recognition  was  also 
given  to  the  removal  of  the  remains  of  Hon.  George  H.  Pendleton  from  Ger- 
many to  his  Cincinnati  home,  and,  at  the  request  of  the  mayor  of  Cincinnati,  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  receive  the  body  on  its  arrival  in  New  York  and  to 
facilitate  its  removal  to  Cincinnati.  The  committee  comprised  Hon.  George 
Hoadly,  Hon.  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Gen,  Wager  Swayne,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing, 
Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett  and  Warren  Higley. 

"  In  conclusion,  the  committee  would  congratulate  the  Society,  at  the  close 
of  its  fourth  year,  upon  the  satisfactory  work  accomplished,  and  the  greater 
and  better  work  which  lies  before  it.  The  work  of  the  past  has  necessarily  been 
pioneer  work,  and  its  merit  lies  in  the  clearness  with  which  it  points  out  the 
path  for  the  future.  No  organization  can  or  should  live  that  has  not  in  it  the 
promise  and  potency  of  good,  and  no  social  organization  can  establish  itself 
in  a  great  metropolitan  city  that  does  not  appeal  to  the  highest  social  interests 
and  satisfy  the  best  social  demands.  It  must  not  only  meet  these  requirements, 
but  it  must  offer  substantial  returns  for  the  fealty  without  which  it  cannot  live. 

"  Ohio  is  a  talismanic  word.  Its  very  euphony  charms  the  ear  and  cap- 
tures the  imagination,  while  its  associations  answer  the  most  exacting  require- 
ments of  history,  sentiment  and  poetry.  The  place  held  by  the  grand  old  state 
in  the  movement  which  culminated  in  a  country  free  from  the  blight  of  human 
slavery,  and  her  geographical  position  as  the  keystone  of  the  arch  of  our  con- 
federation, conspire  to  dignify  and  bless  the  work  committed  to  us.  But  all 
these  considerations  and  impulses  cannot  of  themselves  build  up  an  Ohio  So- 
ciety. That  can  be  done  only  through  labor  guided  by  wisdom  and  sanctified 
by  unselfishness. 

"  S.  S.  Packard,  Chairman  Governing  Committee." 

The  report  of  Leander  H.  Crall,  treasurer,  was  presented,  showing  a  bal- 
ance on  hand  of  $1,951.80. 

100 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  report  of  the  entertainment  committee  was  read  as  follows : 

"  New  York,  November  29,  1890. 
"  To  the  President  and  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society. 

"  The  entertainment  committee  takes  much  pleasure  in  stating  that  the 
fifth  annual  banquet,  which  was  held  on  the  19th  day  of  February  (one  of  our 
seven  birthdays),  at  Delmonico's,  and  sometimes  called  the  '  Bunch  of  Grapes 
Tavern  '  dinner,  was  even  a  greater  success  than  any  of  its  predecessors.  As 
this  banquet  was  held  during  the  Lenten  season,  the  committee  had  many  appre- 
hensions as  to  its  success,  but  were  agreeably  surprised  at  the  attendance,  as 
226  members  and  guests  were  present.  After  clearing  up,  the  committee  found 
itself  burdened  with  a  surplus  of  something  Uke  $300,  which  worried  us  a  Httle, 
so  it  was  decided  to  work  it  off  by  giving  the  ladies  a  reception,  which  was  held 
on  the  30th  of  April  at  the  Hotel  Brunswick.  Although  the  occasion  was  one 
on  the  eve  of  moving  day,  it  did  not  prevent  a  large  attendance,  and  was  greatly 
enjoyed  by  everybody. 

"  In  addition  to  the  above,  nine  collations  were  given  during  the  year, 
at  our  regular  monthly  meetings,  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society  to  which  ladies 
were  invited.  The  result  of  this  experiment  has  been  most  gratifying,  not  only 
to  the  committee,  but  we  believe  to  the  Society  in  general.  The  entertainment 
committee  begs  to  thank  the  president  of  the  Society  and  a  number  of  its 
members  for  their  hearty  cooperation  in  every  suggestion  that  has  been  made, 
also  Mr.  R.  M-  Walters  for  so  kindly  placing  a  piano  in  our  rooms,  and  to 
Mr.  Eugene  Clarke  for  supervision  of  our  music  programmes.  This  is  the 
first  occasion  where  a  dinner  has  been  given  at  our  annual  meeting,  and  the 
attendance  to-night  vouchsafes  a  repetition  in  the  future.  Mr.  Keech,  our 
new  member  from  Seneca  county,  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Stafford,  whose  only 
fault  is  that  he  was  not  bom  in  the  United  States — of  Ohio,  deserves  the 
thanks  of  the  Society.  When  the  committee  first  applied  to  Mr.  Keech  he  said 
his  house  was  not  big  enough,  but  told  us  he  would  cut  a  door  and  make  it 
larger,  which  he  did.  For  a  hotel  with  such  hospitable  proprietors,  decorated 
as  it  is  to-night  by  such  a  cluster  of  Ohio  beauties,  and  built  as  it  is  upon  a 
rock  and  of  Ohio  stone,  should  be  a  thing  of  substantial  beauty  and  a  joy 
forever. 

*' Homer  Lee,  Chairman  Entertainment  Committee.'* 

The  Society  then  proceeded  with  the  annual  election  of  officers,  and  the 
gentlemen  above  named  were  declared  elected  for  the  ensuing  year. 

Addresses  were  made  by  a  number  of  members,  and  Eugene  Clark  favored 
the  Society  Avith  a  tenor  solo.  The  meeting  closed  with  a  verse  of  "  Auld 
Lang  Syne,"  in  which  all  joined. 

101 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  standing  committeees  for  the  ensuing  year  were  later  announced 
by  the  president  as  follows:  Literature  and  Art:  D.  C.  Beard,  Alexander 
Doyle,  John  M.  Guiteau,  F.  C.  Loveland,  Franklin  Tuttle;  Entertainment: 
Homer  Lee,  George  Scott,  M.  I.  Southard,  Wm.  Ford  Upson,  R.  H.  Wag- 
goner; Auditing:  Mahlon  Chance,  H.  A.  Glassford,  John  T.  Granger,  J.  W. 
Stout,  M.  B.  Wright;  Library:  H.  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  C.  F.  Bliss,  C.  E. 
Milmine.  At  a  meeting  held  on  December  8th  Bernard  Peters  delivered  an 
address  entitled  "  Reminiscences  of  Ohio."  In  the  governing  committee,  on 
the  same  evening,  Mr.  Packard  was  unanimously  chosen  chairman  for  the 
ensuing  year.  He  was  authorized  to  order  the  publication  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  copies  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws,  with  a  corrected  list  of 
officers  and  members  and  a  roll  of  the  dead.  When  the  same  body  met  on 
January  12,  1891,  it  was  ordered  that  the  house  committee  consist  of  mem- 
bers of  the  governing  conmiittee.  The  three  newly  elected  members  of  the 
governing  committee,  Messrs.  Bodman,  Foye  and  Peet,  were  appointed  a  house 
committee.  In  the  Society  meeting  on  the  same  night  the  regular  order  of 
business  was  dispensed  with,  and  the  president  introduced  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry 
M.  MacCracken,  who  delivered  an  address  upon  "  The  Scotch-Irish  in  Ohio 
and  other  States  and  Territories."  A  musical  programme  was  rendered, 
followed  by  a  collation. 

A  special  meeting  w^as  held  on  January  30th  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
suitable  expression  of  sorrow  on  the  sudden  death  of  the  late  secretary  of  the 
treasury,  Hon.  William  Windom,  who  was  bom  in  Ohio  and  had  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  the  Ohio  Society.  Resolutions  were  adopted  in  honor  of  his  mem- 
ory and  a  committee  appointed  to  attend  his  funeral. 

The  sixth  annual  banquet  of  the  Society  was  an  affair  of  rare  enjoyment, 
although  not  so  marked  in  its  characteristics  as  some  that  had  preceded  it,  and 
as  others  that  have  followed.  The  date  was  February  6,  1891,  and  the  place 
was  Delmonico's. 

The  details  were  in  the  hands  of  the  regular  entertainment  committee, 
constituted  as  follows:  Homfr  Lee,  chairman;  George  Scott,  Hon.  Milton  I. 
Southard,  Wm,  Ford  Upson  and  R.  H.  Waggoner;  and  they  were  ably 
assisted  by  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye.  On  the  reception  committee  were:  Col. 
William  L.  Strong,  chairman ;  John  D.  Archbold,  C.  N.  Hoagland,  Albert  W. 
Green,  Frank  M.  Gillett,  H.  L.  French,  John  A.  Smith,  T.  D.  Critten,  Charles 
B.  Peet,  George  P.  Tangeman,  Henry  K.  Enos,  S.  B.  Elkins,  H.  A.  Glassford. 
Curtis  H.  Harraman,  S.  D.  Brewster,  Mahlon  Chance,  D.  Pritchard,  H.  L. 
Burnett  and  Frederick  C.  Train. 

The  story  of  the  banquet  as  told  at  the  time  by  a  newspaper  chronicler,* 

*  New  York  Tribune,  Saturday,  February  7,  1891. 

102 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

was  prefaced  by  these  appreciative  words :  "  It  is  popularly  believed  in  Ohio 
that  the  site  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  is  in  Ohio.  It  is  popularly  beheved  in 
Ohio  that  if  Goldsmitli's  citizen  of  the  world  had  had  his  own  way,  he  would 
have  surrended  his  nomad  note-taking  career,  and  would  have  been  a  citizen 
of  Ohio.  It  is  popularly  believed  in  Ohio  that  the  hub  of  the  universe  is  in 
the  centre  of  the  state.  It  is  popularly  beheved  in  Ohio  that  the  millennium 
will  begin  there.  All  these  beliefs  had  their  earnest  expounders  last  evening  at 
the  sixth  annual  dinner  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  The  motto  of 
Ohio  is  '  imperium  in  imperio,'  an  empire  in  an  empire.  The  annual  reunion 
of  the  exiles  of  Ohio  in  New  York  was  a  dinner  of  dinners. 

"  The  enthusiasm  of  the  Buckeye  boys  who  crowded  the  principal  room 
of  Delmonico's  was  all  but  roof-raising.  It  certainly  made  the  walls  ring. 
A  real  Ohio  cheer  is  something  worth  hearing,  and  when  heard  will  never  be 
forgotten.  The  principal  cause  of  the  enthusiasm  was  Ohio.  A  supple- 
mentary one  of  liigh  degree  was  the  presentation  to  the  Society,  by  J.  Q.  A. 
Ward,  the  well-known  sculptor,  of  an  old  oil-picture  of  William  Henry  Harri- 
son, the  log-cabin  and  cider-barrel  Ohio  president  of  the  United  States.  This 
portrait  was  painted  by  a  celebrated  French  artist  about  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  Benjamin  Harrison." 

On  the  face  of  the  menu  card  was  a  representation  of  the  old  swinging 
sign  of  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern  in  Boston.  On  the  next  page  was  a  beau- 
tiful engraving  of  George  Washington,  who  was  a  surveyor  in  Ohio  before  the 
Revolution.  Above  his  picture  was  the  motto,  "  Great  Buckeyes  from  Little 
Grapevines  Grow,"  and  below  it,  in  golden  letters,  was  the  following  quota- 
tion :  "  If  we  are  overpowered,  we  will  retire  to  the  Valley  of  the  Ohio,  and 
there  we  will  be  free." — Washington  at  Valley  Forge. 

On  the  back  of  the  menu  card  was  a  picture  of  the  first  log  cabin  built 
at  Marietta,  in  1786,  and  nailed  to  the  cabin  door,  "  The  same  old  coonskin," 
where  it  was  hung  up  to  dry.  The  wine  card  was  printed  in  gold  and  blue, 
and  on  the  back  of  it  was  engraved  a  map  of  Ohio. 

Each  guest  found  beside  his  plate,  in  addition  to  these  handsome  card 
souvenirs,  two  real  buckeyes  with  little  printed  pasters  on  them,  telling  tlie 
uninitiated  that  they  were  "  Fer  rheumatiz." 

The  Ohio  men  sat  in  the  most  democratic  and  brotherly  fashion  possible 
at  five  parallel  tables  running  almost  the  entire  length  of  the  dining-room. 
The  tables  were  alphabetically  named,  and  at  the  head  of  C,  the  middle  one, 
sat  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  the  president  of  the  Society,  while  opposite  him  at 
the  foot  of  the  table  was  Stephen  B.  Elkins.  At  table  B,  on  the  right  of  the 
presidents,  H.  L.  Burnett  presided  at  one  end  and  Charles  B.  Pcet  at  the  other. 
At  the  head  of  table  D,  to  the  left  of  the  president's,  was  Col.  William  L. 

103 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Strong,  and  at  the  other  end  was  Milton  I.  Southard.  Gneorge  Milmine  had 
the  presiding  place  at  one  end  of  table  A,  and  ex-Judge  Warren  Higley  sat 
at  the  other.  At  table  E,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward  and  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing  faced 
each  other  from  the  ends. 

Letters  of  regret  were  received  from  many  men  who  had  been  invited 
to  attend  and  who  could  not  be  present.     President  Harrison  wrote : 


"  Executive  Mansion, 
"  Washington,  January  26,  1891. 


Mr.  Homer  Lee,  New  York  City. 


"  My  Dear  Sir : — I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  invitation,  which  you  con- 
veyed orally  on  behalf  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  to  its  annual  banquet 
on  the  6th  of  February,  and  to  say  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  leave 
Washington  on  any  social  errand  while  Congress  is  in  session.  I  recall  with 
great  pleasure  the  evening  I  spent  with  your  Society  two  or  three  years  ago, 
and  would  have  been  glad  if  the  circumstances  had  been  favorable  to  renew 
that  pleasant  experience.  With  the  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  your  Society, 
I  am  very  respectfully  yours, 

"  Ben  J.  Harrison." 


Letters  were  also  read  from  John  Sherman,  Grover  Cleveland,  James 
Whitcomb  Riley,  Murat  Halstead,  Gov.  William  E.  Russell,  of  Massachu- 
setts ;  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture ;  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  Calvin  S. 
Brice,  S.  L.  Clemens,  better  known  as  "  Mark  Twain  " ;  Chauncey  M.  Depew, 
Gen.  R.  A.  Alger  and  others. 

Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  in  his  introductory  speech,  told,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  people  present  who  did  not  know  it,  if  there  were  any  such,  and  to  the 
delight  of  those  who  knew  all  about  it,  the  origin  and  history  of  Ohio's  em- 
blem, the  buckeye.     Continuing,  he  said: 

"  When  Ohio  began  making  presidents,  she  put  in  nomination  William 
Henry  Harrison.  Some  little  great  man  of  that  day  remarked,  '  Why,  Harri- 
son is  more  fit  to  sit  in  a  log  cabin  and  sip  hard  cider  than  to  rule  in  the  White 
House  of  Washington.'  The  people  of  Ohio  wanted  no  better  challenge  than 
that.  They  covered  Ohio  with  log  cabins,  each  one  with  a  barrel  of  hard 
cider  at  the  door,  and  strings  of  buckeyes  hanging  up,  and  they  asked  in 
verse  the  question: 

'  Oh,  what,  tell  me  what, 
Shall  be  your  cabin's  fate?  * 

104 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  And  the  answer  was : 

'  We'll  send  it  on  to  Washington, 
And  set  it  up  in  state, 
As  a  token  and  a  sign 
For  the  noble  Buckeye  state.' 

"  We  have  special  cause  to  bring  that  to  mind  to-night.  In  the  fore- 
most place  among  the  artists  of  this  city  we  are  glad  to  recognize  one  of  our 
vice-presidents,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward.  This  night  out  of  the  fulness  of  his  heart 
he  has  presented  to  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  the  best  extant  contem- 
poraneous portrait  of  the  greatest  Buckeye  of  all,  William  Henry  Harrison." 

The  picture  was  held  up  to  view  in  the  music  gallery  and  there  was  tre- 
mendous cheering,  followed  by  three  cheers  for  MJr.  Ward.  Then  President 
Swayne  introduced  Gov.  James  E.  Campbell,  whose  rising  was  the  signal  for 
fresh  cheering. 

Governor  Campbell  made  a  speech  picturesque  by  reason  of  its  versa- 
tility. He  would  be  a  well  versed  Ohioan,  indeed,  who  could  name  a  topic 
connected  with  the  state  on  which  the  Governor  did  not  touch.  He  said  many 
witty  things,  some  of  them  inspired  by  the  friendly  fire  of  comment  which  at- 
tended his  remarks.  He  was  never  found  wanting.  For  instance,  he  said: 
"  I  see  before  me  many  men  who,  both  in  peace  and  war,  added  to  the  glory 
of  Ohio  before  they  saw  fit  to  shake  the  dust  of  it  off  their  feet.  I  don't  know 
exactly  what  you  say  to  each  other  when  you  meet  upon  these  occasions." 

An  Ohioan  voice — "  Take  a  drink." 

The  Governor — "  I  accept  the  proposition,"  and  he  did. 

Governor  Campbell  went  on  to  claim  for  Ohio  about  everything  in  the 
heavens  above,  the  earth  beneath  and  the  waters  under  the  earth ;  and  this  he 
did  keeping  his  countenance  admirably  grave  amid  the  laughter  which  his 
cool,  calm,  take-it-for-granted  manner  evoked.  He  did  not  forget,  with  all 
the  fun  and  jollity,  to  pay  an  eloquent  tribute  to  Ohio,  spoken  seriously  and 
oratorically,  which  was  received  with  tremendous  cheering. 

The  next  speaker  was  ex-Governor  Lounsbury,  of  Connecticut,  who  thinks 
a  good  deal  of  the  Nutmeg  state,  and  who  didn't  allow  the  "  0-O-Ohioans  "  to 
forget  it.  He  was  received  with  much  applause,  and  by  what  he  said  awakened 
much  responsive  cheering  and  laughter.     Part  of  it  was  as  follows : 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — I  am  not  one  of  the  three  contending 
governors  of  the  state  of  Connecticut;  I  am  simply  an  ex-governor.  I  re- 
ceived a  few  days  ago  an  invitation  from  your  worthy  president  to  be  present 
upon  this  occasion,  and  as  a  slight  consideration  for  the  evening's  entertain- 
ment, he  would  deem  it  a  marked  kindness  if  I  would  say  a  few  words  con- 

105 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ceming  the  relationship  of  Ohio  to  Connecticut.  Not  long  since  a  dis- 
tinguished statesman  of  Ohio  said  in  my  presence  that  he  had  often  wondered 
how  in  the  world  it  was  that  this  country  managed  to  get  along  during  the 
time  when  there  was  no  Ohio.  I  wonder  how  such  a  man  of  intelligence  could 
have  wondered.  The  reason  the  United  States  got  along  before  the  exis- 
tence of  Ohio  was  simply  because  Connecticut  was  to  the  fore.  The  next  best 
thing  to  being  the  son  of  Connecticut  is  to  be  her  grandson,  a  son  of  Ohio. 
And  if  I  could  noj;  have  been  bom  in  the  Nutmeg  state,  better  known  as  the 
land  of  steady  habits,  and  could  have  been  consulted  as  to  where  the  event 
should  have  occurred,  I  would  unhesitatingly  have  chosen  the  Buckeye  state. 
And  if  any  one  ever  expects  or  dreams  of  desiring  poHtical  preferment,  Ohio 
first  and  every  time. 

"  You  are  doubtless  aware  that  your  ancestors  from  Connecticut  were  a 
modest,  generous,  unselfish,  peace-loving  people,  but  whenever  they  were  called 
upon  to  maintain  what  was  righteous,  like  yourselves,  they  have  never  yielded. 
As  I  have  said,  it  is  because  the  earlier  settlers  of  Connecticut  were  a  generous 
and  unselfish  people,  that  is  the  reason,  and  the  only  reason,  why  the  place  in 
which  I  am  now  standing  is  not  in  the  state  of  Connecticut  instead  of  the  state 
of  New  York.  The  territory  of  colonial  Connecticut  extended  to  the  great 
waters  of  the  West.  Whether  those  waters  were  the  Hudson  River  or  the 
Pacific  Ocean  the  historians  have  failed  to  tell  us.  Peace-loving  Connecticut 
gave  to  her  more  ambitious  sister  all  that  she  asked.  Hence  this  is  the  city  of 
New  York.  Grateful,  indeed,  are  we  that  we  had  territory  enough  left  out 
of  which  sprang  a  race  of  stalwart  men,  whose  sons  leaped  across  the  state  of 
New  York  and  founded  a  new  Connecticut  in  the  state  of  Ohio. 

"  Virginia,  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut !  Why  this  should  be  the  order 
in  which  you  name  your  parents  I  cannot  comprehend,  unless  it  be  on  account 
of  your  Sriptural  education,  which  taught  you  that  the  first  should  be  last 
and  the  last  first.  Connecticut  has  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  generous  wel- 
come her  sons  have  always  received  from  the  hands  of  Ohio,  and  with  the  joy 
that  springs  from  this  is  mingled  admiration  for  Ohio's  homes,  her  fertile  fields 
and  her  unexampled  prosperity.  We  in  the  East  have  seen  your  star  and  re- 
joice to  know  that  from  the  first  you  have  nurtured  that  redeeming  principle 
of  liberty  that  has  filled  the  land  from  ocean  to  ocean  and  become  the  hope  of 
the  whole  western  world. 

"  It  is  right  that  Ohio  should  feel  a  noble  pride  in  her  grand  success. 
But  she  must  not  forget  the  tribute  of  gratitude  that  she  owes  to  her  parent 
states.  That  desire  for  bettering  one's  condition  which  is  so  God-given  that 
it  lies  at  the  root  of  liberty — that,  indeed,  you  caught  up  from  your  grand- 
sires  who  braved  the  storms  of  the  Atlantic  and  from  your  fathers  who  trod  the 

106 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

path  of  the  wilderness.  You  have  made  the  fair  face  of  your  state  to  blossom 
like  a  rose,  and  in  the  vast  fields  beyond  your  borders  you  have  carried  and 
planted  successfully  the  seeds  of  your  success;  for  have  you  not  inherited 
that  indomitable  pluck  and  sublime  endurance  that  surmounted  every  obstacle? 
When  the  people  of  New  England  entered  into  the  field  of  action  they  found 
freedom  an  accomplished  fact,  and  in  the  glad  knowledge  that  slavery  had 
not  poisoned  the  life-blood  of  their  state,  they  sought  not  to  enter  where  its 
malaria  had  been  destroyed  in  the  light  of  conscience  or  the  winds  that  come 
down  from  the  mountain  peaks  of  eternal  wrath.  God  creates  freedom  and 
not  slavery.  And  in  the  light  of  this  knowledge  our  brethren  from  the  South 
now  grasp  our  hands. 

"  With  eyes  no  longer  looking  reproach,  we  gaze  upon  the  fields  of  the 
future.  It  is  folly  to  ignore  the  logic  of  the  century  and  childish  to  forget 
the  lessons  of  the  conflict.  We  cannot  safely  ignore  the  teachings  of  the  past, 
whether  they  have  been  written  in  the  lessons  of  our  own  experience  or 
that  of  some  less  fortunate  sister  state.  Not  by  generous  blood,  nor  cordial 
manners,  nor  charm  of  culture,  but  in  righteousness,  is  a  nation  exalted. 

"  We  want  protection  to  the  citizen,  to  his  life,  his  labor,  his  liberty. 
It  is  an  eternal  law  for  all  the  nations  that  for  every  injustice  there  must  be 
full  expiation.  No  state  can  be  so  stable  in  its  position  or  so  firm  in  its 
strength  that  it  can  afford  to  overlook  or  to  forget  to  right  the  wrongs  of 
tlie  humblest  and  the  lowest  class  of  its  citizens. 

"  I  am  one  of  the  few  New  Englanders  who  cannot  trace  their  lineage 
to  William  the  Conqueror.  Ohio!  You  do  well  to  honor  your  ancestors.  It 
was  upon  their  virtues  that  the  great  state  of  Ohio  was  built  up,  and  it  is 
by  the  inspiration  of  their  example  that  it  must  be  preserved." 

Hon.  Leroy  D.  Thoman,  who  was  the  president  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
Chicago,  spoke  like  a  good  Chicago  man,  as  well  as  a  genuine  "  Buckeye," 
because  when  he  didn't  praise  his  native  state  he  "  boomed  "  the  World's  Fair. 
He  said  in  part : 

"  There  may  not  be  much  of  New  York  in  Ohio,  but  there  is  a  wonderful 
sight  of  Ohio  in  New  York.  I  think  it  is  a  beautiful  tribute  to  the  character 
of  the  fathers  and  the  mothers  who  were  the  early  settlers  in  Ohio  that  their 
sons  and  their  grandsons  are  brought  back  to  New  England  and  the  seaboard, 
to  mingle  in  and  to  become  part  of  the  great  interests  for  which  this  portion 
of  our  common  country  is  conspicuous.  Wherever  you  find  activity,  enter- 
prise, pluck  and  steady  development  you  find  an  Ohio  man.  The  Ohio  Societv 
of  Chicago  will  be  only  one  year  old  next  April,  and  yet  I  could  recite  the 
names  of  many  prominent  men  connected  with  it,  whose  birthplace  was  Ohio, 
that  would  make  you  feel  proud  of  the  progress  we  have  made  out  West  in 

107 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

that  line,  as  well  as  in  all  other  lines.  Governor  Campbell  says  that  he  came 
six  hundred  miles  to  be  present  at  this  dinner.  With  the  same  object  in  view, 
I  have  traversed  the  continent  to  the  extent  of  one  thousand  miles." 

Attorney  General  David  K.  Watson  was  introduced  as  a  typical  repre- 
sentative and  champion  of  the  legale  fraternity  of  Ohio.     He  said : 

"  Not  expecting  to  be  called  on  to-night,  I  am,  Mr.  President,  embar- 
rassed by  the  situation.  For  I  assure  you  I  can  be  embarrassed,  even  if 
I  came  but  yesterday  from  Ohio.  I  do  not  propose  to  eulogize  Ohio,  for, 
like  Massachusetts  of  old,  she  needs  no  eulogy.  But  I  may  be  pardoned  if  I 
speak  in  terms  of  praise  of  some  of  the  men  whom  Ohio  has  produced  in  my 
own  profession.  In  doing  so  I  must  refer  first  to  him  who  was  first  and  fore- 
most, Mr.  Chairman,  him  who  was  the  highest  up — your  own  great  father. 
For  profound  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  law  no  man 
was  more  eminent  than  Thomas  Hewitt.  In  the  analysis  and  apphcation  of 
those  principles  Henry  Stanbury  is  the  peer  of  any.  Ohio  has  produced  states- 
men as  broad  as  any  in  the  world.  She  started  out  to  capture  the  nations  of  the 
earth  with  her  great  men  and  she  has  done  it.  You  will  pardon  the  remark, 
and  Governor  Campbell  will  swear  to  it,  that  out  in  Ohio  we  feel  that  we 
govern  this  republic.  We  have  not  only  furnished  presidents,  but  we  have 
more  yet  to  furnish  and  you  will  hear  from  them  before  long."  (Cheers,  and 
cries  of  "  Campbell.") 

Clark  Bell,  the  president  of  the  Saturday  Night  Club,  bespoke  New 
York  City's  welcome  to  Ohioans.  Gen.  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  of  Brooklyn, 
as  the  representative  of  the  Ohioans  in  Brooklyn,  was  received  with  round  on 
round  of  cheers.  He  closed  his  address  with  a  touching  and  eloquent  tribute 
to  Secretary  Windom,  which  the  Society,  rising,  applauded  to  the  echo.  Gen. 
Henry  L.  Burnett  spoke  the  last  words  as  a  representative  of  the  Ohio  Society, 
and  the  singing  of  "  Auld  Lang  Syne  "  by  the  entire  assemblage  closed  the 
evening's  programme. 

At  the  meeting  of  February  9th,  Hon.  Abner  C.  Thomas,  a  member  of 
the  New  York  bar,  dehvered  an  address  on  "  Ohio  as  Viewed  by  an  Outsider." 
A  progranmie  of  music  was  then  presented. 

A  memorial  meeting  in  honor  of  Gen.  William  T.  Sherman,  who  had 
passed  away,  was  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society  on  February  17,  1891. 
The  renowned  soldier  had  been  an  honorary  member  of  the  organization. 
The  rooms  were  filled  with  members,  and  deep  feeling  was  exhibited.  The 
following  gentlemen  were  appointed  a  committee  for  the  preparation  of  reso- 
lutions expressive  of  the  Society's  sorrow  and  sympathy:  S.  S.  Packard, 
Warren  Higley,  Henry  A.  Glassford,  T.  M.  Guiteau,  Ralph  H.  Waggoner. 
The  resolutions  presented  were  unanimously  adopted,  as  follows: 

108 


TRIg  UTK 


OF  THE 


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^  J^^ciirWacierSiuayue,  eof-XM^aytoii,  CEic/of  Staff 

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I 


•) 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

A  number  of  eloquent  and  heartfelt  speeches  were  made.  John  M. 
Guiteau  spoke  of  General  Sherman  as  one  of  the  saviors  of  the  country,  to 
whose  genius  and  patriotism  we  are  indebted  for  our  liberties  and  our  greatness 
as  a  nation  more  than  to  any  man  living. 

President  Swayne  pointed  out  how  thoroughly  were  joined  in  the  life  of 
General  Sherman  two  family  currents  of  influence  that  went  to  make  up  the 
greatness  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  the  Shermans  and  the  Ewings. 

General  Swayne  then  referred  to  Sherman's  life  and  services  at  some 
length.  He  had  enjoyed  for  years  an  intimacy  with  the  great  general,  and 
the  number  of  men  who  had  enjoyed  such  intimacy  was  one  of  the  surprising 
features  of  a  wonderful  life.  At  his  death  it  became  plain  with  regard  to 
many  men  that  each  had  supposed  himself  to  be  perhaps  the  most  intimate 
friend  of  Sherman.  Tlie  truth  was  that  the  General's  great  wealth  of  af- 
fection and  of  sympathetic  interest  had  enabled  him  to  lavish  upon  each  of 
many  men  what  it  would  have  required  the  whole  breast  of  another  man  to 
supply.  The  range  of  his  acquaintance  was  equally  remarkable.  A  short 
time  since  he  had  shown  to  the  speaker  twelve  large  volumes,  bound  and  in- 
dexed, of  letters  received  from  friends.  The  writers  were  in  every  field  of 
science,  literature  and  life.  A  publisher  had  offered  $50,000  for  them,  but 
of  course  the  offer  was  only  amusing  to  the  General.  The  varied  occupations 
of  the  writers  indicated  the  breadth  of  General  Sherman's  sympathies — as 
broad  as  humanity  itself. 

Col.  L.  M.  Dayton,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  who  was  ad j utant- general  of 
the  army  of  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea,  said  he  had  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  General  Sheraian  for  eight  years,  the  most  eventful  of  the  republic. 
He  said :  "  I  knew  the  General  intimately,  served  with  him  as  liis  chief  of 
staff  during  the  most  exciting  strain  he  probably  ever  had  in  his  eventful 
life.  He  followed  to  the  end  as  cheerfully  and  as  courageously  as  any  man 
ever  did  liis  work.  With  all  his  sternness  and  possible  severity,  a  tenderer  and 
kinder  heart  no  man  ever  possessed.     He  was  the  best  man  that  I  ever  knew." 

The  resolutions  adopted  on  that  occasion  were  by  order  of  the  Society 
engraved  in  a  most  artistic  manner  and  published  in  a  small  monograph, 
which  also  contained  the  remarks  above  quoted  and  the  speech  delivered  by 
General  Sherman  at  the  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  at  Delmonico's,  on 
Febiniary  20,  1890,  which  has  been  already  quoted.  On  the  outside  of  this 
small  book  appeared  the  one  word,  "  Sherman,"  while  the  title  page  was  as 
follows :  "  Tribute  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  to  the  memory  of  Gen, 
William  Tecumseh  Sherman,  February  17,  1891." 

The  governing  committee,  at  the  meeting  of  March  9th,  ordered  that  the 
names  of  the  following  Ohioans  be  placed  upon  the  roll  of  honorary  mem- 

115 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

bership,  the  requirements  of  the  by-laws  having  been  complied  with  in  each 
case:    Benjamin  Harrison,  Allen  G.  Thurman,  James  E.  Campbell. 

General  Burnett  appeared  before  the  committee  and  on  behalf  of  the 
library  committee  requested,  first,  that  a  correct  list  of  the  books  now  in  the 
Society's  library  be  prepared  for  the  information  of  the  library  committee; 
second,  that  from  three  to  five  hundred  copies  of  said  hst  be  printed;  and, 
third,  that  means  be  provided  for  keeping  the  books  of  the  library  under  lock, 
and  that  the  removal  of  books  from  the  Society's  rooms  be  prohibited.  The 
subject  was  referred  to  the  house  committee  with  power.  When  the  Society 
met  on  the  same  evening  the  president  announced  the  unavoidable  absence  of 
Hon.  J.  M.  Ashley,  who  was  to  have  read  a  paper,  and  called  upon  General 
Burnett,  Hon.  Mahlon  Chance  and  Professor  Packard,  who  each  favored  the 
Society  with  a  short  address,  after  which  there  was  the  usual  musical  enter- 
tainment. The  letters  that  follow  were  received,  at  a  later  date,  in  accept- 
ance of  the  election  to  honorary  membership  above  noted: 

"  Executive  Mansion, 
"Washington,  April  10,  1891. 
"  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  New  York  City. 

"  My  Dear  General : — I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  6th  inst.,  advising  me  that  I  have  been  enrolled  as  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  Please  express  to  your  associates  my  appre- 
ciation of  the  honor  they  have  done  me,  and  say  to  them  that  I  accept  with 
gratification  this   evidence  of  their  esteem. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  Ben  J.   Hareison." 

"  State  of  Ohio,  Office  of  the  Governor, 

Columbus,  April  10,  1891. 

*'  My  Dear  General : — I  cannot  too  cordially  express  the  pleasure  with 
which  I  accept  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  by  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York.  I  beg  to  assure  you,  and  through  you  the  Society,  that  I  esteem  it 
one  of  the  chief  gratifications  of  my  life  to  have  received  this  mark  of  respect 
and  kindness  from  my  former  fellow  citizens  now  in  the  great  metropolis. 
Will  you  do  me  the  kindness  to  convey  to  the  members  of  the  Society,  in  3'our 
own  happy  manner,  my  high  appreciation  of  their  courtesy  .f* 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  James   E.    Campbell,. 

*'  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  President  Ohio  Society  of  New  York." 

116 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

At  the  meeting  of  April  13th,  Hon.  Warren  Higley  deHvered  an  in- 
teresting address  upon  the  "  Western  Resei'\'e,  Its  Origin  and  Settlement," 
at  the  close  of  which  General  Swayne  made  a  few  remarks  in  his  usual  happy 
vein.     A  number  of  musical  selections  were  rendered. 

The  Society  gathered  for  a  dinner  of  an  informal  nature  lit  the  Hotel 
Imperial  on  the  evening  of  May  11th.  It  was  the  last  meeting  before  separat- 
ing for  the  summer  season.  The  attendance  was  large.  Gen.  Wager  Swayne 
was  toastmaster  and  performed  the  duties  of  the  office  in  his  usual  satis- 
factory manner.  Tlie  first  person  he  called  upon  was  S.  S.  Packard.  A 
great  surprise  had  been  promised  for  the  members.  Only  a  few  knew  the 
nature  of  this  surprise  beforehand,  but  Mr.  Packard  "  gave  it  away,"  so  to 
speak,  as  it  was  intended  that  he  should  do.  The  surprise  was  in  the  form  of 
a  fine  portrait  of  General  Swayne,  the  president  of  the  Society.  It  was  the 
work  of  George  R.  Boynton,  and  was  presented  by  a  number  of  the  mem- 
bers for  the  decoration  of  the  rooms. 

General  Thomas  Ewing  accepted  the  portrait  for  the  Society  in  a  few 
pleasant  remarks,  and  then  General  Swayne  told  what  he  thought  about  it. 
He  said  that,  as  notliing  that  in  the  least  resembled  him  could  be  a  thing  of 
beauty,  he  was  afraid  the  members  would  not  find  the  pleasure  he  wished 
them  in  looking  upon  his  picture.  Other  speakers  were  Mahlon  Chance,  E.  M. 
Boynton  and  Homer  Lee. 

The  opening  meeting  for  the  fall  of  1891  was  held  on  October  12th,  and 
the  following  gentlemen  were  named  as  the  committee  for  the  nomination  of 
officers  to  serve  for  the  ensuing  year :  Henry  A.  Glassf ord,  chairman ;  Alex- 
ander Doyle,  John  M.  Guiteau,  Theodore  W.  Sterhng,  David  Pritchard,  J. 
F.  Holloway,  Dr.  H.  Sisson.  The  president  introduced  INIrs.  E.  A.  Connor, 
who  delivered  an  address  upon  "  Ohio  in  New  York."  Mrs.  Harriet  Webb 
recited  "  The  Defence  of  the  Bride,"  and  musical  selections  were  rendered  by 
Eugene  Clarke,  Miss  Beatrice  Maltman  and  Mr.  Will  Rising. 

The  president,  in  calling  the  meeting  of  November  9th  to  order,  made 
a  few  remarks  relative  to  the  condition  of  the  Society,  and  referred  to  the 
gratifying  evidence  of  good  will  toward  it  as  shown  by  the  contributions  that 
were  beginning  to  drop  into  the  library,  and  announced  that  a  "  History  of 
Ohio,"  by  Henry  Howe,  had  been  presented  by  Mr.  E.  C.  Bodman :  a  complete 
set  of  the  reports  of  the  Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Commerce,  by  Mr.  Sidnev 
D.  Maxwell,  and  the  "  Memoirs  of  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan."  He  then 
introduced  the  Hon.  James  M.  Ashley  who  delivered  an  address  upon  "  The 
Proposed  Changes  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States."  The  report  of 
the  nominating  committee  was  then  read  as  follows :  President,  William  L. 
Strong;  Vice-Presidents,  Henry  L.  Buniett,  George  Milmine,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward, 

117 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

C.  N.  Hoagland,  S.  S.  Packard;  Secretary,  Wm.  Ford  Upson;  Recording 
Secretary,  H.  H.  Hobb;  Treasurer,  Leander  H,  Crall;  Trustees  to  serve 
three  years,  John  D.  Archbold,  Henry  H.  Vail,  John  W.  Harman. 

Tlie  annual  meeting  of  1891  was  held  on  the  evening  of  November  30th. 
Secretary  Higley  reported  the  membership  as  follows 

The  number  of  Resident  members  is .    224 

"  "  "    Non-resident   members   is 62 

"  "  "    Honorary  members  is 3 


Making  a  total  of 289 

The  report  of  the  Secretary  continued :  "  As  the  entertainments  for 
our  regular  meetings  have  been  arranged  by  the  president  and  secretary,  it 
may  not  be  inappropriate  for  me  to  say  something  of  them  in  this  report. 
It  was  decided  that  our  meetings  should  have  more  of  the  literary  and  social 
character  than  formerly,  and  that  ladies  should  be  invited  to  attend — con- 
sequently a  speaker  was  provided  for  each  meeting  and  an  excellent  pro- 
gramme of  instrumental  and  vocal  music  was  rendered  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Eugene  Clarke.  The  vocal  part  that  came  after  was  promoted  by  a 
tasteful  collation,  served  by  Mazzetti.  These  meetings  have  so  grown  in  in- 
terest as  to  tax  the  capacity  of  our  rooms  to  accommodate  the  number  attend- 
ing. They  have  grown  to  be  very  popular  and  exceedingly  enjoyable,  and 
the  ladies,  especially,  are  enthusiastic  over  them." 

The  report  recapitulated  the  entertainments  of  the  year  and  concluded  in 
these  words :  "But  most  of  all  are  we  indebted  for  the  charm  of  these  meet- 
ings, and  the  prevalent  good  feeling  among  the  members  and  the  prominent 
place  we  occupy  among  the  societies  of  New  York,  to  our  honored  president. 
Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  who  has  been  present  at  every  meeting,  and  ever  been 
active  in  forwarding  the  best  interests  of  the  Society." 

Mr.  Crall,  treasurer,  presented  his  report,  showing  a  balance  on  hand 
of  $2,151.08. 

The  annual  report  of  the  governing  committee  recapitulated  a  number 
of  events  already  mentioned  and  continued: 

"  There  was  a  decided  feeling  in  favor  of  adding  to  the  attractions  of 
the  Society's  rooms,  with  a  view  to  making  them  a  pleasant  place  of  resort, 
both  for  members  and  Ohio  people  who  might  be  sojourning  in  the  city.  A 
beautiful  crayon  portrait  of  President  Swayne,  presented  by  the  artist  under 
the  auspices  of  the  treasurer  (Mr.  Crall),  and  which  now  adorns  our  walls, 
was  accepted  as  a  proper  movement  in  this  direction,  and  the  procurement,  by 

118 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mr.  Foye,  of  a  marble  bust  of  Thomas  Ewing,  kindly  loaned  by  the  family  of 
General  Sherman,  was  received  with  special  favor  by  the  committee  as  it  has 
been  by  the  members  of  the  Society  at  large. 

"  As  will  appear  in  the  reports  of  the  treasurer  and  corresponding  sec- 
retary the  status  of  the  Society  as  to  membership  has  been  kept  up  during 
the  year,  with  some  few  changes  as  to  individuals.  The  Society  has  lost  by 
death  during  the  year  one  honorary,  three  resident  and  one  non-resident 
members. 

"  The  death  of  General  Sherman,  which  occurred  on  the  14th  day  of 
February,  was  especially  noticed  by  the  Society,  both  in  attendance  upon  the 
funeral  services  and  in  the  preparation  and  presentation  of  a  suitable 
memorial  to  the  family.  A  reproduced  copy  of  this  memorial,  containing  also 
a  report  of  the  meeting  authorizing  the  same,  and  an  extract  of  General 
Sherman's  last  speech  before  the  Ohio  Society,  has  been  presented  to  each 
member  of  the  Society.  This  speech  had  a  special  importance  to  Ohio  people 
in  that  it  emphasized  the  known  fact  that  the  three  great  generals  of  the  civil 
war  were  Ohio  men ;  and  the  preservation  of  the  memorial  in  the  hands  of 
the  members  and  in  the  archives  of  the  Society,  was  thought  to  be  a  sufficient 
import  to  warrant  the  expense.  In  fact,  the  committee  have  felt  that  to 
keep  the  Society  along  the  lines  of  permanent  growth  and  vitality,  it  is  of  the 
•first  importance  that  the  lives  and  services  of  distinguished  citizens  of  the 
state  should  be  kept  prominently  in  the  foreground.  In  the  report  submitted 
by  this  committee  at  our  annual  meeting  last  year  it  was  thought  proper  to 
dwell  at  some  length  on  the  policy  of  the  Society  as  emphasized  in  its  history. 

"  We  had  but  recently  passed  through  an  important  crisis  involving  the 
question  of  a  club  as  against  a  society.  Efforts  had  been  made  with  some 
show  of  success  to  secure  a  club-house,  and  a  permanent  home  for  the  Society 
and  its  friends.  A  reaction  had  come;  the  club  idea  been  abandoned,  and  the 
lines  laid  down  for  a  departure  in  the  direction  which  has  been  assiduously 
followed  during  the  year.  While  it  was  thought  best  to  retain  our  present 
rooms  and  even  add  to  their  attractiveness,  there  has  been  no  movement  and 
no  desire  expressed  in  the  hearing  of  the  committee  looking  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  club.  Under  the  inspiration  and  through  the  kindly  efforts  of  our 
president  the  monthly  meetings  have  been  maintained  on  the  plan  fore- 
shadowed in  the  last  report.  At  the  first  monthly  meeting  since  the  vacation 
a  delightful  address  was  made  by  Mrs.  Connor  upon  Ohio  in  New  York,  and 
at  the  meeting  in  October  a  paper  was  read  by  Hon.  J.  M.  Ashley  upon 
'  The  Proposed  Changes  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.'  On  both 
of  these  occasions  the  rooms  were  filled  with  members  and  their  wives,  and 
great  enthusiasm  prevailed.     During  the  year,  through  the  kindly  services  of 

119 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mr.  Eugene  Clarke,  musical  and  dramatic  entertainments  have  been  given,  and 
on  other  occasions  addresses  and  discussions  by  the  president  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Society.  Taking  it  altogether,  the  sentiment  of  the  committee 
and  of  members  who  have  been  positive  in  their  expressions,  has  been  that  the 
monthly  entertainments  have  reached  a  high  average  of  excellence. 

"  There  has  been  a  feeling  often  expressed  that  it  would  add  to  the  zest  of 
the  Society  if  a  few  informal  dinners  could  be  had  during  the  year,  with  the 
good  fellowship  wliich  such  meetings  always  invoke." 

The  election  of  officers  then  ensued,  and  those  suggested  by  the  nomi- 
nating committee,  as  before  quoted,  were  elected. 

Colonel  Strong,  being  called  upon,  addressed  the  Society  briefly,  and 
expressed  his  thanks  for  the  honor  conferred  upon  him  by  his  elevation  to  the 
presidency,  and  expressed  the  hope  that  the  Society  might  continue  to  prosper 
under  his  administration  as  it  had  under  that  of  his  predecessors.  Mr.  Lee 
stated  that  the  Ohio  Society  of  Chicago  were  holding  their  annual  banquet  in 
Chicago,  and  moved  that  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  through  its  president, 
send  cordial  greeting  to  the  Society  at  Chicago.  Carried  unanimously,  and 
messages  were  at  once  sent. 

The  following  resolutions,  on  motion  of  General  Burnett,  were  unani- 
mously adopted: 

"  Resolved,  That  this  Society  express  here  and  now  its  grateful  and  sin- 
cere thanks  to  General  Wager  Swayne  for  the  able  and  polite  manner  in  which 
he  has  presided  over  its  dehberations  during  the  past  three  years. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  sincere  thanks  of  the  Society  be  also  tendered  to  the 
secretar}^,  recording  secretary,  treasurer  and  chainnan  of  the  governing  com- 
mittee for  the  faithful  manner  in  which  they  have  performed  their  duties  dur- 
ing their  respective  terms  of  ofiice." 

John  D.  Archbold  became  chairman  of  the  governing  committee  for  the 
ensuing  year,  and  the  house  committee,  consisting  of  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  E.  H. 
Bodman  and  Charles  B.  Peet,  were  continued  for  the  same  period.  This  action 
was  taken  at  a  meeting  held  on  December  7th. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  December  14th  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  acting 
for  the  chairman  of  the  entertainment  committee,  reported  as  regarded  the 
annual  banquet  that  Friday  evening,  the  22d  of  January,  1892,  could  be 
secured  as  an  open  date  when  it  could  engage  the  banquet  hall  at  Delmonico's. 
On  motion  of  General  Burnett,  it  was  resolved  that  the  rooms  be  secured  for 
that  date,  and  that  the  22d  day  of  January,  1892,  be  the  date  fixed  for  the 
holding  of  the  banquet  and  that  the  entertainment  committee  be  insructed  to 
act  promptly  and  vigorously. 

Mr.  George  E.  Wingate,  of  the  Twilight  Club,  favored  the  Society  with 

120 


Hon.  William  I-.  Strong 
President  from  November  29,  1891,  to  Xoveiuber  29,  1894 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

some  interesting  remarks  as  to  the  desire  of  his  association  to  unite  with  other 
societies  in  engaging  meeting  rooms,  homes,  etc.  Mr.  Harriman  read  an  inter- 
esting paper  giving  his  views  as  to  what  the  Society  needed  to  give  more  enjoy- 
ment to  members.    Music  and  refreshments  followed. 

A  special  meeting  was  held  on  December  30,  pursuant  to  the  call  of  the 
president,  for  the  purpose  of  considering  a  change  of  date  on  which  to  hold 
the  annual  banquet.  After  a  discussion  of  the  matter  the  following  resolution, 
offered  by  John  M.  Guiteau,  was  adopted :  "Resolved,  That  the  coming  annual 
banquet  be  held  February  19,  1892,  instead  of  January  22,  as  previously  pro- 
posed, and  that  the  place  of  holding  the  same  be  Sherry's  instead  of  Del- 
monico's." 

It  was  ordered  that  a  committee  of  twelve  be  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
this  banquet,  five  of  whom  should  be  selected  to  serve  as  an  entertainment  com- 
mittee for  the  coming  year.  The  following  gentlemen  were  named  by  the 
president:  Wager  Swayne,  Thomas  Ewing,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  S.  S.  Packard, 
Calvin  S.  Brice,  Wilham  L.  Brown  and  Samuel  Thomas.  The  entertain- 
ment committee  for  the  ensuing  j'ear  and  members  of  the  annual  banquet  com- 
mittee, as  per  above  resolution,  were  Warren  Higley,  Homer  Lee,  A.  J.  C. 
Foj^e,  Henry  A.  Glassford  and  C.  G.  Harriman. 

In  the  meeting  of  February  8,  1892,  the  newly  constituted  entertainment 
committee  began  its  career  by  several  suggestions:  That  it  was  especially  de- 
sired that  members  volunteer  to  prepare  papers  on  appropriate  topics  to  be 
read  at  the  regular  meetings ;  also  favorably  as  to  the  propriety  of  having  the 
rooms  opened  for  ladies ;  also  favorably  as  to  the  continuing  of  musical  enter- 
tainment. A  letter  was  read  from  the  Ohio  Society  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  asking 
for  a  copy  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws,  and  the  secretary  was  directed  to 
send  the  same. 

The  seventh  annual  banquet  was  held  on  the  evening  of  February  20th, 
one  day  later  than  that  proposed  in  the  above  resolution,  at  Sherry's,  on 
Fifth  avenue  and  Thirty-seventh  street.  It  was  referred  to  on  the  following 
morning  *  in  these  words : 

"  Ohio  has  been  described  by  a  wit  as  a  state  which  is  high  in  the  middle 
and  round  at  both  ends.  That  was  precisely  the  condition  of  the  New  York 
assemblage  last  evening.  They  were  high  in  the  middle,  with  General  Wager 
Swayne  as  presiding  officer,  and  they  were  round  at  both  ends,  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  one  of  those  present  was  easily  pushed  from  the  hall.  It  seems  almost 
incredible  that  any  one  who  appreciated  the  importance  of  a  gathering  of  Ohio 
men  should  have  to  be  expelled  by  force,  though  such  was  the  case  last  evening. 
General  Swayne  described  the  man  as  a  ventriloquist.  He  probably  was.  Dur- 
*  New  York  Tribune,  February  21,  1892. 

121 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ing  the  progress  of  General  Swayne's  speech  there  were  interruptions  which 
appeared  to  come  from  certain  groups  and  opposite  walls.  '  You  bet ! '  '  Good 
for  Ohio ! '  '  Ohio  leads  the  way,'  and  so  on,  were  the  words  uttered  in  a 
mysterious  manner,  and  these  followed  throughout  the  address  of  Congress- 
man Outhwaite.  All  at  once  there  was  a  commotion,  and  then  the  shiiflfling  of 
an  individual  along  the  aisles,  until  the  outer  door  was  closed  upon  him. 
General  Swayne,  in  explanation,  at  the  close  of  Congressman  Outhwaite's 
speech,  said  the  man  was  not  an  Ohioan;  that  no  seat  had  been  assigned  him 
and  he  was  an  intruder,  and  had  been  ejected  as  a  disturber  of  the  peace;  and, 
from  all  appearances,  it  was  a  thoroughly  proper  act,  though  his  disappearance 
did  detract  somewhat  from  the  amusement  of  the  occasion." 

Col.  WilHam  L.  Strong,  the  president  of  the  Society,  was  unable,  on 
acount  of  illness,  to  be  present.  The  secretary  of  war,  Mr.  Elkins ;  the  secre- 
tary of  the  interior,  Mr.  Noble;  the  secretary  of  agriculture,  Mr.  Rusk,  and 
Senator  Brice  did  not  appear  as  it  was  expected  they  would. 

Congressman  Outhwaite  responded  for  "  The  State  of  Ohio."  His  ad- 
dress was  a  defence  of  the  natural  modesty  of  the  Ohio  man,  wherever  he  is 
found ;  and  there  was  an  appreciative  cheer  in  the  throat  as  well  as  an  apprecia- 
tive smile  on  the  countenance  of  every  Ohio  man  present.  It  is  only  fair  to  say 
that  there  was  an  entire  absence  of  partisanship  displayed,  and  the  appearance 
of  Mr.  Outhwaite  was  greeted  with  as  much  applause  as  the  mention  of  the 
name  of  William  McKinley,  Jr. 

Ex-Govemor  Campbell  responded  for  "  The  Governors  of  Ohio,"  and 
his  address  continued  for  forty-five  minutes,  thus  establishing  the  fact  that, 
in  the  opinion  of  a  Democratic  ex-governor  of  the  state,  that  high  office  is 
entitled  to  respectful  consideration;  and  everything  that  ex-Governor  Camp- 
bell said  was  appreciated  because  of  the  pleasant  way  in  which  he  introduced 
his  commendations  of  the  character  of  the  men  who  have  gone  before  him  in 
that  important  office,  irrespective  of  party  affiliations.  Indeed,  ex-Governor 
Campbell  said  many  pleasant  things  of  men  in  both  political  parties  of  that 
day,  and  his  address  was  listened  to  with  close  attention.  He  touched 
gently  upon  the  fact  that  his  native  Ohio  modesty  had  not  secured  for  him  suc- 
cess in  the  contest  with  Major  McKinley,  but  that  he  was  not  too  modest  to 
say  that  "  the  governors  of  Ohio  have  been  men  of  standing,  culture,  ability 
and  honor  to  their  generation  and  to  the  great  state  of  Ohio,"  and  the  applause 
which  followed  the  announcement  proved  that  everybody  present  thought  just 
as  the  speaker  thought,  even  though  he  included  himself  in  the  list.  His  refer- 
ence to  the  position  which  Ohio  has  attained  in  the  matter  of  the  national 
judiciary  brought  forth  an  enthusiastic  response. 

The  other  toasts  were:  "The  Congressman  Abroad,"  to  which  Murat 

122 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Halstead  responded  in  a  pleasant  manner.  Captain  Hugh  R.  Garden,  of  the 
Southern  Society,  was  present,  and  spoke  patriotically  for  the  best  elements 
south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  Congressman  Harter,  of  Mansfield,  Ohio, 
who  came  from  Washington  fresh  from  his  contests  with  Mr.  Bland  on  the 
silver  question,  was  splendidly  received  when  he  arose  to  respond  to  the  toast. 
Col.  James  M.  Varnum,  of  New  York,  spoke  for  "  The  Ordinance  of  1787." 

The  dinner  was  well  served,  and  the  taste  in  art  employed  in  the  prelimi- 
naries was  worthy  of  praise.  The  menu-card  was  attractive,  suggestive  of 
pioneer  endeavor  in  the  construction  of  a  great  state.  There  was  much  enjoy- 
ment, good-fellowship  and  manifestation  of  patriotic  unity  throughout  the 
entire  programme. 

The  following  letter  of  regret  was  received  by  General  Swayne  and  read 
at  this  gathering : 

"  United  States  Senate, 
"  Washington,  D.  C,  February  19,  1892. 

"  Hon.  Wager  Swayne,  New  York. 

"  My  Dear  Sir :  I  am  laid  up  in  my  room  with  a  disorder  in  one  of  my 
eyes,  so  that  I  cannot  accept  your  exceedingly  attractive  invitation  to  the  Ohio 
banquet.  It  is  always  a  pleasure  to  me  to  hear  about  Ohio  or  to  talk  about 
Oliio.  It  would  be  especially  delightful  to  do  this  in  the  company  of  so  many 
of  her  famous  sons  as  will  gather  at  your  banquet.  The  importance  of  what 
was  done  at  Marietta  in  1788  is  not  likely  to  be  overstated  even  by  the  most 
affectionate  and  reverent  of  her  sons.  Its  consequences  grow  in  importance 
with  the  growth  of  the  nation,  with  the  mighty  life  of  constitutional  liberty 
itself.  Tlie  dwelling  house  of  Rufus  Putnam,  where  he  and  Tupper  sat  up  all 
night  to  frame  the  plan  of  the  Ohio  Company,  and  from  which  in  the  early 
morning  went  forth  the  call  for  its  first  meeting,  still  stands  unchanged  in 
Worcester  county,  Mass.,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  the  populous  city  of 
Worcester.  It  is  a  simple  wooden  dwelling,  but  it  ought  to  be  treasured  and 
presei-ved  as  a  shrine  second  only  to  Mt.  Vernon  itself. 

"  I  shall  be  hungry  to  read  the  proceedings  of  j^our  gathering  and  am, 
faithfully  yours, 

"  Geo.  F.  Hoar." 

The  regular  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  at  Morelli's  on  March  15th, 
and  Col.  William  L.  Strong  occupied  the  chair  at  both  the  business  meeting 
and  the  informal  banquet  which  followed.^  The  subject  of  club  rooms  was 
taken  up,  and  after  discussion  a  motion  was  offered  by  General  Swayne  that 
possession  of  the  club  rooms,  No.  236  Fifth  Avenue,  be  given  up.     This  was 

123 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

carried,  and  the  matter  of  procuring  new  quarters  was  referred  to  the  gov- 
erning committee,  with  power  to  act. 

President  Strong  informed  the  members  that  he  had  cabled  to  the  Hon. 
Whitelaw  Reid,  minister  to  France,  on  behalf  of  the  Society,  tendering  him  a 
reception  on  his  return  to  this  country.*  He  also  offered  a  resolution  to  the 
effect  that  the  Society  shoiild  give  a  banquet  to  Mr.  Reid  on  or  about  the 
7th  of  April,  the  exact  date  to  be  determined  later.  On  motion  of  Mr,  Crall, 
it  was  ordered  that  the  banquet  committee  which  served  at  the  last  annual  ban- 
quet, should  act  in  a  similar  capacity  at  the  Reid  dinner,  and  that  Greneral 
Swayne  be  chairman  of  said  committee. 

*  There  is  an  interesting  bit  of  inside  history  connected  with  this  event.  Several  of 
the  members  of  the  Oiiio  Society  learned  that  the  Union  League  Club  were  contemplating 
a  banquet  to  Mr.  Reid.  The  fact  was  communicated  to  President  Strong,  who  did  not  wait 
for  the  mails.    He  made  the  offer  by  cable,  and  once  more  Ohio  was  the  first  in  the  field. 


124 


CHAPTER    IX 

1892-1894. 

THIS  banquet  in  honor  of  Mr.  Reid,  a  member  of  the  Society,  was  given 
at  Delmonico's  on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  April  9,  1892.  The  names  of 
the  committee  in  charge  were  as  follows :  Wager  Swayne,  chairman ;  Wil- 
liam L.  Strong,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  W.  L.  Brown,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Leander  H. 
Crall,  Tliomas  Ewing,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Henry  A.  Glassford,  Curtis  G. 
Harriman,  Warren  Higley,  Homer  Lee,  S.  S.  Packard,  Samuel  Thomas,  Wil- 
liam Ford  Upson.  The  spirit  which  actuated  the  Society  in  this  gathering, 
and  the  reason  why  it  occurred,  were  well  set  forth  in  a  New  York  newspaper 
of  the  following  day,*  which  said: 

"About  tliirty  years  ago  there  was  a  young  man  in  the  town  of  Xenia, 
Ohio,  who  possessed  in  abundance  those  traits  which  the  natives  of  that  state 
are  proud  to  think  the  pecuhar  characteristics  of  the  Oliio  young  man — en- 
ergy, fidelity,  perseverance,  perspicacity  and  commanding  ability.  He  was  a 
young  newspaper  writer,  and  he  used  his  talents  so  well  that  he  became  suc- 
cessively the  first  writer  on  the  foremost  journal  of  his  state,  a  noted  war  cor- 
respondent, a  writer  for  a  New  York  daily,  then  its  editor  and  guiding  spirit 
and  finally  United  States  Minister  to  France.  That  was  Mr.  Whitelaw  Reid. 
Last  night  at  Delmonico's  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  of  which  Mr.  Reid 
was  the  first  vice-president,  celebrated  the  triumph  of  the  traits  of  the  Ohioan 
in  his  career,  to  voice  the  applause  of  his  fellow  citizens  at  his  diplomatic  suc- 
cesses and  to  give  him,  as  their  honored  son,  the  right  hand  of  welcome  home 
at  a  great  banquet." 

A  distinguished  company  assembled  in  the  large  banqueting  hall,  to  join 
with  the  Ohio  men  in  doing  honor  to  the  distinguished  guest.  Two  members 
of  the  cabinet  of  the  United  States  sat  with  many  eminent  public  men  and 
journalists  of  New  York  and  other  cities  on  the  speaker's  platform.  Among 
the  six  hundred  guests  at  the  other  tables  were  some  of  the  foremost  New 
Yorkers  and  some  who  had  come  from  as  far  as  Cincinnati  to  be  present. 

Gen.  Wager  Swayne  presided,  in  the  absence  of  President  Strong,  who 
was  detained  by  a  family  affliction.  At  his  right,  beyond  Mr.  Reid,  were 
Charles  Foster,  secretary  of  the  treasury ;  Warner  Miller,  George  W.  Childs, 
of  Philadelphia ;  Chas.  A.  Dana,  Frank  R.  Lawrence  and  D.  O.  Mills.    At  the 

*  New  York  Herald,  April  10,  1892. 

125 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

chairman's  left  were  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  secretary  of  war;  A.  K.  McClure,  of 
Philadelphia;  Chauncej  M,  Depew,  jNIurat  Halstead,  Vicomte  Paul  d'Absac, 
Consul  General  of  France  in  New  York ;  St.  Clair  McKelway,  Ballard  Smith 
and  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing.  Mrs.  Reid,  Mrs.  Swayne,  Mrs.  D.  O.  Mills  and 
other  ladies  had  seats  in  the  gallery. 

At  the  six  other  tables  were  W.  W.  Bostwick,  Henry  W.  Cannon,  Richard 
Butler,  Russell  B.  Harrison,  Richard  Smith,  Sr. ;  ex- Judge  Noah  Davis,  ex- 
Judge  John  F.  Dillon,  Horace  White,  Gen.  Horace  Porter,  B.  H.  Bristow,  Col. 
John  A.  McCall,  Frankhn  Edson,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  M.  Field,  Albert  Bier- 
stadt,  Gen.  Thomas  T.  Eckert,  Col.  John  J.  McCook,  and  Robert  E. 
Bonner,  etc. 

The  banquet  began  at  half-past  six  o'clock.  Ohio  was  not  forgotten 
in  the  decorations  of  the  occasion.  Her  coat  of  arms  was  emblazoned  on  the 
gallery  fronting  the  speakers  and  reappeared  on  the  elaborately  engraved 
menu  cards.  The  flags  and  arms  of  the  American  and  French  republics  were 
intertwined  on  these  cards. 

It  was  after  nine  o'clock  when  Gen.  Swayne  arose  to  call  the  assemblage 
to  order  and  to  introduce  the  speechmaking  of  the  evening.  He  began  by 
saying: 

"  There  once  was  a  time  when  Horace  Greeley  signalized  himself  by  say- 
ing to  a  certain  young  man,  '  Come  East,  young  man !'  and  so  our  guest  of 
the  evening  did  as  many  of  you  have  done.  If  it  be  true  that  this  night  the 
great  soul  of  Horace  Greeley  contemplates  us,  we  may  be  sure  that  his  great 
soul  joins  with  ours  in  this  greeting.  No  man  could  be  so  truly  the  forerunner 
of  those  friends  who  will  come  to  the  World's  Fair  next  year  as  our  returning 
minister,  Mr.  Reid." 

General  Swayne  then,  in  a  few  graceful  words  of  compliment.  Introduced 
the  guest  of  the  evening,  Mr.  Reid,  who  was  received  with  most  enthusiastic 
applause.  The  entire  company  arose  and  cheered  for  several  minutes,  while 
the  air  was  white  with  fluttering  napkins. 

When  the  enthusiastic  Ohioans  were  ready  to  hear  him  IVIr.  Reid  spoke 
with  a  hearty  emphasis  that  showed  the  sincerity  of  his  appreciation  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Me.  Chairman  :  No  greeting  could  touch  me  more  profoundly  than 
this.  No  words  could  go  stralghter  to  my  heart  than  yours,  and  when  I  re- 
member what  honor  your  father  brought  our  state,  and  the  nation,  I  am 
doubly  glad  that,  in  the  regretted  absence  of  its  president,  it  is  by  your  voice 
the  Ohio  Society  receives  me  back. 

"  This  Is  Indeed  an  Ideal  welcome.  It  gives  the  first  hand  grasp  from 
the  metropolis  which  is  our  home  and  our  pride,  and  at  the  same  time  it  car- 
ries me  really  home — to  that  fairest  of  lands  that  lies  between  the  lakes  and 

126 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  beautiful  river — to  the  dear,  gracious  mother  of  us  all.    When  she  stretches 
out  her  hand  the  joy  of  return  is  complete. 

"  No  other  applause  can  ever  be  so  sweet  to  a  man  as  that  which  comes 
from  those  who  have  known  him  earliest  and  longest.  Better,  to  many  a  tired 
man  of  the  world,  the  cheer  of  his  native  village  than  more  stately  honors  from 
the  most  powerful  of  communities.  Believe  me,  Mr.  Chairman,  in  retiring 
from  public  office  there  can  be  no  compliment  more  grateful  than  an  assurance 
like  this  with  which  you  honor  me  to-night,  that  your  old  friends  and  neigh- 
bors have  not  been  ashamed  of  you. 

"  And  next,  it  is  pleasant  to  be  made  to  feel  once  more  that  those  to  whom 
you  were  sent  were  not  tired  of  you.  Two  weeks  ago,  at  a  banquet  like  this, 
I  had  the  honor  to  say  goodby  to  the  high  members  of  the  French  government, 
and  tq^representative  Frenchmen  who  were  kind  enough  to  say  they  were  sorry 
to  have  me  go.  To-night  I  find  my  friend,  the  Viscount  d'Absac  representing 
the  same  government  here,  to  add  another  grace  to  the  warmth  of  this  most 
charming  of  greetings  to  a  returning  townsman.  In  the  large  banqueting  hall 
of  the  Continental,  in  trying  to  express  to  the  great  American  colony  and  to 
the  Frenchmen  about  me  the  conflicting  emotions  by  which  I  was  possessed,  I 
told  the  simple  truth  in  saying  that  while  I  was  eager,  even  to  homesickness,  in 
my  desire  to  get  back  to  New  York,  I  did  not  in  the  least  want  to  leave 
Paris. 

"  Who  that  has  ever  passed  under  the  spell  of  the  City  of  Light — the 
one  city  of  the  world — can  fail  to  understand  or  to  sympathize  with  the  truly 
Irish  perplexity?  Who  that  has  ever  known  France  or  the  French  will  not 
join  with  me  in  urging  the  duty,  not  merely  of  perpetual  friendship,  but  of 
the  warmest  appreciation  for  that  fascinating  and  chivalric  people  who  have 
for  many  centuries  commanded  the  admiration  or  the  wonder  of  the  world,  and 
who  are  now  well  entered  on  the  second  century  of  an  unbroken  and  most  help- 
ful friendship  for  us  ?  I  never  met  a  Frenchman,  from  the  Elysee  or  the  Fau- 
bourg St.  Germain  to  the  forests  of  Auvergne,  who  did  not,  as  soon  as  he 
found  I  was  an  American,  receive  me  without  question  as  a  friend.  We  shall 
see  more  of  them  here  during  the  next  year,  and  I  hope  every  American  to 
whom  the  opportunity  may  come  will  exert  himself  to  make  them  feel  as  much 
at  home  among  us  as  we  have  always  made  ourselves  and  been  made  at  home 
among  them. 

"  Those  of  us  who  have  entered  the  fifties  have  learned  that  there  is  no 
great  happiness  in  this  world  without  attendant  pain.  To-night  the  joy  of 
coming  back  is  marked  by  finding  such  gaps  in  your  ranks.  Tlie  numbers,  to 
be  sure,  are  not  diminished ;  but,  ah !  what  faces  we  miss.  I  cannot  speak  in 
the  Ohio  Society  after  a  three  years'  absence  without  one  word  of  tender  and 
reverei;tial  regard  for  the  memory  of  your  greatest  member.     Rough  on  the 

127 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

surface,  sometimes,  as  a  chestnut  burr,  but  always  sweet  and  tender  inside 
as  the  nut ;  that  is  the  man  as  one  loves  to  recall  him.  We  had  occasionally  the 
sharpest  differences  of  opinion,  and  yet,  from  my  early  manhood  till  he  said 
goodby  to  me  on  sailing,  he  had  honored  me  with  his  friendship.  Not  a  syl- 
lable do  I  care  to  utter  to-night  of  his  public  career.  The  w^orld  has  long 
known  that  by  heart.  I  only  wish,  as  I  recall  the  kind  parting  and  the  kinder 
messages  and  letters  sent  over  seas,  and  as  I  now  note  the  vacant  place,  to 
pause  before  it  for  a  moment  and  salute  the  mighty  shade.  What  glories  the 
future  may  have  in  store  for  the  Ohio  Society  we  know  not,  but  the  past,  at 
least,  is  secure.    We  have  had  Wilham  Tecumseh  Sherman. 

"  We  have  had  another,  too,  whose  absence  strikes  sadly  on  a  returning 
son  of  the  State.  He  had  guided  the  finances  of  the  country  through  a  most 
critical  period — Ohio  has  had  a  specialty  of  great  finance  ministers^  from 
Ewing  and  Chase  and  Sherman  to  Foster.  He  had  achieved  a  brilliant  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Windom  stood  to  the  financial  world  as  the  champion  of  sound  meas- 
ures and  as  the  pledge  of  national  solvency  and  faith  and  honor,  and  in  that 
moment,  in  a  supreme  effort,  he  fell.  When  in  a  foreign  land  I  read  the  story, 
grief  for  the  great  loss  was  almost  swallowed  up  in  pride  for  the  splendid  end 
this  son  of  Ohio  had  made. 

"  There  is  no  occasion  to-night  to  call  the  roll  of  our  Ohio  worthies.  We 
have  never  been  charged,  even  by  our  worst  enemies,  with  ever  neglecting  the 
duty  to  celebrate  ourselves.  But  perhaps  you  will  permit  me  a  single  reminis- 
cence. On  one  of  the  last  occasions  when  I  had  the  opportunity  to  act  in  the 
office  with  which  you  honored  me  as  vice  president  of  the  Ohio  Society  I  found 
an  occasion,  in  presenting  to  you  a  gentleman  who  had  been  recently  dropped 
from  the  Senate,  and  had  thereupon  described  himself  as  a  '  dead  statesman,' 
to  put  out  that,  nevertheless,  he  had  in  him  the  material  for  an  uncommonly 
live  President.  Well,  gentlemen,  I  haven't  yet  seen  the  necessity  of  apolo- 
gizing for  any  mistake  made  in  that  prediction  as  to  the  future  of  that  par- 
ticular member  of  this  society. 

"Now,  it  is  said  that  the  other  party  is  looking  about  for  a  candidate. 
But  why  should  it  have  the  slightest  difficulty?  Here  Is  the  first  president  of 
the  Ohio  Society  ready  to  its  hand — statesman  himself,  and  the  son  of  a  states- 
man, and  although  he  has  the  proverbial  shyness  of  both  the  politician  and  the 
lawyer,  I  will  undertake  to  be  responsible  that  he  will  answer  quite  soon  after 
his  name  is  called. 

"  It  has  been  sometimes  said  that  there  are  two  kinds  of  men  in  this  coun- 
try— those  who  were  bom  in  Ohio  and  those  who  wish  they  had  been.  A  bril- 
liant example  of  the  latter  class  is  with  us  to-night;  and  very  pleasant  it  is 
for  tired  eyes  to  rest  on  the  familiar  features  of  this  prince  of  orators 
and  of  good  fellows.     His  genius  and  versatility  have  accomplished  wonders 

128 


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Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

in  the  way  of  acquiring  nationalities ;  but  this  is  a  shining  height  he  has  not 
reached.  He  has,  on  a  hundred  occasions  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  thou- 
sands of  auditors,  announced  himself  as  a  Dutchman,  a  Puritan,  a  Huguenot, 
a  Scotchman,  a  native  of  Peekskill  and  a  bit  of  an  Irishman.  But  he  has 
missed  the  crown.  He  was  never  born  in  Ohio — and  now  I  am  afraid  he  never 
will  be. 

"  Nevertheless,  the  Ohio  man  continues  to  be  prevalent.  In  the  present 
cabinet,  for  example,  out  of  the  eight  members  four  of  them  are  from  Ohio — 
and  two  of  them  are  here  to-night  to  explain  the  circumstance.  When  these 
four  Cabinet  officers  vote  together  and  the  President  joins  with  them  the  rest 
of  the  concern  must  feel  lonely ! 

"  Mr.  President,  I  forbear.  The  trend  of  feeling  seems  to  be  toward 
levity.  And  yet  nothing  could  be  further  from  my  purpose.  I  am  most 
happy  to  find  myself  so  thoroughly  at  home — so  completely  surrounded  by 
those  I  know  the  best  and  prize  the  highest.  I  am  most  grateful  for  the  care 
which  has  assembled  here  so  many  whom  it  is  a  pride  and  pleasure  for  me  to 
meet  again — Howells,  almost  the  oldest  and  certainly  one  of  the  dearest  of 
my  friends,  with  whom  I  lived  in  the  same  house  nearly  a  third 
of  a  century  ago,  when  he  paid  his  board  out  of  a  salary  of 
$15  a  week,  and  I  out  of  one  a  good  deal  less;  Ward,  who 
made  statues  in  those  days,  while  we  made  newspaper  articles,  and  whose  early 
wares  have  lasted  better;  the  gentlemen  of  my  own  profession — Mr.  Childs, 
who  is  the  friend  of  all  of  us ;  Colonel  McClure  and  Mr.  McKelway,  who  lend 
to  the  wrong  side  such  potent  and  persuasive  pens ;  my  old  master  in  the  news- 
paper business,  Mr.  Richard  Smith,  and  my  old  opponent,  Mr.  Murat  Hal- 
stead  ;  Mr.  Gilder,  who  has  made  one  of  the  most  successful  magazines  in  the 
world;  the  delegates  of  the  club  which  for  fourteen  years  endured  me  as  its 
president ;  these  representatives  of  the  government — national,  state  and  city — 
and  this  whole  brilliant  and  imposing  assemblage.  I  am  touched  beyond  words 
that  you  should  have  shown  me  this  kindness.  I  am  happy  to  have  escaped  in 
apparent  safety  from  public  service  and  to  be  received  among  you  again,  and 
I  close  as  I  began  with  a  heartfelt  expression  of  my  profoundest  and  most 
grateful  thanks." 

There  were  again  three  cheers  and  a  tiger  when  Mr.  Reid  closed  speak- 
ing, and  his  health  was  drunk  once  more  with  great  enthusiasm. 

General  Swayne,  in  introducing  the  next  speaker,  said  that  it  was  in  the 
room  in  which  they  were  assembled  that  Benjamin  Harrison  was  first  nom- 
inated for  President  of  the  United  States.  The  President  was  not  with  them, 
he  was  sorry  to  say,  but  he  was  represented  by  the  ranking  member  of  the  Cab- 
inet. He  called  upon  the  Hon.  Charles  Foster,  secretary  of  the  treasury,  to 
respond  to  the  next  toast,  "  International  Commerce." 

129 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

An  enthusiastic  round  of  applause  greeted  Mr.  Foster  as  he  rose  in  an- 
swer to  this  introduction.    When  the  cheering  had  subsided  he  said : 

"Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen:  If  I  have  paid  my  dues  I  am  a 
member  of  this  Society.  I  am  not  quite  certain  about  that.  But  I  ought  to  be 
a  member  in  good  standing. 

"  I  have  been  a  member  of  the  Society  from  the  beginning.  I  am  here 
to-night,  as  your  president  said,  as  the  ranking  officer  of  the  Cabinet  of  Pres- 
ident Harrison,  to  testify  to  you  to  the  great  success  of  Minister  Reid  while 
representing  the  United  States  at  the  court  of  France. 

"  Mr.  Reid  had  considerable  to  say  about  Ohio.  We  never  do  forget  to 
glorify  ourselves.  While  I  was  Governor  of  Ohio  I  was  often  called  upon, 
upon  occasions  somewhat  similar  to  this,  to  respond  for  the  State  of  Ohio.  It 
began  to  be  irksome.  I  began  to  study  why  Ohio  had  distinguished  herself 
beyond  all  other  States.  I  found  a  peculiar  condition  of  things — a  condition 
that  existed  in  no  other  state.  I  found  that  our  manufactures,  our  mining,  our 
agricultural  and  our  industrial  enterprises  existed  there  in  more  equal  propor- 
tions than  in  any  other  state. 

"  New  York  and  New  England  are  largely  manufacturing  sections  and 
the  South  and  the  West  are  agricultural.  Now,  all  these  great  forces  oper- 
ating upon  the  minds  of  the  people  of  Ohio  as  equally  produce  a  level  headed- 
ness,  while  in  New  York  and  New  England  these  forces,  not  operating  equally, 
produce  a  lopsidedness.  Our  institutions  are  peculiar.  We  believe  them  to  be 
the  best  of  any  country  on  earth.  Certainly  here  every  man,  be  he  rich  or 
poor,  has  an  equal  chance  in  the  race  for  life.  We  believe  in  rotation  in  office — 
but  not  just  now.  i 

"  We  have  no  class  of  people  until  recently — perhaps  we  may  get  some 
in  the  civil  service — who  hold  their  offices.  Yet  in  other  countries  in  Europe 
in  the  diplomatic  service  the  diplomats  are  trained  from  boyhood  and  remain 
in  that  service  all  their  lives.  In  this  country  we  pick  up  our  diplomats  from 
our  lawyers,  our  merchants,  our  newspaper  people,  and  we  send  them  abroad 
to  discharge  their  duty.  Now  I  undertake  to  say  that  from  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin down  to  the  present  time  our  diplomats  have  been  as  able  and  as  successful 
and,  I  think,  more  so,  in  the  discharge  of  these  duties  than  the  trained  men 
of  other  countries.  And,  I  think,  my  friends,  that  one  of  the  finest  illustra- 
tions we  have  of  the  success  of  the  newspaper  fraternity  exists  in  that  of  Mr. 
Reid." 

General  Swayne  next  introduced,  to  answer  to  the  toast  "Our  Foreign 
Relations"  the  secretary  of  war,  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  who  was  received  with 
great  enthusiasm  as  he  rose  to  respond. 

Mr.  Elkins  said  that  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Society  he  felt  honored 
at  taking  part  in  this  reception  and  expressing  respect  and  regard  for  a  fel- 

130 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

low  member  who,  by  his  ability  in  the  untried  field  of  diplomacy,  had  gained 
new  laurels  and  added  to  his  fame  and  distinction  in  this  and  other  lands. 

On  behalf  of  the  administration  it  was  the  speaker's  most  pleasing  duty 
of  saying  to  Minister  Reid  in  this  presence  that  the  chief  executive  and  those 
associated  with  him  in  administering  the  affairs  of  this  great  republic  sent  him 
words  of  cordial  greeting  and  a  warm  welcome  on  his  return  home.  Mr.  Elkins 
then  continued : 

"  You  went  abroad  taking  with  you  the  esteem  and  affection  of  many  of 
the  leading  men  of  your  country.  You  had  already  risen  to  distinction,  and 
your  name,  your  ability  and  your  varied  accomplishments  were  widely  known 
and  appreciated.  You  return  decorated  with  the  confidence  and  approbation 
of  the  two  great  leading  republics  of  the  world,  by  reason  of  your  great  serv- 
ices to  both.  It  will  be  remembered  by  many  here  that  at  the  first  annual 
dinner  of  the  Society  the  distinguished  gentleman  now  President  of  the  United 
States  was  an  invited  guest.  Our  guest,  then  our  Vice  President,  in  fitting  and 
graceful  terms,  called  on  General  Harrison  to  respond  to  a  sentiment,  and  in 
his  remarks  ventured  to  suggest  that  it  was  among  the  possibilities  that  an- 
other Harrison  might  some  day  fill  tlie  Presidential  chair.  From  this  happy 
allusion  some  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  claim  they  saw  in  the  speaker,  as 
he  responded  with  that  clearness,  power  and  strength  wliich  always  character- 
ized his  graceful  oratory,  what  his  countrymen  later  on  discovered,  that  he  was 
fitted  for  the  high  office  of  President,  and  to  which  by  their  choice  he  was  soon 
after  elevated. 

"  As  Oliio  men  we  are  proud  of  our  Ohio  President.  He  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence of  his  countrymen  everywhere.  He  has  shown  to  the  country  and 
world  in  point  of  integrity,  intellectual  force,  power  of  administration  and 
ability  to  deal  with  large  and  difficult  questions  that  he  will  stand  among  the 
first  of  the  great  Presidents  of  the  Republic.  It  is  a  source  of  pride  to  the 
society  that  the  state  of  Ohio  has  given  to  this  administration  the  President 
and  four  members  of  his  Cabinet,  an  event  not  likely  to  occur  again  in  the 
history  of  any  state  in  the  Union.  The  administration  rejoices  in  Minister 
Reid's  success.  His  services  to  his  country  in  his  high  office  are  among  his 
best  assets.  The  great  secretary  under  whom  he  sei'ved  reports  that  he  is  de- 
tained at  Washington  and  prevented  from  joining  in  this  reception.  He 
could  and  would  tell  you  were  he  here  with  what  ability,  zeal  and  satisfaction  to 
him  Minister  Reid  always  discharged  his  duties  and  the  beneficial  results  he 
secured  to  his  country." 

Mr,  Elkins  concluded  his  address  by  paying  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the 
gifted  wife  of  Minister  Reid. 

After  Mr.  Elkins,  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew  was  the  next  speaker.  His 
appearance  was  greeted  with  a  salvo  of  applause  which  must  have  warmed  the 

131 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cockles  of  his  heart.     The  toast  to  which  he  responded  was  "New  York's  Wel- 
come."    Mr.  Depew  said: 

"  Gentlemen  :  It  is  a  rare  pleasure  and  privilege  to  participate  in  the 
event  we  celebrate  to-night.  Both  the  absence  and  the  return  of  our  guest  are 
fortunate  for  himself  and  his  country.  Abroad  he  conferred  honor  upon 
the  republic  and  gained  distinction  for  himself.  By  returning  he  adds  to  the 
happiness  of  his  friends. 

"  During  the  last  ten  years  it  has  fallen  to  my  lot  on  many  occasions  to 
deliver  a  eulogy  upon  some  distinguished  son  of  Ohio.  In  every  instance  he 
was  dead.  It  created  an  impression  in  my  mind  that  there  was  a  mysterious 
relation  between  an  eminent  soldier  or  citizen  of  Ohio  and  the  grave.  It  is  an 
inspiration  and  a  tonic  for  both  my  nerves  and  my  spirits  to  be  able  to  speak 
of  a  son  of  Ohio  whose  fame  is  international  and  who  is  very  much  alive.  If 
there  be  any  doubts  on  that  question  it  will  be  dissipated  through  the  columns 
of  the  New  York  Tribune  during  the  coming  months  of  the  Presidential  can- 
vass. It  will  be  discovered  that  this  accomplished  journalist  has  not  lost  the 
art  of  occasionally  criticising  his  party  friends  when  they  deserv^e  it,  and  con- 
tinually scorning  his  party  enemies  because  they  always  deserve  it. 

"  The  one  act  of  President  Harrison  which  has  received  the  greatest 
criticism  has  been  his  appointment  of  journalists  to  diplomatic  places.  We 
lawyers  have  felt  especially  aggrieved  that  after  entering  upon  the  legislative 
fields,  which  we  have  always  called  our  own,  they  should  have  assumed  to  aspire 
to  places  which  the  lawyers  have  always  regarded  as  belonging  by  right  to 
them.  '  What,'  say  the  critics,  '  can  the  journalist  whose  time  and  mind  and 
training  have  been  given  to  the  discussion  of  theoretical  politics,  practical  re- 
ligion, sociological  questions,  of  party  candidates  and  responding  at  innu- 
merable banquets  to  the  toast  of  "Tlie  Press"  know  about  international  law 
and  the  delicate  matters  of  diplomacy.'" 

"Only  twice  in  the  history  of  the  relations  between  France  and  the  United 
States  as  nations  has  France  been  prominently  and  interestingly  in  the  eye  and 
mind  of  the  American  people.  First,  when  she  gave  us  the  assistance  which 
secured  our  independence,  and  second,  when  there  was  negotiated  with  her  a 
treaty  which  will  be  of  incalculable  advantage  to  the  people  of  this  country. 
In  the  first  instance  our  minister  was  Benjamin  Franklin  and  in  the  second 
Whitelaw  Reid,  both  journalists. 

"  By  sentiment  and  service  we  are  more  closely  bound  to  France  than  any 
other  European  nations,  and  yet  in  the  rapidity  of  our  own  development  and 
the  crowding  events  which  have  brought  us  in  commercial  communion  or  col- 
lision with  other  nations,  we  have  taken  little  account  of  and  given  little 
thought  to  France  during  the  last  hundred  years.  Her  fleet,  her  army  and 
her  credit  enabled  us  to  bring  our  revolution  to  a  triumphant  conclusion ;  and 

132 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  ideas  of  liberty  absorbed  here  by  the  French  soldiers  and  carried  back  to 
France  revolutionized  the  continent  of  Europe.  Upon  the  lines  of  civil  and 
rehgious  freedom  and  of  the  ideas  and  the  measures  which  tend  to  the  promo- 
tion of  the  happiness  of  mankind  France  and  the  United  States  have  developed 
together.  Their  friendly  relations  have  been  enormously  strengthened  by  the 
moral  support  which  we  gave  the  young  republic  in  its  struggle  for  the  per- 
manence of  its  free  institutions ;  by  the  vigorous,  wise  and  enlightened  course 
of  the  American  minister  who  is  our  guest  to-night. 

"  Our  poets,  our  orators  and  our  great  writers,  in  celebrating  the  glories 
of  our  Western  Empire,  have  all  failed  to  recognize  in  epic  verse  and  fitting 
phrase  that  principal  and  perennial  source  of  our  prosperity,  the  American 
hog.  He,  more  than  any  other  agency,  has  solved  the  problem  of  the  farm 
and  the  market.  When  the  Western  farmer  would  be  compelled  to  bum  his 
corn  because  the  price  at  the  seaboard  would  not  enable  him  to  bear  the  cost 
of  transportation,  this  intelligent  animal  consumes  the  corn,  chemically  works 
it  up  in  his  own  person  into  profitable  pork,  and  then  transports  himself  to 
market  to  clear  the  mortgage  from  the  farm  and  add  to  the  wealth  of  his 
country. 

"  The  governments  of  the  Old  World  have  always  been  jealous  of  our 
growth  and  prosperity  and  fearful  of  the  penetrating  and  propagating  power 
of  American  ideas.  They  could  not  keep  out  Yankees,  for  they  go  every- 
where. They  could  not  keep  out  Yankee  inventions,  for  their  adoption  was 
necessary  if  they  would  keep  pace  in  industrial  competitions.  They  could  not 
keep  out  American  wheat,  because  their  fields  were  insufficient  to  raise  their 
own  supply.^  But  in  self-preservation  and  with  marvelous  unanimity,  and 
backing  up  the  effort  with  the  whole  force  of  their  great  armaments,  they 
banished  and  then  prohibited  the  re-entrance  of  the  American  hog.  For  eleven 
years  this  great  staple  of  our  country  has  been  denied  admission.  The  popu- 
l^T  sentiment  was  so  strong  in  favor  of  the  prohibition  that  any  attempt  to 
remove  it  threatened  to  hurl  the  government  of  the  day  from  power.  It  was 
to  this  most  difficult  task  that  Mr.  Reid  applied  his  ability  and  his  energy. 
His  success  has  moved  the  torpid  pulse  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  to  en- 
thusiastic gratitude,  and  has  done  more  for  the  commerce  and  wealth  of  our 
country  than  any  single  diplomatic  transaction  of  the  last  decade. 

"  It  is  an  old  saw  that  every  good  American  goes  to  Paris  before  he  dies. 
It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  visit  hastens  that  desired  or  lamented  event. 
Paris  is  known  to  our  countrymen  as  the  metropolis  where  their  women  are 
gowned  and  their  men  bankrupted.  For  the  last  three  years  we,  which  means 
virtually  the  majority  of  the  American  people  who  travel,  have  found  in  Paris 
a  model  American  home,  whose  perfect  appointments  made  us  proud  of  our 
country,  and  whose  generous  hospitality  made  us  feel  at  home. 

133 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  The  position  of  an  American  minister  among  the  ironclad  customs  and 
inflexible  traditions  of  the  diplomatic  service  in  the  older  countries  is  not  a 
happy  one.  According  to  immemorial  usage  the  ambassador,  in  the  absence 
of  his  sovereign,  is  the  sovereign  in  person,  or  if  his  state  is  not  monarchial  he 
represents  the  sovereignty  of  the  commonwealth.  Immemorial  usage  assigns  to 
the  minister  only  the  dignity  of  a  diplomatic  agent.  At  the  great  capitals 
like  Paris  all  the  Powers  of  Europe  and  Asia  send  ambassadors,  the  republics 
of  South  America  and  the  Isthmus  send  ambassadors,  and  Hayti  is  represented 
by  an  ambassador.  Whenever  the  representatives  of  these  governments  call 
upon  the  Foreign  Minister  of  France  the  obsequious  attendant  throws  open 
both  doors  of  the  Foreign  Office  to  the  ambassador ;  he  opens  one  door  to  admit 
the  American  minister.  At  state  receptions,  official  functions,  Presidential 
dinners,  the  American  minister  decorates  the  rear  of  the  diplomatic  procession 
and  sits  next  to  Hayti  at  the  foot  of  the  table. 

"  Our  adherence  as  a  nation  to  this  Spartan  simplicity  decorates  the 
rhetoric  of  the  Fourth  of  July  orator  as  to  the  prestige  and  power  of  the 
great  republic,  and  degrades  among  his  official  associates  the  representatives 
of  the  great  republic.  The  American  minister,  who  is  thus  officially  handi- 
capped and  who  has  a  proper  patriotic  appreciation  of  the  dignity  and  posi- 
tion which  his  government  rightfully  holds  among  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
has  a  most  difficult  and  delicate  task.  But  it  can  be  truthfully  said  by  every 
one  who  was  on  the  spot  to  observe  that  with  tact  which  was  never  at  fault,  and 
dignity  which  compelled  recognition,  and  assertiveness  which  was  never  offen- 
sive, and  a  pride  which  was  never  arrogant,  the  grandeur  and  glory  of  the 
republic  of  the  United  States  so  pervaded  all  official  assemblages  when  the  min- 
ister was  present  that  for  the  last  three  years  wherever  the  American  minister 
has  sat  has  been  next  to  the  head  of  the  table. 

"New  York  stands  to  the  people  in  all  parts  of  our  country  as  does  a 
great  university  to  its  young  men.  The  student  who  has  won  academic  honors 
in  Ohio  or  California,  in  Idaho  or  Indiana,  comes  to  Yale  or  Harvard.  There- 
after for  the  rest  of  his  life  he  is  known  as  an  alumnus  of  Yale  or  Harvard. 
So  the  man  who  has  grown  too  large  for  his  neighborhood  or  his  state  in  the 
West,  the  South,  the  East  or  the  North,  comes  to  New  York.  Here  he  is  wel- 
comed without  ardor  and  given  such  equal  chance  among  the  Knickerbockers, 
or  finds  himself  crystallized  among  the  '  four  hundred.' 

"  It  is  this  cosmopolitan  spirit  which  gives  New  York  an  Ohio  Society 
larger  than  any  to  be  found  in  any  city  in  Ohio  and  a  Southern  Society 
stronger  than  any  organized  in  any  city  in  the  South.  It  is  in  this  spirit  that 
we  have  more  Germans  than  in  any  German  city  save  Berlin,  and  more  Irish 
than  in  any  city  in  the  Emerald  Isle.  It  was  this  attraction  which  brought 
to  us  Ohio's  great  son,  General  Grant,  and  caused  him  to  request  that  he  might 

134 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

be  buried  upon  our  island,  a  request  which  I  trust  will  soon  be  honored  by  a 
monument  erected  over  his  grave  worthy  the  great  captain  and  the  great  me- 
tropolis. It  was  the  multiplied  charms  of  New  York  which  drew  here  the  most 
attractive  soldier  of  our  time  and  made  him  loved  by  us  as  he  loved  us,  another 
of  Ohio's  grand  contributions  to  the  glory  of  the  republic.  General  Sherman. 
New  York  welcomes  the  children  of  her  adoption,  when  they  are  worthy  of  her 
recognition,  with  the  same  unstinted  and  generous  gratitude  or  honor  as  she 
does  her  children  to  the  manner  born.  I  speak  for  her  best  impulses,  for  her 
vigorous  manhood,  for  her  broad  and  catholic  judgment,  when  I  say  on  her 
behalf  to  Whitelaw  Reid :    '  Welcome !  thrice  welcome,  back  to  New  York !'  " 

"  The  Molder  of  Public  Opinion  "  was  the  toast  to  which  Col.  Alexander 
K.  McClure,  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Times,  was  called  upon  to  respond. 
During  the  course  of  his  speech  he  said: 

"  This  is  to  me  a  most  pleasant  occasion.  I  have  known  the  distinguished 
guest  of  the  evening  for  thirty  years  as  a  journalist;  remember  liim  well  as  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  remarkable  galaxy  of  war  correspondents  developed 
during  the  Rebellion  and  have  noticed  his  rapid  advancement  to  the  very  front 
rank  of  his  profession,  not  only  with  the  pride  that  I  have  always  felt  in  those 
who  dignify  the  newspaper  calling,  but  also  with  the  gratification  that  ever 
comes  to  us  all  when  cherished  friends  attain  exceptional  success.  There  is 
eminent  fitness  in  this  gathering  of  distinguished  sons  of  Ohio  to  do  honor  to 
Whitelaw  Reid,  who  is  now  a  leading  figure  in  American  progress  as  journalist 
and  diplomat,  but  whose  name  will  be  cherished  chiefly,  not  only  in  this  but  in 
other  lands,  as  one  who  has  shed  the  richest  lustre  upon  American  journalism. 

"  What  is  journalism  in  this  great  republic?  In  England  it  has  been 
called  the  fourth  estate;  in  the  free  institutions  of  America,  where  the  people 
are  sovereign  and  where  the  newspapers  are  the  chief  educator  of  those  who 
govern  the  land,  the  press  is  the  first  estate.  Like  all  great  elements  of  power 
it  has  its  shadowed  aspects.  It  has  many  teachers  of  its  o\vti  creation  that  are 
dicreditable  to  the  great  calling  and  a  reproach  to  the  most  intelhgent  people 
of  the  earth;  but  discounted  by  all  its  imperfections  the  press  of  the  United 
States  is  the  best  the  world  has  ever  known  and  is  the  most  potent  of  all  the 
varied  factors  in  our  free  government. 

"  I  regard  the  editorial  chair  as  the  highest  public  trust  of  our  free  in- 
stitutions. Presidents,  Cabinets,  Senates,  representative  bodies  come  and  play 
their  brief  parts  and  pass  away,  many  of  them  into  forgetfulncss,  and  great 
parties  rise  and  fall  in  the  swift  mutations  of  the  political  efforts  of  a  free 
people.  Journalism  not  onl}'  survives  all  the  varied  changes  of  our  political 
sj'stem,  but  its  duties  and  responsibilities  multiply  with  each  year  as  it  becomes 
more  and  more  the  great  teacher  of  the  people  in  their  homes. 

"  When  President  Harrison  came  into  power  he  honored  himself  by  nom- 

135 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

inating  to  three  of  the  four  first  class  missions  of  the  government  distinguished 
representatives  of  American  journals — Whitelaw  Reid  to  France,  Charles  Em- 
ory Smith  to  Russia  and  Murat  Halstead  to  Germany.  High  as  was  the  com- 
pliment paid  to  journalism  by  the  President,  the  highest  comphment  of  all  was 
paid  to  Mr.  Halstead  when  he  was  rejected  by  a  Senate  of  his  own  political 
faith,  and  an  exceptional  compliment  was  paid  to  Mr.  Reid,  the  honored  guest 
of  the  evening,  by  his  narrow  escape  from  rejection  by  the  same  body.  There 
was  not  an  objection  urged  against  the  confirmation  of  either  of  these  eminent 
journalists  that  was  not  inspired  by  resentment  for  the  best  journalistic  efforts 
of  their  lives.  It  was  the  manly,  fearless  criticism  of  public  men  and  public 
measures,  the  exposure  of  the  infirmities  and  perfidy  of  those  who  pose  as  repre- 
sentative statesmen  of  the  republic,  that  honored  Mr.  Halstead  by  refusing 
him  the  mission  for  which  he  had  been  nominated,  and  that  paid  a  rare  tribute 
to  Mr.  Reid  by  grudgingly  assenting  to  his  appointment.  The  cowardly,  sub- 
missive journalist  is  innocent  of  antagonisms;  the  aggressive,  fearless,  faithful 
journalist  commands  the  highest  distinction  of  malignant  hostility  from  all 
who  make  politics  a  trade  and  prostitute  statesmanship  to  mean  ambition  and 
jobbery. 

"  I  recall  also  with  great  pleasure  the  fact  that  the  two  great  editors  who 
were  confirmed  to  fill  first  class  missions  have  both  voluntarily  resigned  to  re- 
sume their  newspaper  duties.  We  are  here  to-night  to  welcome  Mr.  Reid  back 
to  his  high  public  trust  of  journalism,  and  in  Philadelphia  we  shall  soon  be 
able  to  welcome  Mr.  Smith,  who  has  resigned  his  mission  and  will  resume  the 
great  calling  of  his  life.  These  leaders  of  our  profession  have  learned  the 
httleness  of  official  trust  when  compared  with  the  highest  of  all  public  trusts — 
the  direction  of  a  great  newspaper. 

"  Need  I  remind  this  intelligent  assembly  of  Horace  Greeley,  confessedly 
the  ablest  of  all  the  many  able  journalists  our  country  has  produced.'*  He  was 
often  more  potent  even  than  the  President,  and  no  man  ever  accomplished  so 
much  in  the  education  of  the  people  in  all  that  was  beneficent  and  just.  He 
cared  not  for  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  public  office,  but  he  had  fought  the 
battles  of  the  people.  He  had  braved  obloquy  in  his  tireless  eff'orts  for  the 
oppressed  and  lowly  and  his  great  sympathetic  heart,  that  ever  beat  responsive 
to  the  cries  of  the  oppressed,  craved  the  grateful  recognition  of  the  people  to 
whose  cause  he  sincerely  devoted  his  life.  A  brief  term  in  Congress  proved  to 
all,  as  it  must  have  proved  to  himself,  that  while  the  great  editor  was  a  master 
in  criticising  the  imperfections  of  public  men,  the  Congressman  who  had  crit- 
icised his  fellows  through  his  own  newspaper  columns  was  a  dismal  failure.  At 
last  the  great  dream  of  his  life  gave  promise  of  fulfilment  as  he  was  nominated 
for  the  Presidency ;  but  the  clouds  came,  his  hopes  perished,  and,  smitten  in 
all  that  he  loved  or  dreamed  of,  his  death  was  welcomed  by  his  friends  as  end- 

136 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

iiig  the  fitful  life  that  had  settled  in  a  starless  midnight  of  mental  darkness. 

"  And  Raymond,  whose  name  is  spoken  with  reverence  by  every  American 
journalist;  the  only  man  whose  lance  was  never  shivered  in  his  many  conflicts 
with  his  great  master,  is  now  hardly  remembered  as  legislator,  Speaker,  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  and  member  of  Congress.  He  was  a  leader  of  leaders  in 
politics.  He  was  at  the  baptismal  font  of  republicanism,  and  he  penned  the 
platform  of  Pittsburg  in  1856,  that  crystallized  the  greatest  party  of  Amer- 
ican history  and  made  the  most  heroic  achievements  of  any  civilization  of  the 
world.  I  have  seen  him  calm  in  a  turbulent  National  Convention ;  call  it  to  or- 
der and  method,  and  guide  it  to  the  great  results  of  its  mission ;  but  who  re- 
members him  as  Congressman  save  as  the  target  of  the  matchless  invective  of 
Stevens,  or  as  having  recorded  failure  after  failure  in  statesmanship. 

"  Dana,  the  Nestor  of  American  journalism,  dated  his  great  success  and 
power  as  a  newspaper  man  when  he  indignantly  declined  a  second  place  in  the 
Customs  of  your  city,  tendered  to  him  by  a  President  whose  election  he  had 
favored.  Thenceforth  he  was  free  from  the  thongs  of  political  expectation, 
and  no  one  has  more  pointedly  illustrated  the  difference  in  distinction  and 
achievement  between  the  editor  who  puts  journalism  before  party  and  party 
honors  and  the  editor  who  struggles  for  party  success  to  share  party  spoils. 

"The  elder  Bennett  has  grandly  illustrated  the  true  theory  of  journalism 
by  the  assumption  that  a  great  editor  could  never  be  an  acceptable  popular 
candidate  for  any  party,  and  I  have  reason  to  know  that  he  regarded  it  as  the 
crowning  distinction  of  his  life  that  he  had  the  opportunity  to  decline,  as  in- 
compatible with  his  journalistic  duties,  the  same  mission  from  which  our  hon- 
ored guest  of  to-night  has  just  returned. 

"  The  time  was  when  journalism  was  confined  to  party  organs  and  when 
newspapers  were  a  luxury.  Public  office  was  then  measurably  compatible  with 
the  public  trust  of  journalism;  but  that  age  has  passed  away  never  to  return. 
To-day  the  newspaper  is  the  educator  of  the  home,  and  is  read  in  almost  every 
family  in  the  land.  It  is  the  daily  lesson  to  our  children ;  the  daily  monitor  to 
those  who  exercise  the  sovereignty  of  our  government.  It  is  constant  in  its 
duties  and  its  achievements.  On  great  occasions  it  arouses  public  sentiment  to 
aggressive  action;  in  common  times  it  is  ceaselessly  fulfilling  its  mission  as 
gently  as  the  dews  which  jewel  the  flowers  of  the  early  morning,  and  it  is  the 
one  calling  of  our  free  land  that  cannot  be  dependent  upon  the  whims  of  party 
leaders  or  the  resentments  of  those  who  control  official  positions.  It  must  be 
'  unawed  by  influence,  unbribed  by  gain.'  Such  is  the  true  mission  of  the 
journalist  where  journalism  is  so  inseparably  interwoven  with  the  sovereignty 
of  the  republic,  and  it  is  to  this  high  trust  and  duty  that  we  welcome  back  the 
honored  guest  of  the  evening." 

General  Swayne  said  that  a  welcome  home  to  New  York  to  ex-Minister 

137 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Reid  would  be  incomplete  without  a  word  of  greeting  from.  Brooklyn.  He 
therefore  called  upon  St.  Clair  McKelway,  of  Brooklyn,  to  say  a  few  words. 
In  the  beginning  of  his  speech  Mr.  McKelway  intimated  that  "  Mr.  Reid  had 
returned  home  perhaps  to  receive  a  greater  honor  in  connection  with  his  party's 
nomination  for  the  Vice  Presidency,"  a  suggestion  that  was  received  with  the 
greatest  applause. 

Mr.  McKelway  said  that  he  spoke  for  the  press  of  New  York,  and  in  that 
capacity  he  dwelt  at  length  upon  Mr.  Reid's  career  as  a  newspaper  editor  in 
New  York,  his  methods,  the  ideas  he  sought  to  introduce  in  his  own  journal 
and  his  influence  upon  journalism  generally.  He  paid  a  very  high  tribute  to 
Mr.  Reid's  journalistic  abihty,  and  particularly  commended  the  high  moral 
character  of  the  paper  he  conducted.  He  praised  Mr.  Reid  for  assisting  to 
put  a  stop  to  personal  contests  in  editorial  writings  and  closed  with  a  eulogy 
of  his  services  as  Minister  to  France.     He  said : 

"  Mr.  Reid  in  France  has  worthily  honored  an  office  in  which  Franklin, 
Washbume,  Dayton,  McLean  and  Bigelow  and  John  A.  Dix  won  for  them- 
selves a  lustre  as  bright  as  the  day  and  as  long  as  time.  He  brings  back  the 
gratitude  of  all  Americans  abroad  with  whom  he  has  been  in  contact,  and  he 
meets  here  not  only  the  greetings  of  his  friends  around  these  tables,  and  not 
only  the  congratulations  of  his  fellow  laborers  in  all  the  newspaper  offices  of 
the  English  speaking  world,  but  the  salutations  of  his  countrymen  and  their 
best  wishes  for  his  happiness  and  prosperity,  either  on  the  lines  of  his  resumed 
profession  or  on  the  paths  of  any  higher  duties  that  events  in  their  unfolding 
may  solicit  or  require  him  to  tread." 

Ex-Senator  Warner  Miller  made  a  brief  response  to  the  sentiment,  "  Our 
Commercial  Facilities." 

Frank  R.  Lawrence,  Mr.  Reid's  successor  as  president  of  the  Lotus  Club, 
welcomed  Mr.  Reid  home  as  the  spokesman  of  a  numerous  delegation  from  the 
Lotus  Club,  who  were  among  the  guests. 

Then  the  merry  company  dispersed  with  three  cheers  and  a  tiger  for 
Whitelaw  Reid. 

Among  the  many  letters  of  regret  from  eminent  men  who  had  been  invited 
was  the  following  from  the  French  Minister  to  the  United  States : 

"  The  Legation  of  the  French  Republic, 
"  Washington,  D.  C,  March,  1892. 
"  General,  :  You  liave  done  me  the  honor  to  invite  me  to  take  part  in 
the  banquet  that  your  society  has  tendered  to  Mr.  Whitelaw  Reid  after  his 
arrival  in  New  York  on  the  9th  of  April.  I  hasten  to  thank  you  for  your 
courtesy  and  regret  that  it  will  not  be  possible  for  me  to  accept,  as  I  already 
have  another  engagement  for  that  day.    I  regret  this  all  the  more  because  dur- 

138 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ing  my  stay  in  Paris  I  had  occasion  to  appreciate  the  extreme  courtesy  of  the 
honorable  representative  from  the  United  States,  and  because  I  should  have 
been  very  happy  to  associate  myself  with  this  occasion  of  expression  of  esteem 
which  is  given  to  Mr.  Reid  by  his  compatriots.  Accept,  General,  the  as- 
surances of  my  most  distinguished  consideration.  Patenotee. 
"  To  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  No.  45  Cedar  Street,  New  York." 

Vice  President  Morton  wrote  as  follows : 

"  Vice  Peesident's  Chamber, 
"Washington,  March  31,  1892. 

"  My  Deae  General,  :  I  very  much  regret  that  previous  engagements 
deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  of  accepting  the  invitation  of  the  Ohio  Society  to  be 
present  at  the  banquet  to  be  given  the  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid  on  the  9th  of  April. 

"  Mr.  Reid  has  discharged  his  duties  as  the  representative  of  his  country 
to  our  sister  republic  of  the  Old  World  with  conspicuous  ability,  in  a  manner 
alike  honorable  to  his  country  and  himself,  and  it  would  be  a  source  of  great 
gratification  if  I  could  join  the  membei-s  of  the  society  of  his  native  state,  and 
present  in  person  my  cordial  congratulations,  a  hearty  greeting  and  a  warm 
welcome  to  our  distinguished  guest  on  his  return  to  his  native  land. 

"  Thanking  the  Society  for  the  courtesy  extended,  I  am,  with  renewed 
regrets,  very  faithfully  and  truly  yours, 


"  Levi  P.  Moeton. 


"  Gen.  Wagee  Swayne,  New  York." 


f 


Other  letters  were  from  Senator  Frank  Hiscock,  Senator  Joseph  R.  Haw- 
ley,  of  Connecticut;  ex-Minister  to  England  E.  J.  Phelps,  George  William 
Curtis,  Secretary  Rusk,  who  was  detained  at  Washington ;  Col.  John  Hay  and 
Frank  Hatton. 

A  number  of  ladies  were  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  Society  held  on 
April  18th.  Vice-President  Henry  L.  Burnett  occupied  the  chair,  as  President 
Strong  was  absent  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  mother.  ISlr.  Crall,  treas- 
urer, reported  that  the  financial  part  of  the  Reid  banquet,  like  all  other  parts 
of  it,  had  been  a  success.  With  Vice-President  Packard  in  the  chair,  General 
Burnett  entertained  the  Society  with  a  most  interesting  address,  relating  his 
services  at  Washington  under  the  great  war  secretary,  Stanton,  immediatelv 
after  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  Then  followed  a  progi*amme  of 
music  under  the  direction  of  Eugene  Clarke.  A  collation  was  sem'ed.  At  the 
meeting  of  May  9th  Mr.  Foye  reported  for  the  governing  committee  that  the 
present  rooms  of  the  Society  had  been  engaged  for  another  year,  at  a  reduction 


139 


k 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  $700  in  rent.  The  report  was  accepted.  The  treasurer  reported  a  balance 
on  hand  of  $2,900.  General  Swayne  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  New  York  city  has  shown  a  most  hospitable  welcome  to  Ohio 
men,  and  has  many  times  given  generously  to  Ohio  public  and  educational  pur- 
poses, and, 

"  Whereas,  New  York  city  at  this  time  is  giving  liberally  to  a  memorial 
of  a  son  of  Ohio,  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  and, 

"  Whereas,  The  chancellor  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  a 
member  of  the  Ohio  Society,  has  interested  several  of  our  members  in  the 
establishing  of  a  memorial  tribute  of  an  educational  character,  to  bring  to- 
gether in  a  pleasant  manner  Ohio  and  New  York, 

"  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  seven  members  with  President  William  L. 
Strong  as  chairman,  be  appointed  to  confer  with  Chancellor  MacCracken  on  the 
subject,  and  that  power  be  given  them  to  add  the  endorsement  of  the  Ohio  So- 
ciety to  such  plan  of  the  character  above  named  as  they  may  approve." 

President  Strong  subsequently  appointed  the  following  committee  to  act 
with  himself  in  accordance  with  the  above  resolution:  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid, 
General  Wager  Swayne,  John  W.  Ellis,  Gen.  Samuel  Thomas,  A.  D.  Juilliard, 
William  H.  Caldwell,  S.  S.  Packard.  As  alternates :  J.  D.  Archbold,  C.  N. 
Hoagland,  C.  S.  Brice,  Thomas  A.  Edison,  John  W.  Harman,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward. 

General  Ewing  gave  a  most  interesting  account  of  experiences  in  Kansas 
before  the  war,  under  the  title,  "  The  Struggle  for  Freedom  in  Kansas."  By 
resolution,  the  Society  asked  General  Ewing  to  furnish  a  copy  of  his  speech 
for  printing. 

The  story  of  the  "  Ohio  Field  "  of  the  University  of  New  York  is  interest- 
ing, and  as  it  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  the 
steps  taken  subsequently  may  be  here  recounted. 

Upon  the  presentation  of  the  above  action  of  the  Ohio  Society  to  the 
council  of  the  University,  at  its  meeting,  May  27,  1892,  action  was  taken  as 
follows : 

"  Resolved^  That  the  council  welcomes  cordially  the  committee  appointed 
May  9,  1892,  by  the  Ohio  Society  to  confer  with  the  chancellor  of  the  Uni- 
versity as  to  the  establishing  of  a  foundation  of  an  educational  character,  in- 
tended to  bring  together  in  pleasant  association  Ohio  and  New  York,  this  com- 
mittee consisting  of  the  following  fourteen  gentlemen,  seven  being  principals 
and  seven  alternates,  in  addition  to  Col.  William  L.  Strong,  president  of  the 
Ohio  Society,  as  chairman.     (Here  follow  the  names  above  given.) 

140 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  And  the  council  authorizes  the  committee  on  needs  and  endowment,  with 
the  chcancellor,  to  settle  in  conference  with  this  committee  the  conditions  upon 
which  the  University  may  be  enabled  to  establish  a  trust  which  shall  associate 
Ohio  and  New  York  in  an  important  educational  benefaction." 

The  committee  of  the  Ohio  Society  met  at  the  Society's  rooms  on  October 
17,  1892,  the  following  gentlemen  being  present:  Col.  William  L.  Strong, 
chairman ;  C.  N.  Hoagland,  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  WiUiam  H.  Caldwell,  Prof. 
S.  S.  Packard,  John  W.  Harman.  After  careful  consideration  the  following 
action  was  taken : 

"The  committee  of  the  Ohio  Society  approve  the  solicitation  from  mem- 
bers of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  from  other  Ohio  men,  of  a  fund  to  be  given  to 
the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  to  aid  in  the  purchase  of  new  grounds 
selected  for  the  University  at  University  Heights.  A  new  station  to  be  estab- 
lished on  the  New  York  and  Northern  and  the  New  York  Central  Railways, 
midway  between  the  present  stations  of  Morris  Heights  and  Fordham  Heights. 
This  fund  is  to  be  given  upon  the  conditions  expressed  in  the  following  form 
of  subscription,  which  is  hereby  approved : 

"  The  undersigned  agree  with  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
and  with  each  other,  that  we  will  pay  to  the  treasurer  of  the  Unhersity,  on  or 
before  January  1st,  1893,  the  amount  of  money  set  opposite  to  our  names, 
respectively,  upon  the  following  conditions: 

"  1 .  That  it  may  be  used  to  secure  for  athletic  purposes  a  part  of  the  new 
grounds  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

"  2.  That  the  University  agree,  in  case  $50,000  be  subscribed  in  like 
manner,  that  it  will  set  apart  and  definitely  mark,  within  one  year  after  pur- 
chasing the  new  site,  not  less  than  four  acres  thereof  for  an  athletic  field. 

"  3.  That  this  field  shall  be  permanently  named  the  Ohio  Field. 

"  4.  That  if  ever  the  Universit}'^  devote  such  land  to  other  than  athletic 
uses,  it  will  invest  the  above  amount  of  $50,000  in  another  athletic  field,  or  in 
buildings,  or  in  both,  which  shall  bear  the  same  name  and  memorial  character. 

"  5.  That  the  University  further  agree,  for  each  subscription  of  $2,000, 
to  found  a  graduate  scholarship,  to  be  named  after  an  Ohio  college  such  as  the 
giver  or  givers  may  designate,  which  scholarship  shall  provide  tuition  to  the 
amount  of  $100  a  year  in  the  University  Graduate  Seminary  for  such  grad- 
uate of  the  college  named,  as  its  president  may  recommend  to  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Universit}^  Such  graduate  student  may  hold  the  scholarship  for  three 
years,  or  until  the  president  of  the  college  appoint  his  successor,  but  he  shall 
be  subject  to  such  rules  as  are  prescribed  for  the  other  graduate  students  of 

141 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  University.    These  graduate  scholarships  shall  be  perpetuated,  at  the  least 
until  the  year  1931,  which  will  be  the  centennial  of  the  University. 

"  6.  That  the  University  will  make  full  announcement  in  each  annual 
catalogue  of  these  scholarships,  with  their  titles  and  conditions,  and  with  the 
names  of  their  respective  founders." 

A  further  declaration  made  by  the  committee  was  as  follows: 
"  Further,  the  committee  of  the  Ohio  Society  suggest  that  subscribers,  in 
naming  Ohio  colleges  whose  alumni  may  receive  the  graduate  scholarships,  may 
appropriately  name  any  one  of  the  eighteen  colleges  of  Ohio  which  are  admit- 
ted to  membership  in  the  Ohio  College  association,  according  to  the  minutes  of 
its  meeting  in  Columbus,  December  28th,  29th,  and  30th,  1891.  One  or  more 
graduate  scholarships  in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York  for  alumni 
of  each  of  these  colleges  will  prove  a  most  fruitful  benefaction  to  the  cause  of 
learning.  The  following  eighteen  colleges  are  members  of  the  Ohio  College 
Association.     The  year  of  the  foundation  of  each  is  given: 

1.  The  Ohio  University,  at  Athens,  1804. 

2.  The  Miami  University,  at  Oxford,  1809. 

3.  The  Kenyon  College,  at  Gambier,  1824. 

4.  The  Adelbert  College  of  the  Western  Reserve  University,  at  Cleveland,  1826, 

5.  The  Denison   University,  at   Granville,   1832. 

6.  The  Oberlin  College,  at  Oberlin,  1833. 

7.  The  Marietta  College,  at  Marietta,  1835. 

8.  The  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware,  1844. 

9.  The  Wittenberg  College,  at  Springfield,  1845. 

10.  The  Otterbein  University,  at  Westerville,  1847. 

11.  The  Antioch  College,  at  Yellow  Springs,  1852. 

12.  The  Baldwin  University,  at  Berea,  1856. 

13.  The  Mt.  Union  College,  at  Mt.  Union,  1858. 

14.  The  Wooster  University,  at  Wooster,  1866. 

15.  The  Hiram  College,  at  Hiram,  1867. 

16.  The  Ohio  State  University,  at  Columbus,  1870. 

17.  The  Buchtel  College,  at  Akron,  1870. 

18.  The  University  of  Cincinnati,  at  Cincinnati,  1870. 

The  committee  proceeded  to  point  out  the  valuable  returns  certain  to  come 
from  this  investment  of  $50,000.  It  would  aid  a  noble  institution  of  learning. 
The  Ohio  Field  would  be  a  perpetual  benefaction  to  University  students  who 
come  from  Ohio  and  other  states.  It  would  honor  and  benefit  the  city  of  New 
York,  the  adopted  home  of  the  donors.  It  would  be  a  satisfaction  to  Ohioans 
visiting  New  York.     Continuing,  they  declared : 

"Equally  important  returns  will  come  from  the  Ohio  graduate  scholar- 
ships. They  will  emphasize  the  true  relations  between  universities  which  main- 
tain graduate  work  or  professional  schools,  and  undergraduate  colleges.  The 
fonner  should  avoid  taking  freshmen  away  from  the  territory  of  the  latter. 
They  should  encourage  Ohio  students  to  attend  Ohio  colleges.  But  a  univer- 
sity in  New  York  city  may  fairly  invite  young  men  who  have  completed  un- 

142 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

dergraduate  work  to  embrace  whatever  it  has  to  offer  of  graduate  instruction 
and  of  professional  training.  The  Ohio  graduate  scholarships  will  say  to 
Ohio  3' oung  men :  '  Go  through  an  Ohio  college ;  win  an  opportunity,  if  you 
desire,  to  study  afterward  in  the  metropolis.'  The  principle  involved  here  may 
be  made  very  fruitful  in  establishing  better  relations  among  American  univer- 
sities and  colleges.  Besides  the  effect  upon  the  relations  between  colleges,  each 
graduate  scholarship  may  be  a  great  benefit  to  some  deserving  student.  Last 
year  the  New  York  University  enrolled  in  its  graduate  seminary  fourteen  men 
from  eleven  colleges  farther  west  than  Ohio,  and  two  men  from  Ohio,  one  from 
Baldwin  College  and  one  from  Adelbert  College.  These  graduate  scholarships 
may  add  to  these  two  many  a  young  man  who  will  be  greatly  helped  by  a  year 
of  advanced  study  in  the  metropolis." 

The  compiler  of  this  record  has  asked  Dr.  MacCracken  to  relate  the  steps 
subsequently  taken  in  this  matter,  and  he  has  done  so  as  follows,  under  date  of 
May  6,  1905 : 

"  On  February  12,  1894,  New  York  University  credited  the  following 
gifts  to  Ohio  men: 

William  L.  Strong $2,500 

E.  C.  Bodman 2,500 

A.  D.  Juilhard 2,500 

J.  D.  Archbold 2,000 

H.  M.  MacCracken 11,000 

Solomon  Loeb 2,500 

Charles  T.  Barney 4,000 

C.  M.  Hoagland,  M.  D 500 


Making  a  total  of $27,500 

"  Further,  it  gave  credit  for  an  additional  estimated  value  of  certain  tem- 
porary buildings  at  $15,000,  or  over. 

"  It  further  acknowledged  '  An  agreement  entered  into  by  Messrs.  Juil- 
liard,  Strong,  Bodman  and  Archbold  on  the  one  part  and  H.  M.  MacCracken 
on  the  other  part,  that  the  proceeds  arising  from  the  investment  by  these  four 
gentlemen  in  a  part  of  University  Heights,  North,  will  be  paid  to  the  Univer- 
sity.' Whereupon,  the  corporation  the  University  resolved  that  '  The  Univer- 
sity does  hereby  establish  the  Ohio  Field  according  to  the  agreement  of  Octo- 
ber, 1892,  as  if  the  entire  $50,000  had  been  contributed.'  The  proceeds  to  be 
paid  over  will  probably  sum  up  from  $8,000  to  $10,000. 

"  The  above  is  substantially  the  history  of  the  financial  side  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  Ohio  Field.     The  plan  of  Mr.  J.  Q.  A.  Ward  for  some  terminal 

143 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

statues  has  not  been  carried  out,  simply  because  moneys  have  not  been  pro- 
vided for  the  execution  of  the  same  under  Mr.  Ward's  supervision.  The  way  is 
still  open  for  the  setting  up  of  these  terminal  statues.  The  Ohio  Field  repre- 
sents an  outlay  for  land  and  improvements  of  over  $150,000." 

The  suggestion  of  Mr.  Ward,  as  embodied  in  the  official  announcement 
of  the  Ohio  Field  committee  was  as  follows :  "  Mr.  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  the  sculptor, 
of  whom  Ohio  is  justly  proud,  when  asked  to  help  the  plan  of  an  Ohio  Field, 
particularly  by  suggestion,  repUed  that  he  would  advise  the  marking  off  of  the 
field  from  the  remainder  of  the  University  campus  by  terminal  statues,  such  as 
were  set  up  in  ancient  times  by  Greeks  and  Romans.  Further,  he  would  con- 
tribute his  labor  in  supervising  the  modelling  of  a  number  of  terminals  in 
simple  form,  giving  each  a  plan  column,  ending  in  the  head  of  some  noted  ath- 
lete of  the  old  time — Hercules,  Achilles,  or  the  like.  He  would  also  supervise 
the  cutting  of  the  same  out  of  Ohio  native  stone.  Upon  each  column  should  ap- 
pear sufficient  of  the  leaves  or  berries  of  the  buckeye  or  like  designation  to  mark 
the  Ohio  origin  of  the  monument." 

The  only  further  mention  of  this  matter  in  the  minutes  of  the  Ohio  Society 
occurs  under  date  of  October  14,  1895,  when  Col.  W.  L.  Strong  urged  the 
members  to  attend  the  dedication  on  Saturday,  October  19th,  of  the  Ohio  Field, 
"  which  had  been  given  by  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  to  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  the  chancellor  of  which.  Dr.  MacCracken,  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Society.  It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  Judge  Higley  be 
appointed  a  committee  of  one  to  make  arrangements  for  a  suitable  representa- 
tion of  the  Society  at  the  dedication.  Carried."  The  minutes  have  nothing 
further  to  say  upon  this  matter,  and  Judge  Higley  recollects  that  the  Society 
was  officially  represented  at  the  exercises. 

Forsaking  this  extended  diversion  into  an  "  Ohio  Field,"  we  find  that  a 
meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  at  Morelli's  on  the  evening  of  October  17, 
1892,  at  which  a  dinner  complimentary  to  the  members  was  served,  and  no 
business  was  transacted.  At  the  gathering  of  November  14th  it  was  moved 
by  Mr.  Crall  that  the  entertainment  committee  be  instructed  to  provide  another 
dinner  complimentary  to  the  members  on  the  occasion  of  the  first  annual 
meeting.  Carried.  Franklin  Tuttle  read  an  excellent  and  entertaining  paper 
on  "  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  as  Seen  by  an  Artist,"  for  which  he  received  the 
unanimous  thanks  of  the  Society.  The  secretary  was  instructed,  on  sugges- 
tion of  General  Swayne,  to  request  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Rice,  of  New  York,  to  read 
before  the  Society  his  paper,  entitled,  "  Journey  of  a  Bethlehem  Boy  to  Ohio 
for  his  Bride  in  1808." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  November  29th  Andrew  J.  C. 
Foye  was  elected  chairman  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  annual  meeting  of  the 
Society  was  held  at  Morelli's  on  the  same  night.    A  dinner  was  served.     Presi- 

144 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

dent  W.  L.  Strong  occupied  the  chair.  Speeches  were  made  by  the  president 
and  by  General  Henry  L.  Burnett,  David  Homer  Bates,  L.  C.  Hopkins, 
Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  John  D.  Archbold  and  Robert  W.  Tayler.  From  the  re- 
port of  the  governing  committee  it  appeared  that  twenty-seven  new  members 
had  been  enrolled  during  the  year,  and  that  only  one  death  had  occurred.  The 
treasurer's  report  showed  a  cash  balance  on  hand  of  $2,571.90.  The  annual 
election  was  then  held  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following  officers :  Presi- 
dent, William  L.  Strong;  vice-presidents,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward, 
Silas  S.  Packard,  Milton  I.  Southard  and  John  Dickson ;  secretary,  William 
Ford  Upson ;  recording  secretary,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr. ;  treasurer,  Leander  H. 
Crall ;  trustees  for  three  years,  A.  D.  Juilliard,  George  P.  Tangeman  and  John 
W.  Stout.* 

At  the  meeting  of  December  12th  it  was  ordered  that  five  additional  mem- 
bers be  added  to  the  entertainment  committee  to  form  a  banquet  committee,  the 
five  to  be  appointed  by  the  chair.  The  president  then  introduced  D.  C.  Beard, 
who  gave  an  address  on  "  The  Anatomy  of  an  Angel." 

The  proceedings  at  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  February  13,  1893, 
were  of  so  important  a  nature,  and  the  speeches  made  were  so  eloquent  and 
full  of  valuable  information,  that  they  were  taken  in  full  stenographically  at 
the  time.  The  result  was  a  small  monograph,  published  by  order  of  the 
Society,  upon  the  cover  of  which  are  these  terse  descriptive  words :  "  An  Ohio 
Night."    Tlie  title  page  was  as  follows : 

PROCEEDINGS 

OF    THE 

OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ON    THE 

Occasion  of  the  Presentation  by  Its  President, 
Colonel  William  L.  Strong, 

OF    THE 

PORTRAIT  OF  GEN.  W.  T.  SHERMAN 


AT  THE  CLUB  HOUSE,  236  FIFTH  AVENUE 
FEBRUARY   13,   1893. 


*  There  is  no  record  In  the  minute  book  of  this  annual  meeting  of  November  29,  1892, 
except  in  a  brief  printed  extract  from  the  New  York  Tribune,  pasted  in  and  endorsed 
"  Approved,  Dec.  12th."  There  is  no  attest  to  the  records  of  the  meeting  of  December  12th. 
After  the  meeting  of  December  12th  there  appear  in  the  book  three  blank  pages,  and  the 
next  meeting  recorded  is  that  of  March  13,  1893.  It  is  noted  in  that  meeting  of  March 
that  the  minutes  of  December  12th,  January  13th  and  February  13th  were  read  and 
approved;  but  there  were  no  minutes  for  the  two  dates  last  named  in  the  book.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  two  of  these  meetings  must,  therefore,  remain  a  blank  in  this  record. 

145 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Opposite  this  page  was  a  handsome  reproduction  of  the  portrait  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  which  became  the  property  of  the  Society  on  that  night. 

The  proceedings  of  the  evening  were  as  follows :  President  W.  L.  Strong 
was  in  the  chair.  After  the  reading  of  the  minutes  had  been  dispensed  with 
the  president  said :  "  The  next  business  will  be  the  consideration  of  resolutions 
which  have  been  moved  by  the  Society  in  memory  of  ex-President  Hayes,  who 
was  an  honored  non-resident  member  of  this  Society,  and  who  has  passed  away 
since  our  last  meeting.  I  have  asked  Judge  Higley  to  prepare  these  resolutions 
and  he  will  now  read  them;  after  which  any  remarks  will  be  in  order."  The 
resolutions,  as  read  by  Judge  Higley,  were  as  follows : 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  since  its  last  meeting,  has  met  with  a 
great  loss  in  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  one  of  its  earliest 
and  most  distinguished  members.  After  a  brief  illness  he  passed  away,  at  his 
home  in  Fremont,  Ohio,  on  the  17th  day  of  January,  1893,  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  his  age.  Successful  young  lawyer,  city  solicitor  of  Cincinnati, 
the  metropolis  of  Oliio,  major,  lieutenant-colonel,  colonel,  and  then  brigadier- 
general  in  the  late  war  of  the  rebellion,  twice  elected  to  Congress,  and  thrice 
governor  of  his  native  state.  President  of  the  United  States — honored  citizen  of 
the  republic! 

"  In  every  position  of  public  trust  to  which  he  was  called,  he  served  the 
people  and  the  nation  with  that  distinguished  ability  and  unwavering  fidelity 
which  result  from  lofty  purpose,  masterful  industry,  and  unquestioned  in- 
tegrity. 

"  His  broad  sympathies  found  forceful  expression  in  noble,  persevering 
efforts  for  the  downtrodden,  the  poor  and  distressed,  for  the  reform  of  prison 
management  throughout  the  world,  and  for  the  promotion  of  virtue,  peace, 
prosperity  and  happiness  among  mankind. 

"  His  private  life  was  as  simple  and  pure  and  beautiful  as  his  public 
career  was  honored  and  illustrious.  His  memory  will  grow  brighter  and  more 
hallowed  with  time,  and  future  generations  will  pay  homage  to  his  rare  worth. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  extend  its  sincerest  sym- 
pathy to  the  bereaved  family  in  their  great  sorrow,  and  that  a  copy  hereof  be 
foi'warded  to  them. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  Warren  Higley,  Committee." 

Gen.  Wager  Swayne  moved  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions,  and  in  doing 
so  said :  "  INIr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  Having  been  at  the  funeral 
of  General  Hayes,  I  will  say  a  word  about  it.  Beginning  with  the  statement 
which  I  am  sure  will  find  its  response  in  your  own  hearts  that,  while  if  I  know 
myself  I  loved  our  friend  who  has  passed  away,  at  the  same  time,  searching 

146 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

my  heart,  I  have  found  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
in  me,  it  was  not  the  uppermost  feehng  in  my  heart,  to  grieve  over  the  fact  of 
his  death.  I  had  seen  him  age  ten  years  in  as  many  weeks  after  his  wife's 
death,  and  sweetly  and  patiently  and  manfully  and  truly  as  he  bore  it  all, 
knowing,  nevertheless,  how  sure  he  was  of  presently  being  with  her  again,  and 
how  very  anxious  he  was  that  that  might  be,  I  feel  freer,  as  I  think  it  will  be 
a  relief  to  some  of  you  at  least  to  feel  entirely  free  to  say  in  your  own  hearts, 
as  I  said  in  mine,  '  I  thank  Thee,  for  Thy  servant  departed  this  life  in  Thy 
faith  and  in  Thy  fear.'  It  was  a  matter  of  sincere  rejoicing  that  such  a  life 
had  been  ended  so  completely,  and  without  a  blemish.  There  is  an  ancient 
adage,  '  Call  no  man  happy  until  he  is  dead,'  and  if  ever  that  adage  had  an 
application,  practical  and  certain,  within  the  cognizance  of  our  own  lives,  it  was 
then  and  there. 

"  When  we  got  out  to  the  funeral,  it  was  touching  to  see  very  much 
such  a  concourse  of  people  as  had  been  assembled  at  the  time  of  the  death  of 
his  wife.  When  ten  thousand  people  gathered  in  Fremont  on  the  occasion  of 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Hayes,  it  was  not  to  celebrate  the  death  of  a  great  man  in 
the  affairs  of  state,  but  it  was  a  tribute  to  personal  worth  and  loveliness  of  high 
and  rare  degree.  The  same  concourse,  at  least  of  the  same  character,  seemed 
to  me  to  be  gathered  out  of  neighborly  feeling  to  pay  the  same  sort  of  tribute 
to  that  same  sort  of  attributes  that,  if  you  will  pardon  me,  I  find  and  enjoy 
here  among  you,  and  that  we  find  and  enjoy  among  ourselves  here,  if  I  rightly 
understand  it. 

"  Now  when  it  came  to  his  being  laid  away  and  we  were  allowed  to  pass 
by  and  look  into  his  coffin,  there  was  nothing  sad  there.  The  features  had  taken 
a  fixed  look  which  gave  their  dominant  aspect  a  larger  prominence  than  is 
found  in  the  mobile  play  of  countenance  of  the  living.  The  face  had  a  fixed 
look,  but  there  was  nothing  doleful  about  that,  for  all  that  look  was  peace, 
and  those  of  us  who  knew  him,  those  of  us  who  cared  for  him,  those  of  us  who 
cared  to  remember  him,  those  who  knew  him  with  less  intimacy  and  yet  cared 
for  him  and  cared  to  cherish  a  fixed  idea,  will  fix  in  our  own  hearts  and  carry 
as  our  permanent  recollection  of  the  man  that  he  went  out  of  tliis  world  in 
peace." 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. 

The  president  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  Col.  William  L.  Tidball, 
a  member,  had  passed  away  since  the  last  meeting.  Homer  Lee  gave  an  ex- 
tended account  of  Colonel  Tidball's  career,  and  on  motion  of  General  Swayne 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  in  honor  of  his  memory. 
Said  committee  consisted  of  General  Swayne,  Homer  Lee  and  A.  J.  C.  Foye. 

The  president  then  called  S.  S.  Packard  to  the  chair.  On  assuming  it 
that  gentleman  said :  "  Colonel  Strong  has  called  me  to  this  chair,  and  so  I 

147 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

obey,  because  he  is  my  superior  officer,  and  because  it  is  one  of  the  rules  of  the 
Ohio  Society  that  subalterns  must  obey  their  superior  officers.  Besides,  as  we 
all  see,  the  colonel  has  the  rheumatism,  and  I  am  the  only  vice-president  in  the 
room.  There  is  at  least  that  much  fitness  in  it;  but  being  here,  what  am  I  to 
do.f*  We  have  been  told,  with  some  iteration  and  not  a  Httle  impressiveness, 
that  this  is  to  be  a  surprise  party ;  and  since  I  have  been  here  and  had  a  chance 
to  nose  around  a  little,  I  learn  that  everybody  is  to  be  surprised,  except  Colonel 
Strong  and  Brother  Foye  (and  the  people  whom  he  has  employed  to  help  him 
keep  the  secret),  and  Homer  Lee,  and  the  announced  speakers,  and  a  few  other 
members  whose  nerves  were  not  strong  enough  to  bear  the  strain.  Especially 
is  it  to  be  a  surprise  to  me.  When  I  was  called  to  the  chair  I  thought  that 
might  be  it;  but  have  since  concluded  not.  I  thought  possibly  my  friends 
might  desire  to  give  me  a  surprise  similar  to  the  one  given  to  BiU  Nye  by  the 
Clover  Club  of  Philadelphia.  The  Clover  Club,  as  you  know,  makes  a  practice 
of  calling  men  to  their  feet  in  order  to  '  guy  '  them  down.  Bill  was  invited  to 
attend  one  of  their  dinners,  and  he  went  prepared  to  withstand  their  jibes.  He 
shut  his  teeth  tightly  together,  and  fortified  himself  in  every  way,  and  went  on 
with  his  speech.  It  was  very  funny,  but  nobody  laughed.  Nobody  moved, 
even;  but  all  sat  quietly  in  their  seats  as  solemn  as  owls:  and  when  he  got 
through  and  waited  for  applause,  there  was  simply  funereal  silence.  He  was 
the  only  surprised  person  in  the  room.  I  beg  to  say  that,  knowing  this  story, 
I  am  not  to  be  caught  with  any  such  bait.  All  the  same,  I  find  the  position  a 
very  awkward  one,  and  I  am  going  to  get  out  of  it  by  calling  upon  a  person 
who  is  already  '  in  it,'  and  whom  you  are  always  delighted  to  hear.  I  will  ask 
our  beloved  friend  and  ex-president.  General  Swayne,  to  touch  the  button  in 
his  own  way.    Ladies  and  gentlemen.  General  Swayne." 

Gen.  Wager  Swayne :  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — The  only  surprise  I  am 
quite  sure  that  I  have  in  store  for  you  is  that  which  comes  to  us  all  the  time 
when  our  esteemed  and  valued  friend.  Colonel  Strong,  has  something  for  us. 
On  this  occasion  he  has  commissioned  me  to  present  to  the  Society  in  his  name 
and  in  his  behalf  a  portrait  of  our  late  honorary  member.  Gen.  William  T. 
Sherman.  (Portrait  unveiled  amid  long-continued  applause.)  This  is  a  por- 
trait for  which  he  made  repeated  sittings,  and  the  details  of  which  were  per- 
sonally supervised  by  himself  with  much  interest.  The  interest  of  the  painting, 
however,  does  not  stop  there.  That  picture  was  painted  by  Mr.  James  H. 
Beard,  one  of  our  oldest  and  most  valued  fellow-members,  one  of  whose  sons 
we  remember  with  much  affectionate  regard,  and  to  another  of  whose  sons  we 
are  indebted  for  a  recent  lecture  on  '  The  Anatomy  of  an  Angel,'  so  highly 
entertaining  and  instructive  that  it  causes  all  of  us  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to 
recall  it.  Nothing,  therefore,  could  more  fully  identify  this  Society  than  that 
present.    It  is  the  work  of  a  member  of  the  Society,  a  distinguished  artist.    It 

148 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

is  the  gift  of  the  president  of  this  Society,  to  whom  we  are  continually  indebted. 
It  represents  a  man  as  highly  honored  and  as  valued  in  Ohio  as  any  man  who 
ever  lived  there ;  a  man  who  did  as  much  as  any  one  man  to  identify  Ohio  with 
the  well-being  and  the  glory  of  the  nation,  and  it  stands  to  us  like  the  picture  of 
a  mountain  near  which  we  have  lived,  whose  scenery  is  dear  to  us,  and  whose 
later  story  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  country.  More  than  that,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  the  picture  stands  to  us  as  in  a  sense  peculiarly  the  embodiment  of 
the  state.  The  state  gave  the  artist  to  the  country,  the  state  gave  our  president 
to  the  country  and  gave  him  to  this  city,  gave  him  to  us.  Through  the  artist 
and  the  president,  the  state  gave  us  the  picture.  The  state  likewise  gave  us 
this  Society — the  state  brought  us  together.  Besides  that,  we  may  say  the 
state  gave  General  Sherman  to  the  country.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  applaud 
that  sentiment — sincerely  glad,  because  in  the  course  of  the  history  of  this 
Society,  and  in  discussing  the  status  of  this  Society  with  others,  the  question 
arises  continually,  what  did  the  state  do.^*  The  answer  is  ready  and  complete. 
What  did  the  state  do  for  General  Sherman.?  The  answer  is,  what  the  state 
did  for  us,  and  if  we  want  to  know  what  the  state  did  for  us,  you  may  treat  the 
question  in  the  converse,  that  what  the  state  did  for  us  is  to  be  seen  by  what  the 
state  did  for  him.  If  we  want  to  know  what  the  state  did  for  him,  the  answer 
is  very  simple  again.  What  did  free  institutions  do  for  that  man?  What 
have  free  institutions  done  for  us.^*  The  two  great  distinctive  characteristics 
of  that  man  were  his  loyalty  to  the  Union  of  these  states  and  his  military 
prowess.  What  did  the  state  do  for  his  loyalty  to  the  Union  of  these  states.? 
What  eifect  shall  we  ascribe  to  the  fact  that  that  great  chieftain  was  bom 
where  to  be  bom  meant  hope  and  opportunity.?  That  he  lived  where  to  live 
gives  life,  the  energy  of  freedom,  and  where  to  die  admits  of  opportunities  in 
contemplation  of  the  future  of  our  loved  ones.  Those  are  the  things  that  the 
state  does  for  us.  That  is  the  measure  of  our  Society  to  the  dead,  ^e  may 
treat  it  as  a  fact  to  which  we  are  alive,  or  we  may  treat  it  as  a  debt  of  no  con- 
sequence to  us,  but  if  we  treat  it  as  a  debt  of  no  consequence  to  us,  the  in- 
quiry is  pertinent,  who  is  it  that  is  dead.?  The  state  or  we?  Who  is 
it  that  is  dead?  The  state?  The  state  yet  lives.  The  state  that 
still  gives  hope  and  opportunity  to  you,  that  still  gives  the  strength  and 
activity  of  security  to  manhood  for  those  we  leave  behind.  Is  it  the  state  that 
is  dead,  or  is  it  the  man  to  whom  those  things  are  dead  as  being  of  no  present 
consequence  to  him?  I  submit  to  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  it  is  the  state 
that  lives,  the  state  that  is  our  environment,  the  state  that  within  the  recollec- 
tion of  some  of  us  and  the  state  that  in  the  history  of  that  man  determined 
whether  or  not  he  should  be  loyal  to  the  Union  of  these  states,  or  whether  he 
should  be  like  other  men  of  great  ability  in  other  states  who  thought  the  Union 
of  these  states  only  a  rope  of  sand.    Let  me  say  a  word  to  you  there.     I  hope 

149 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

it  is  not  irrelevant,  as  to  the  difference — not  the  difference,  but  the  distinctive 
line  between  the  state  and  the  United  States.  We  are  apt  to  ignore  that  differ- 
ence, yet  it  is  constantly  of,  practical  value  to  us  in  forming  an  intelligent 
knowledge  of  current  events.  The  distinction  lies  here.  The  United  States 
takes  charge  of  interstate  and  international  relations.  The  state  takes  charge 
of  all  those  relations  of  person  and  property  on  which  we  build  our  homes,  our 
fortunes,  and  our  hopes.  The  states  are  like  a  checkered  floor  upon  a  concrete 
basis.  They  get  their  strength  and  support  from  the  insoluble  and  indisputa- 
ble union  lying  beneath  them  for  that  with  which  we  come  in  personal  daily 
contact,  that  upon  which  the  eye  rests,  upon  whose  smoothness  and  cleanliness 
we  depend  for  the  accuracy  and  the  convenience  and  the  decency  of  daily  life. 
Those  squares  with  which  we  are  immediately  concerned,  those  are  the  states. 
It  is  the  state  with  which  we  are  concerned  continually  in  our  daily  life.  It  is 
the  state  that  echoes  to  our  daily  happiness,  it  is  the  state  that  determines  the 
future  disposition  of  our  property,  and  it  is  the  state  and  not  the  United 
States  through  which  we  exert  all  those  humanitarian  endeavors  which  do  so 
much  for  the  amelioration  of  mankind  in  our  vicinity.  It  is  the  state  that  sup- 
plies and  sustains  our  immediate  environment.  It  seems  not  too  much  to  say 
that  the  state  has  more  to  do  with  the  formation  of  our  individual  character, 
with  its  determination  and  maintenance,  almost  more  to  do  with  it  than  has 
any  one  individual  with  whom  we  come  in  contact.  Now  our  state  produced 
this  chieftain.  What  shall  we  say  of  him.?  What  man  has  shed  more  lustre 
on  the  recent  history  of  his  country  ?  No  man,  I  may  say,  was  ever  more  thor- 
oughly identified  with  our  state.  Among  its  early  settlers  was  his  father  in 
the  north.  Among  its  early  settlers  in  the  south  was  the  father  of  his  wife — 
two  great  men  in  that  land.  His  father  was  one  of  the  early  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  a  man  of  great  excellence  and  worth ;  his  wife's  father 
was  the  greatest  man,  perhaps,  Ohio  ever  produced — the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing 
— and  his  father  had  come  with  that  immortal  band  who  founded  the  state  of 
Ohio  and  founded  the  Northwest  Territory  and  secured  and  controlled  thereby 
the  freedom  and  the  prevalence  of  universal  freedom  in  these  United  States 
under  the  shield  of  the  ordinance  of  1787.  That  man  grew  up  under  these 
auspices ;  grew  up  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  when  the  coun- 
try came  to  determine  the  question  of  its  own  union,  his  life  was  nothing  with 
him.  There  was  no  weak  joint  in  the  armor  of  his  loyalty.  The  spirit  that  was 
in  him  repelled  every  suggestion  of  secession.  No  matter  where  he  was,  though 
he  was  in  Louisiana,  there  was  no  man  in  Ohio  whose  loyalty  was  more  unques- 
tioned, and  from  that  time  on  to  the  conclusion  of  the  great  war  and  to  the 
close  of  his  life,  there  was  no  man  who  more  steadily  acquired  or  held  in  greater 
degree,  or  held  with  greater  certainty,  the  respect  and  veneration  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States  than  Gen.  William  T.  Sherman.     (Applause.) 

150 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Now  I  have  stated  to  you  that  tliis  man,  this  chieftain,  was  to  us — tlie 
very  picture  of  this  chieftain  was  to  us  Hke  the  picture  of  a  mountain  near 
whicli  we  had  Hved,  with  whose  scenery  we  were  famihar  and  which  was  identi- 
fied with  all  our  love  of  country.  More  than  that.  This  man  not  only  did  we 
live  near  to,  but  he  lived  near  to  us,  and  he  taught  me — he  taught  many  a  man, 
and  he  may  teach  all  of  us,  an  invaluable  lesson  of  self-respect.  He  was  no 
hypocrite.  He  was  no  fool.  And  being  neitlier  hypocrite  nor  fool,  great  as  he 
was,  he  saw  no  inequality  between  himself  and  me  or  you.  It  was  not  condescen- 
sion on  his  part  that  he  loved  us.  Either  there  was  that  in  his  nature  which 
saw  something  worthy  of  respect  in  us  and  that  was  fit  to  be  loved,  or  else  his 
life  was  one  long,  broad,  continuing  mistake,  because  he  cared  for  us.  When 
he  came  here  he  cared  for  us  all.  When  we  met  him  singly  at  his  house  he 
cared  for  us  individually. 

"  I  travelled  once  with  him  three  weeks  at  a  time.  We  met  hun- 
dreds and  hundreds  of  men.  I  never  saw  a  man  for  whom  he  did 
not  care.  I  never  saw  him  meet  a  man  in  whom  he  did  not  take  a  genuine, 
spontaneous  interest,  and  there  was  no  condescension  about  it.  Either  his 
whole  life  was  a  continuing  mistake,  or  there  was  that  in  all  the  people  that  he 
met  deserving  his  regard.  I  think  I  sincerely  loved  and  venerated  him,  but  I 
prefer  to  think  that  he  found  that  in  me  which  was  worthy  his  regard,  though 
I  cannot  see  it  myself.  I  prefer  to  think  that  he  found  that  in  me  which  waa 
worthy  his  regard  rather  than  to  think  of  him  as  continually  purblind  or  con- 
descending, because  condescending  I  know  he  was  not.  It  was  not  in  him.  I 
prefer  to  ascribe  his  regard  for  you  and  for  me  and  for  the  people  whom  he 
met  to  a  great-hearted  penetration  which  looked  over,  because  he  was  so  great, 
and  looked  through,  because  he  was  so  clear.  I  prefer  that  you  and  I  should 
think  that  that  was  the  true  lesson  of  his  life,  that  there  is  in  every  one  of  us 
the  essence  of  a  godlike  manhood  and  of  womanhood  that  is  divine,  that  found 
in  that  great  heart  a  recognition  that,  great  as  it  was,  was  yet  not  greater  than 
the  truth. 

"  Before  taking  my  seat,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  moving  that  a  committee 
of  three  be  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  expressing  the  thanks  of  the 
Society  to  our  president  for  this  generous  gift  and  our  appreciation  of  it." 
Motion  prevailed. 

The  Chairman :  "  Before  naming  the  members  of  this  committee,  the  chair 
will  assume  to  speak  for  the  Society  in  calling  upon  General  Ewing  for  some 
remarks." 

Gen.  Thomas  Ewing :  "  General  Swayne  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  On 
behalf  of  the  Ohio  Societ}^  I  accept  this  valuable  gift.  It  is  one  of  especial 
interest  to  us  in  the  fact  that  it  was  painted  by  a  member  of  our  Society,  who 
won  fame  before  the  war  in  Cincinnati,  which  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  one  of  the 

151 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

art  centres  of  the  Western  world,  and  who  came  on  here  seeking  a  wider  field 
and  larger  opportunities.  We  miss  his  genial  and  venerable  presence  to-night, 
as  we  have  missed  it  too  often  at  our  meetings  of  late.  I  am  sure  you  will  all 
join  me  in  the  hope  that  his  four-score  years  will  not  cut  us  off  from  his  at- 
tendance at  many  a  meeting  to  come. 

"  In  1854,  or  about  that  year,  he  painted  a  portrait  in  pastel  of  Minnie 
Sherman,  the  baby  daughter  of  General  Sherman,  now  Mrs.  Fitch,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. It  was  a  faithful  and  fascinating  likeness.  The  child  was  beautiful, 
and  the  mode  of  the  artist,  the  material  with  which  he  wrought,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  wrought — ^which  was  by  rubbing  the  crayon  on  the  canvas  with 
the  finger — seemed  to  give  a  transparency  to  the  complexion  which  you  never 
see  in  life  except  in  a  girl  baby,  and  rarely  ever  see  in  a  portrait  painted  in  oil. 
It  still  hangs  in  the  parlors  of  a  member  of  our  family,  admired  by  all  who 
have  seen  it  for  forty  years  past. 

"  This  portrait  of  General  Sherman  now  presented  to  our  Society  is,  I 
understand,  the  last  for  which  he  ever  sat,  and  the  latest  work — I  hope  not 
the  last — of  the  distinguished  artist.  He  and  General  Sherman  knew  each 
other  in  youth.  Both  started  out  from  Southern  Ohio,  Beard  animated  by  the 
gentle  love  of  art,  Sherman  by  the  ruder  instinct  of  war.  Each  ran  a  splendid 
career;  and  both  met  here  in  old  age  as  members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  one  of 
them  having  achieved  distinction,  the  other  immortality. 

"  This  portrait  is  of  a  special  interest  to  us  also  in  the  fact  that  it  comes  to 
the  Society  unsolicited  from  the  ever-generous  hand  of  our  president.  It 
marks  his  admiration  for  one  of  the  greatest  of  Ohio's  sons,  and  it  marks,  too, 
the  big-hearted  generosity  which  impelled  him  to  seek  out  the  old  artist  in  his 
almost  abandoned  studio  and  pay  him  a  large  price  for  his  noble  work.  I 
accept  it  on  behalf  of  the  Society  because  of  the  love  with  which  it  is  bestowed, 
because  of  the  superb  art  with  which  it  is  wrought,  because  of  the  incomparable 
genius  which  it  perpetuates  and  commemorates. 

"  The  history  of  General  Sherman  is  part  of  the  history  of  his  country 
and  of  mankind.  He  has  been  for  half  a  generation  one  of  the  idols  of  the 
world ;  and  unlike  most  idols,  he  never  received  honor  that  he  did  not  deserve. 
Great  as  is  his  fame,  it  has  grown  only  out  of  great  achievements ;  there  is  no 
varnish  or  veneer  upon  it — it  is  sohd  from  centre  to  circmnference. 

"  General  Sherman  was  of  a  highly  nervous  organization,  and  was  often 
fitful  and  wayward,  but  only  in  light  and  trivial  matters.  When  it  came  to 
anything  of  consequence  to  his  fellowmen,  or  to  the  country,  he  was  as  firm  and 
unshaken  as  the  still  depths  of  the  sea.  Throughout  his  life,  as  boy,  as  cadet, 
as  young  soldier,  as  husband,  father,  friend,  citizen,  in  every  relation  of  life,  he 
was  as  constant  as  that  northern  star 

16g[ 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Of  whose  true-fixed  and  resting  quality 
There  is  no  fellow  in  the  firmament. 

"  I  do  not  claim  for  General  Sherman  that  he  was  the  first  captain  of  the 
war.  He  did  not  claim,  or  even  admit,  that  distinction  as  due  to  him.  He 
always  conceded  to  Grant  the  place  at  the  top  of  the  pedestal.  He  may  have 
been  wrong;  he  may  have  been  too  modest — many  people  think  he  was — but 
the  general  judgment  of  the  Northern  people  assigns  pre-eminence  to  Grant. 
Grant  first — Sherman  second — and  it  does  not  seem  probable  that  history  will 
disturb  this  opinion  of  the  relative  merits  of  these  great  commanders. 

"  But  there  was  one  supreme  virtue  in  which  I  think  Sherman  was  un- 
equalled, in  which  I  know  he  was  unsurpassed,  and  that  was  in  absolute  un- 
selfish patriotism.  Illustrations  of  this  virtue  extend  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  his  pubHc  career.  The  year  before  the  war  broke  out  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  most  delightful  employment  he  had  ever  had,  with  a  large  salary, 
as  Superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy  at  Alexandria,  La.  When  that 
state  took  the  first  step  in  the  general  direction  of  secession,  instantly,  without 
a  moment's  hesitation  or  consultation  with  anybody.  General  Sherman  resigned 
his  place,  returned  North,  and  took  a  position  in  a  petty  street  railroad  com- 
pany in  St.  Louis.  I  myself  stood  by  when  President  Lincoln,  before  the  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  tendered  him  the  position  of  brigadier-general  in  the  regu- 
lar army.  He  declined  it  and  asked  to  be  appointed  to  no  higher  place  than 
colonel — on  the  ground  that  in  his  opinion  there  were  other  men  who  were 
better  fitted  for  the  high  command  than  he.  When  he  had  held  his  first  promi- 
nent command  at  Louisville,  soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  he  lost  it 
because  he  bluntly  told  Secretary  Cameron — that  which  he,  and  he  alone,  then 
clearly  saw — that  it  would  require  200,000  men  to  take  and  hold  the  strategic 
lines  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Cameron  degraded  him — by  assigning  him 
to  a  petty  duty  as  inspector  at  Scdalia,  in  Missouri — but  Sherman  went  in- 
stantly to  his  post  and  performed  his  new  duties  with  zeal,  and  never  a  murmur 
of  complaint  escaped  his  lips. 

"  WTien  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  army  in  Washington,  after  the  war, 
during  President  Grant's  administration,  he  was  living  in  comfort  and  luxury 
in  a  mansion  presented  to  him  by  admiring  friends — General  of  the  Army, 
holding  a  higher  rank  than  Washington  ever  held,  or  anybody  but  Grant  ever 
held;  but  he  was  driven  out  of  Washington.  Why?  Because  General  Bel- 
knap, then  secretary  of  war,  had  demanded  that  he  should  place  on  his  staff 
a  cadet  just  graduated  from  West  Point,  and  send  back  to  his  regiment  a 
veteran  of  the  war  who  on  twenty  battlefields  had  earned  the  high  and  coveted 
staff  position.  Sherman  refused  to  displace  the  veteran  and  thus  to  set  a  bad 
example  to  the  army.  He  quietly  accepted  the  penalty,  broke  up  his  house  in 
Washington,  sold  his  furniture,  and  went  back  to  St.  Louis. 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  When  we  came  to  reorganize  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  he  had  been 
restored  to  his  place  at  Wasliington.  He  was  then  nearly  sixty  years  old,  in 
full  health  and  vigor,  intellectually  and  physically.  He  believed  that  it  was 
best  for  the  service  to  fix  a  precise  age  at  which  every  officer  should  be  retired. 
The  Army  Bill  was  so  prepared,  and  sixty-four  fixed  as  the  age  of  retirement. 
But  Democrats  and  Republicans  alike,  in  the  military  committees  of  the  senate 
and  of  the  house,  unanimously  determined  that  General  Sherman  should  be 
made  an  exception  to  the  rule  of  retirement.  He  refused  to  be  made  an  excep- 
tion. That  position  as  general  was  dearer  to  him  than  almost  any  position  was 
to  almost  any  officer,  civil  or  military,  in  the  country ;  for  the  army  was  his  idol, 
and  the  position  at  the  head  of  it  was  the  aim  and  realization  of  his  highest 
ambition.  The  presidency  had  no  charm  for  him.  Nothing  was  so  high  as  the 
place  he  held.  He  was  as  fit  to  command  then  as  ever,  and  seemed  likely  to 
preserve  his  intellectual  and  physical  activity  for  at  least  ten  or  fifteen  years. 
His  friends  and  family  begged  him  to  accept  the  proffered  exemption.  They 
believed  it  would  add  many  years  to  his  life.  He  believed  it  too;  but  he  was 
inexorable.  He  insisted  on  accepting  for  himself  the  rule  that  was  imposed 
with  his  assent  on  liis  subordinate  officers.  Think  of  it,  and  point  me  to  a 
parallel  in  the  history  of  our  country !  Grand  as  was  the  example  of  Wash- 
ington in  rejecting  the  third  term  of  the  presidency  and  in  declining  the  re- 
newed command  of  the  army,  his  self-sacrifice  was  far  less  marked  than  Sher- 
man's, if  it  could  be  considered  self-sacrifice  at  all.  Washington  longed  for 
repose  and  retirement,  while  Sherman  loved  action,  conspicuity  and  command. 
By  insisting  on  the  common  lot  of  retirement,  Sherman  cut  himself  off  from 
a  large  part  of  his  needed  income  and  from  all  the  delightful  occupations  of 
his  high  station.  I  think  there  is  not  another  instance  among  our  public  men 
of  such  stem  and  patriotic  self-sacrifice.  In  common  affairs  of  life  he  was  as 
selfish  as  the  average  man,  but  when  it  came  to  a  question  between  him  and  the 
public  service,  he  did  not  know  himself,  he  did  not  consider  himself.  He  sacri- 
ficed and  forgot  himself.  That's  the  sort  of  stuff  real  heroes  are  made  of. 
There  is  no  true  heroism  in  service,  however  brilliant,  or  in  talent,  however 
commanding,  if  the  spirit  be  sordid  and  selfish.  Useless  is  the  example  of 
genius  which  excites  the  wonder  of  mankind,  if  accompanied  by  the  grasping 
and  greed  of  Marlborough,  or  the  self-centred  egotism  of  Napoleon.  It  is  only 
the  Christ-like  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which,  when  joined  with  great  senace  and 
great  character,  causes  the  heart  of  youth  to  leap  and  soar  in  noble  emulation. 
Such  was  Sherman's  character.  His  is  and  will  be  an  example  to  American 
youth  forever  and  forever,  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  generals,  the  most  un- 
selfish of  patriots,  the  noblest  of  men."     (Much  applause.) 

The  Chairman :  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  I  am  sure  the  question  will 
never  be  asked  again,  '  For  what  was  the  Ohio  Society  formed?  '    *  What  does 

154 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

it  represent?  '  It  seems  to  me  that  to-night  there  can  be  no  question  that  we 
have  shown  one  of  its  great  purposes.  This  is  an  occasion  that  we  are  not 
likely  to  forget:  an  occasion  which  I  am  thankful  to  know  is  going  on  record. 
There  are  others  in  the  room  from  whom  we  would  like  to  hear ;  and  still  we  are 
not  to  forget  the  fact  that  a  presentation  has  been  made  by  our  honored  presi- 
dent, and  that  some  rem§,rks  have  been  made  thereon;  and  it  seems  to  me  en- 
tirely proper  that  he  should  be  called  to  his  feet.  (Applause  and  calls  for 
Colonel  Strong.)     I  will  ask  Colonel  Strong  to  respond  to  this  call." 

Colonel  Strong :  "  Mr.  Chaimian :  I  thought  I  had  got  sufficient  talent  to 
talk  for  me  this  evening  without  being  called  upon  to  say  anything,  and  I  know 
there  are  two  or  three  gentlemen  here  who  want  to  make  a  few  remarks. 
I  want  to  say  just  this  in  reference  to  the  picture.  This  portrait  was  painted 
by  an  Ohioan  and  of  an  Ohioan,  each  about  equally  distinguished;  for  Mr. 
Beard,  the  artist,  stands  about  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in  certain  lines  of 
art,  and  you  know  General  Sherman  stood  at  the  head  of  the  military  genius 
of  the  world. 

"  I  think  General  Ewing  was  a  little  modest  in  his  reference  to  the 
two  military  characters,  Grant  and  Sherman.  They  were  both  Ohio  men.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  for  us  to  draw  a  comparison  between  the  two,  but  I  am  well 
satisfied  myself  that  the  world  and  the  future  historian  will  put  General  Sher- 
man as  the  master  of  military  tactics  and  the  superior  of  any  military  man  that 
has  existed  in  this  century,  and  perhaps  ever  in  the  world.  Bonaparte  bears 
no  comparison  as  a  military  chieftain  to  him — and  I  doubt  very  much  if  the 
celebrated  Von  Moltke  can  compare  at  all  with  General  Sherman.  The  field 
that  Sherman  fought  over  was  different  from  the  field  that  any  military  man 
has  ever  fought  over  in  the  Christian  era.  There  never  has  been  anything  just 
like  it,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  compare  the  labors  and  the  military  tactics  of 
Sherman  with  that  of  any  military  general  on  record,  so  that  you  must  accept 
just  what  was  done  by  Sherman. 

"  Now  having  this  veneration  for  General  Sherman  myself,  being  an  Ohio 
man  as  he  was,  having  his  portrait  painted  by  an  Ohio  man,  and  knowing  that 
it  was  to  be  sold,  it  made  me  feel  that  that  painting  should  belong  to  the  Ohio 
Society.  There  was  no  other  place  for  it.  There  could  be  no  other  place  foi 
it.  He  could  not  manufacture  a  place  for  it  in  his  own  state  or  in  New  York 
state  better  than  right  here  in  the  Ohio  Society,  and  when  that  Society  goes 
out  of  existence,  I  expect  that  it  will  be  returned  to  my  heirs,  or  their  heirs. 
I  trust  it  will  never  go  out  of  existence,  but  if  it  should,  I  want  it  placed  on 
record  that  the  portrait  goes  to  my  heirs."     (Applause.) 

The  Chairman :  "  In  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  the  chairman  would  name 
as  the  committee  on  resolutions  covering  this  gift  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Gen. 
Henry  L.  Burnett  and  Hon.  Mahlon  Chance;  and  in  order  that  the  full  signi- 

155 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ficance  of  this  appointment  may  appear,  I  am  sure  the  Society  would  be  glad 
to  hear  from  Greneral  Burnett." 

The  Chairman :  "  The  meeting  will  be  glad  to  hear  from  General  Burnett." 
Gen.  H.  L.  Burnett:  "Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  After 
listening  to  the  noble  and  touching  addresses  of  General  Swayne  and  General 
Ewing,  no  unpremeditated  words  of  mine  can  add  to  the  interest  or  charm  of 
this  occasion.  This  is  not  a  time  to  attempt  a  fair  admeasurement  of  the 
superb  merit  of  General  Sherman ;  but  we  come  to  acknowledge  the  beautiful 
tribute  to  his  memory  by  our  worthy  president,  affording  an  opportunity  which 
is  inspiring.  Ohio  has  given  to  the  fame  of  the  ages  a  Grant,  a  Sherman,  a 
Sheridan.  They  are  not  to  be  contrasted  or  compared.  History  cannot  be 
written,  or  patriotism  illustrated,  without  their  names.  It  is  not  the  grandeur 
of  princes  or  blaze  of  thrones  that  makes  the  glory  of  this  world.  Great  men, 
great  names,  great  deeds  are  the  jewels  that  light  up  the  dark  passages  of 
human  history.  General  Sherman  was  a  great  man — one  of  earth's  noblest, 
truest,  gentlest,  best.  He  was  an  ideal  soldier,  the  idol  of  those  who  followed 
the  feathery  fringe  of  the  skirmish  smoke,  winning  victories  along  the  advanc- 
ing lines  as  they  marched  with  him  from  '  Atlanta  to  the  sea,'  and  when  the 
final  triumph  came,  the  vanquished  honored  him  for  the  generous  spirit  which 
diplomacy  deemed  too  magnanimous.  He  alone  of  all  the  great  military  heroes 
was  absolutely  without  political  ambitions  and  turned  away  from  the  blandish- 
ments of  place  and  power.  He  was  a  man  of  trained  faculties,  accurate  knowl- 
edge, and  remarkable  personality ;  but  above  all  a  loving  and  lovable  man. 
Soldier,  patriot,  citizen !  He  needs  no  shadowy  canvas,  no  enduring  bronze, 
no  sculptured  marble.  Nothing  we  can  say  or  do,  nothing  the  world  may  say 
or  do,  can  mar,  shadow,  or  change  the  fame  his  own  genius  won. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  allow  me  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  generous 
and  splendid  gift  of  Colonel  Strong,  and  in  so  doing  voice  the  sentiment  of 
every  member  of  the  Society.  In  honoring  General  Sherman  he  has  honored 
Ohio,  and  endeared  himself  to  every  loyal  and  patriotic  heart." 

The  Chairman :  "  The  occasion  is  complete  as  it  stands,  but  I  feel  sure 
that  there  are  others  present  who  might  esteem  it  a  favor  to  render  a  personal 
tribute  to  the  gift  and  to  the  giver.  And  surel}^,  as  it  seems  to  me,  there 
should  be  a  motion  looking  to  the  publication  of  the  proceedings  of  this  even- 
ing.   The  chair  will  be  glad  to  entertain  such  a  motion." 

Judge  Warren  Higley :  "  Mr.  Chairman,  taking  up  your  suggestion, 
which  seems  to  me  an  exceedingly  appropriate  one,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
move  you,  sir,  that  the  records  of  the  eloquent  and  admirable  addresses  to 
which  we  have  been  permitted  to  listen  to-night,  as  well  as  the  expression  of 
opinion,  none  too  strong,  that  has  been  manifested  for  the  person  who  has 

156 


OHIO  SOCTETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

given  us  this  magnificent  gift,  be  made  a  permanent  record  of  this  Society,  and 
that  it  be  printed  for  distribution."    The  motion  prevailed. 

Mr.  Lee:  "  Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  Ewing,  Jr.,  has  a  pleasant  incident  about 
this  painting  that  I  am  sure  you  would  like  to  hear." 

The  Chairman :  "  We  are  always  glad  to  hear  from  Mr.  Ewing ;  and  this 
evening  particularly  so." 

Thomas  Ewing,  Jr. :  "  The  artist  related  a  very  pretty  story  about  this 
picture  when  I  saw  it  in  his  studio  a  year  or  so  ago.  It  appears  that  General 
Sherman — an  old  friend  of  the  painter,  the  friendship  dating  long  before  the 
war — had  often  promised  to  sit  for  him.  A  warm  feeling  of  admiration  and 
comradeship  at  length  moved  the  artist  to  write  to  the  general,  asking  a  fulfill- 
ment of  his  promise.  He  received  in  answer  a  rather  hastily  written  and  formal 
reply,  saying: 

"  '  Dear  Mr.  Beard :  My  engagements  are  so  many  that  I  cannot  give  you 
the  sittings  you  ask.' 

"  Two  or  three  days  after  that,  as  the  artist  was  sitting  in  his  studio,  he 
heard  a  tap  on  the  door  and,  the  door  being  thrown  open,  a  brawny  hand  was 
thrust  in,  grasping  that  of  Mr.  Beard,  while  the  general's  voice  was  heard  to 
say : '  Beard,  old  fellow,  I've  treated  you  badly !  Of  course  I  will  sit  to  you  for 
my  picture.'  And  notwithstanding  the  general's  well-known  restless  disposi- 
tion, he  gave  him  the  sittings  required,  remaining  with  exemplary  patience  and 
self-control  in  the  same  position  for  two  hours  at  a  time.  The  general  ex- 
pressed himself  highly  gratified  with  the  result." 

The  Chairman :  "  There  has  been  a  request  to  hear  from  Mr.  Holloway, 
and  the  chair  strongly  seconds  it." 

Mr.  J.  F.  Holloway :  "  I  have  not  the  remotest  idea  where  such  a  request 
came  from.  I  certainly  would  like  to  see  the  person  who  made  it.  There  is, 
however,  one  thought  that  has  been  in  my  mind  while  I  have  been  sitting  here 
and  listening  to  what  has  been  so  well  said ;  and  that  is,  that  somehow  or  other 
we  have  been  made  to  feel  as  if  we  had  been  brought  in  touch  with  important 
times  and  important  events.  As  we  have  listened  to  speakers  who  from  per- 
sonal knowledge  have  given  us  fragments  of  unwritten  history  in  which  the 
great  men  of  the  Republic  were  actors,  who  have  repeated  to  us  conversations 
they  themselves  had  listened  to,  as  they  stood  beside  Lincoln  and  Sherman,  we 
seem  to  be  carried  back  to  the  scenes  of  those  great  events  which  still  stir  all 
who  remember  them.  Somehow,  it  has  seemed  as  if  we  were  witnessing  the 
closing  scene  of  some  great  drama.  Already  many  of  the  important  actors  have 
made  their  exit,  while  a  few  still  linger  on  the  stage,  the  descending  curtain  of 
wliich  will  soon  hide  all  forever.  To  those  of  us  who  lived  through  the  days 
about  which  we  have  heard  so  much  to-night  everything  seems  real  and  impres- 
sive— to  the  young  people  here  all  this  is  only  tradition  or  history;  but  I 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

doubt  not  it  will  ever  be  a  pleasant  memory  to  them  to  have  been  here,  and  to 
have  listened  to  the  splendid  encomiums  that  have  been  pronounced,  not  only 
on  General  Sherman,  whose  portrait  is  before  us,  but  as  well  on  the  great  heroes 
with  whom  he  was  so  closely  associated  in  the  peist." 

A  general  call  for  the  chairman. 

Mr.  Packard :  "  The  chairman  was  placed  here  to  attend  to  the  duties  of 
the  position,  one  of  the  most  positive  of  which  is  not  to  make  a  speech.  And 
yet  he  would  give  more  than  he  is  likely  ever  to  possess  to  be  able  to  do  it. 
Really,  I  am  full  of  it — that  is,  of  the  desire.  But  the  speech  that  is  in  me  is 
wordless.  I  regret  it,  for  I  would  hke  you  to  know  what  is  passing  in  my  mind. 
I  think  I  can  trust  myself  to  say,  however,  that  this  is  one  of  the  great  occasions 
of  the  Society,  and  will  be  remembered  hereafter  as  presenting  in  the  best  form 
its  most  valuable  functions.  Not  only  have  we  been  presented  with  an  invaluable 
souvenir — hereafter  to  adorn  our  walls — ^but  we  have  done  appropriate  honor  to 
the  memory  of  the  distinguished  dead  who  were  once  of  our  number.  And  who 
are  these  distinguished  dead  ?  One,  a  modest  citizen  of  our  state,  who  did  honor 
to  his  birthright  and  to  his  country  in  peace  and  in  war;  another,  who  was 
not  only  great  as  a  private  citizen,  but  who  served  honorably  upon  the  field  when 
his  country  was  in  peril;  became  the  governor  of  his  state,  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  was  ever  known  as  a  man  of  large  heart  and  unblemished 
character.  And  lastly,  we  have  again  had  occasion  to  bring  before  loyal  hearts 
the  memory  of  our  greatest  hero,  and  to  learn  from  those  who  knew  him  most 
intimately  the  delightful  things  that  made  up  his  strong  personahty.  And  it 
is  not  improper  that  we  should  ask  ourselves  who  are  these  friends — of  his  and 
ours — who  have  made  this  occasion  memorable.''  Members  of  his  family,  com- 
panions of  his  childhood,  compatriots  in  arms,  honorable  and  worthy  men  who 
have  helped  to  make  the  history  of  the  country,  and  who  are  the  bulwarks  of 
this  Society. 

"  When  we  speak  of  Sherman,  how  naturally  we  think  of  Swayne  and 
Ewing  and  Burnett.  Can  we,  in  fact,  estimate  this  occasion  beyond  its  historic 
value.''  Are  we  likely  to  have  an  occasion  more  worthy  of  preservation  as  a 
reason  for  the  existence  of  the  Ohio  Society  ?  " 

Following  this  report  in  the  "  Ohio  Night  "  monograph,  came  this  appre- 
ciation of  James  H.  Beard : 

"  Tlie  hope  expressed  by  General  Ewing  that  the  portrait  of  General 
Sherman,  although  the  latest,  was  not  the  last,  of  the  eminent  artist,  and  that 
there  yet  remained  for  him  many  years  of  usefulness,  was  destined  not  to  be 
realized ;  for  within  two  short  months  thereafter  he  left  his  work,  and  is  now  on 
the  hst  of  the  illustrious  dead ;  and  it  is  peculiarly  fitting  that  his  last  ambitious 
work  should  be  a  portrait  of  his  great  friend,  and  that  it  should  be  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Ohio  Society. 

158 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"James  H.  Beard  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  M!ay  20,  1812.  His 
predilection  for  art  was  manifest  in  early  childhood:  at  first  in  the  form  of 
charcoal  and  chalk  sketches  on  kitchen  walls  and  chair  bottoms,  and  eventually 
with  home-made  brushes  and  personally  prepared  paint  on  personally  prepared 
canvas,  reaching  up  to  the  ambitious  achievement  of  portraits  of  Hving  people, 
done  at  five  dollars  a  head,  and  cheap  at  that.  While  he  was  yet  a  boy  his 
parents  removed  to  Painesville,  Ohio,  and  here  it  was  that  he  entered  upon  liis 
great  career.  He  bought  some  cotton  cloth,  coated  it  with  white  lead  for  can- 
vas, made  his  own  stretchers,  tacking  the  canvas  thereon;  went  to  the  stone- 
cutter for  his  grinding  stone ;  smoothed  it  himself ;  made  a  muUer  for  grinding 
the  colors ;  constructed  his  own  easel  and  palette ;  selected  the  bristles  and  hair 
for  his  brushes,  and  put  them  together,  and  went  to  work. 

"  For  his  first  portraits  he  charged  three  dollars,  then  raised  to  five,  and 
eventually  to  ten.  Years  aftenvard  he  charged  considerably  more — and  got  it. 
In  his  early  manhood  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  entered  upon  his  career, 
and  attained  to  great  distinction  as  an  artist.  For  his  sitters  he  had  such  dis- 
tinguished men  as  Henry  Clay,  John  Quincy  Adams  and  William  Henry  Har- 
rison. One  of  the  best  portraits  of  Harrison,  painted  from  life  in  1838,  is  now 
at  the  studio  of  his  son  in  this  city.  He  was  specially  distinguished  as  an 
animal  painter,  putting  into  the  faces,  attitudes  and  actions  of  his  figures 
human  attributes,  making  the  picture  tell  its  own  story." 

The  eighth  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  was  given  at  Delmonico's 
on  the  evening  of  February  18,  1893.  The  following  gentlemen  served  as  the 
committee  in  charge:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  Homer  Lee,  secretary; 
Leander  H.  Crall,  treasurer;  Wager  Swayne,  Thomas  Ewing,  Calvin  S.  Brice, 
A.  D.  Juilliard,  William  L.  Brown,  H.  A.  Glassford,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  D. 
H.  Bates,  C.  G.  Harraman,  R.  W.  Tayler.  There  were  about  two  hundred  in 
attendance.  The  decoration  of  the  room  consisted  only  of  a  conspicuous  dis- 
play of  the  American  flag  and  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  state  of  Ohio. 

William  L.  Strong,  president  of  the  Society,  occupied  the  centre  chair  at 
the  table  of  honor.  At  his  left  sat  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Hon.  John  W. 
Noble,  and  at  his  right  Congressman  Michael  D.  Harter  of  the  Buckeye  state. 
Others  at  the  table  were  General  Wager  Swayne,  Chancellor  Henry  M.  Mac- 
Cracken,  of  the  University  of  the  state  of  New  York;  ex-Governor  James  E. 
Campbell,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  C.  C.  Beaman,  representing  the  New  England 
Society;  Ellis  H.  Roberts,  the  St.  David's  Society;  John  Sloane,  the  St.  An- 
drew's Society ;  John  D.  Crimmins,  the  St.  Patrick's  Society ;  Augustus  Van 
Wyck,  the  Holland  Society ;  R.  D.  Benedict,  the  Vermont  Society,  and  Hon. 
Beriah  Wilkins,  member  of  Congress  from  Ohio. 

Mr.  Strong,  as  toastmaster,  introduced  as  the  first  speaker  John  W.  Noble, 
who  spoke  for  "  Ohio  Men  in  the  Cabinet."     This  toast  It  ha,d  been  expected 

159 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

would  be  responded  to  by  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  Charles  Foster,  but,  as 
Secretary  Noble  explained,  his  associate  was  undergoing  a  "  gold  cure  "*  treat- 
ment, and  was  unable  to  be  present.  Secretary  Noble  paid  a  tribute  to  the 
original  strain  of  the  line  of  ancestry  of  all  Ohioans  and  of  William  McKinley, 
the  governor  of  Ohio,  in  particular,  the  mentioning  of  whose  name  was  met 
with  a  great  burst  of  applause.  It  was  expected  that  Governor  McKinley 
would  be  a  guest  at  the  dinner,  but  at  the  last  moment  he  was  obliged  to 
cancel  the  engagement. 

The  "  Annexation  of  Territory  and  the  Admission  of  States  "  was  re- 
sponded to  by  Hon.  Michael  D.  Harter.  A  humorous  speech  was  furnished  by 
Frederic  Taylor  in  response  to  the  toast,  "  The  Cosmopohtan  Metropohs."  It 
was  cosmopolitan  in  its  quality  and  dramatic  in  its  rendering.  Mr.  Taylor  in- 
dulged in  spurts  of  dialect  imitation,  which  were  greatly  appreciated. 

Ex-Governor  Campbell,  of  Ohio,  responded  to  the  toast  "  The  Sons  of 
Ohio."  He  said  in  part :  "  In  the  absence  of  that  distinguished  man  who  now 
presides  over  the  great  state  of  Ohio,  the  Ohio  Society  has  called  upon  me  to 
say  something  about  the  sons  of  Ohio.  You  all  know  how  great  the  sons  of 
Ohio  are.  You  all  know  that  they  combine  the  quahties  of  the  religious  New 
Englanders,  the  old  Dutchmen  of  New  York,  the  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  aristocratic  Englishmen  of  Virginia.  The  sons  of  Ohio  are  the  great- 
est and  grandest  people  on  the  earth.  Ohio  furnished  many  of  the  greatest 
heroes  of  the  war ;  Ohio's  sons  have  filled  every  important  position  in  the  Fed- 
eral government,  and  to-day  there  is  no  better,  grander  and  more  useful  person 
than  a  son  of  Ohio." 

G«n.  Willard  Warner,  of  Tennessee,  followed  ex-Govemor  Campbell. 
He  spoke  of  "  Ohio  as  a  State."  The  last  speaker  of  the  evening  was  C.  C. 
Beaman.    He  responded  to  the  toast,  "  The  Other  Societies." 

The  menu  card  consisted  of  three  large  square  cards  tied  at  the  top  corner 
with  a  scarlet  silk  ribbon.  On  the  front  at  the  top  was  a  handsome  steel 
engraving  of  the  new  coat  of  arms  of  the  state  of  New  York.  At  the  bottom 
comer  appeared  the  arms  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  with  the  motto,  "  Imperium  in 
Imperio  "  (An  Empire  within  an  Empire).  On  the  inside  leaf  was  the  menu, 
surrounded  by  various  legends.  On  the  reverse  page  at  the  top  was  a  steel-line 
engraving  of  Washington,  underneath  which  was  a  scarf  on  which  were  in- 
scribed the  words,  "  Ordinance  of  1787,"  and  below  this  his  famous  reply  to 
his  soldiers  at  Valley  Forge,  when  their  defeat  seemed  certain,  and  they  asked 
what  was  to  be  done :  "  If  we  are  overpowered,  we  will  retire  to  the  Valley  of 
the  Ohio,  and  there  we  will  be  free."  At  the  bottom  of  the  last  page  was  a 
vignette,  "  The  Building  of  the  Empire,"  which  represented  a  IVIarietta  pioneer 
felling  trees,  oxen  hauling  logs  to  build  the  first  house  in  the  settlement,  which 
*A  pleasaxit  reference  to  the  secretary's  especial  ofElcial  labors  at  that  time. 

160  * 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

appears  in  the  distance.  The  menu  card  graphically  illustrated  the  progress 
of  the  state  from  its  small  beginning  to  its  present  greatness. 

Under  date  of  March  13,  1893,  there  is  an  entry  in  the  minutes  of  the 
recording  secretary  which  says :  "  The  governing  committee  report  the  Society 
as  in  flourishing  condition ;  plenty  of  money  in  the  treasury,  and  not  a  dollar  of 
indebtedness.  The  membership  is  gradually  increasing,  with  flattering  pros- 
pects of  large  additions  from  the  eff'orts  of  General  Swayne's  recruiting  com- 
mittee, and  also  from  the  ardent  circular  letter  that  accompanies  the  new 
manual  now  being  sent  out,*  in  which  it  is  kindly  suggested  that  each  and 
every  member  use  the  blank  apphcations  that  go  with  it  in  adding  at  least  one 
or  more  to  our  membership,  resident  or  non-resident. 

"  The  committee  appointed  to  secure  permanent  quarters  for  the  Society, 
after  a  thorough  canvass  of  the  situation,  comparing  carefully  location,  eligi- 
bility, accommodations  off^ered,  amount  of  rent,  etc.,  came  to  the  unanimous 
conclusion  that,  on  the  terms  they  could  obtain  the  present  quarters  or  premises, 
it  was  decidedly  best  to  secure  them  for  a  term  of  years,  which  they  have  done, 
taking  them  for  five  years  at  a  yearly  rental  of  $1,800  per  annum,  $600  per 
year  less  than  formerly  paid.  This  eliminates  the  trouble  and  expense  of  mov- 
ing, refurnishing  and  fitting  up,  and  also  preserves  our  identity  of  location, 
which  is  very  important.  We  have  become  known  and  established  here,  and  as 
our  first  and  only  home  for  these  many  years  much  that  is  memorable  and  dear 
to  us  is  associated  with  these  rooms.  In  fact,  the  traditions  of  our  Society 
almost  entirely  cluster  about  this  spot.  It  is  proposed  to  put  the  rooms  in 
good  repair,  make  them  bright  and  cheerful,  and  the  committee  hope  that  mem- 
bers and  their  friends  will  use  them  freely  and  frequently." 

Dr.  MacCracken  made  a  very  pleasant  speech  on  the  subject,  "  On  a 
Change  of  Chaplain." 

The  minutes  tersely  declare  that  the  evening  of  April  10th  "  was 
devoted  to  fun;  many  speeches  were  made;  no  business  was  transacted." 
May  8th  was  ladies'  night.  Mr.  Marion  and  Mr.  Miller  entertained  the 
Society  with  two  very  interesting  original  papers  entitled,  "  The  Little  So- 


*  The  following  is  no  doubt  the  letter  referred  to: 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  respectfully  asks  from  persons  who  are  eligible  to  its 
membership  attention  to  its  aims.  So  long  as  the  Society  was  in  any  sense  an  experiment 
this  was  not  done.  It  is  now  in  its  seventh  year,  was  never  more  prosperous,  and  has  never 
been  without  sustained  and  active  interest  in  its  purpose,  or  without  sufficient  means.  It 
has  now  a  settled  home,  tried  methods,  and  a  demonstrated  value  to  its  members.  This  last 
is  amply  vouched  for  by  its  personnel.  It  offers  to  young  men  lately  from  Ohio  an  oppor- 
tunity for  acquaintance.  To  older  persons  it  supplies  renewed  familiarity  with  their  own 
earlier  life.  For  all  its  members  it  preserves  the  sense  of  individual  history  and  enlarges 
the  scope  of  personal  cordiality.  As  a  whole  it  contributes  both  here  and  in  Ohio  to  the 
honor  of  the  state,  and  in  so  doing  pays  a  debt  which  by  increasing  patriotism  enriches  the 
community.  To  share  these  things,  and  to  contribute  to  them,  is  what  this  invitation  proffers 
to  those  to  whom  it  is  addressed. 

"  For  the  Society,  the  membership  committee,  by 

"  March  14,  1893.  "  Wager  Swayxe,  Chairman." 

161 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cialist,"  and  "  A  Thafe  and  a  Robber."  Refreshments  were  served.  On 
June  12th  an  adjournment  was  taken  until  the  second  Monday  in  October. 

The  first  regular  meeting  after  the  summer  vacation  was  held  at 
MorelH's  restaurant  on  October  9,  1893.  Dinner  was  served.  The  special 
subject  for  discussion  was  the  representation  of  the  Society  on  "  Manhattan 
Day,"  October  21st,  at  the  World's  Fair.  Speeches  were  made  by  President 
Strong,  Vice-Presidents  Burnett,  Packard,  Southard  and  others. 

The  chairman  of  the  governing  committee  reported  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  Society  among  officers  and  members.  The  following  gentle- 
men were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  at  the  next  meeting  nominations 
of  officers  for  the  ensuing  year:  George  B.  Hibbard,  chairman;  Franklin  Tut- 
tle,  C.  G.  Harraman,  E.  L.  Prentiss,  John  W.  Stout,  William  H.  Eckert, 
John  A.  Smith. 

At  the  meeting  of  November  13th  the  following  ticket  was  reported  by 
the  nominating  committee:  President,  William  L.  Strong;  vice-presidents, 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  S.  S.  Packard,  Milton  I.  Southard, 
Andrew  J.  C.  Foye;  secretary,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss;  recording  secretary, 
Marion  M.  Miller;  treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall;  trustees  for  three  years, 
David  H.  Bates,  George  Follett,  S.  R.  Beckwith. 

The  evening  had  been  designated  as  "  Ladies'  Night,"  and  a  number  of 
the  fairer  sex  were  present.  Judge  Higley  was  called  to  the  chair  to  act  as 
master  of  ceremonies  for  the  literary  and  musical  entertainment.  This  con- 
sisted of  songs  by  Miss  Louise  Segur  and  recitations  by  Miss  Gertrude  Chase, 
"  The  Little  Western  Man  "  and  "  Back  to  Old  Ohio,"  and  Mr.  M.  M.  IViiller 
in  "  Heracles  and  Hylus."  Following  this  Mr.  Miller  gave  a  talk  upon  the 
pictures  exhibited  upon  the  walls  of  the  Society.     These  were : 

Oils:  (Sacred  subjects),  by  Spanish  masters. 

Oils,  by  Mr.  Bruer,  of  Cincinnati. 

Water  colors,  by  Maud  Stumm,  of  Cleveland. 

Water  colors,  by  John  W.  McKechnie,  of  Cincinnati. 

Black  and  whites,  by  Maud  Stumm. 

After  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  singer  and  speakers,  the  meeting  was  ad- 
journed and  refreshments  sensed. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  the  evening  of  November 
29th.  The  report  of  the  governing  committee  contained  the  following  inter- 
esting statements :  "  Possibly  the  most  memorable  meeting  ever  held  by  the 
Society  was  that  of  February  13,  1893,  on  which  occasion  our  president, 
Colonel  Strong,  presented  to  the  Society  Beard's  celebrated  painting  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman.     Some  of  the  notable  facts  of  this  presentation  were  that  this 

162 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

picture  was  the  last  work  of  that  famous  ai*tist ;  also  that  this  sitting  was  the 
last  that  the  '  grand  old  general,'  who  was,  and  whose  memory  is,  so  dear  to 
us  all,  ever  gave  to  any  one;  and  also  that  it  was  presented  to  us  by  one  for 
whom  we  all  have  such  a  close  affection ;  and,  lastly,  that  the  painter,  the  sub- 
ject and  the  donor  were  all  Ohio  men  and  members  of  this  Society. 

"  In  this  connection  your  committee  would  suggest  and  recommend  that 
a  relief,  or  chai'ity,  fund  be  established  by  setting  aside  a  certain  percentage 
of  our  income,  say  ten  per  cent.,  to  be  used  discreetly  under  proper  hmitations, 
to  aid  and  relieve  worthy  unfortunates  of  our  household;  for  even  Ohioans 
sometimes  get  stranded  and  occasionally  wrecked.  This  would  probably  in- 
volve a  change  or  amendment  to  our  by-laws." 

Treasurer  Crall  reported  that  all  debts  had  been  paid,  and  that  there 
remained  in  the  treasury  a  balance  of  $2,945.30.  The  Society  then  proceeded 
to  the  election  of  officers,  and  confirmed  the  choice  of  the  nominating  com- 
mittee. 

Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  first  president  of  the  Society,  was  called  on  for 
remarks,  and  spoke  of  the  foundation  of  an  historical  library  for  Ohio  records, 
etc.,  as  one  of  the  original  purposes  of  the  Society.  Milton  I.  Southard  paid 
especial  tribute  to  Colonel  Moulton's  memory  for  his  services  at  the  inception 
of  the  Society.  The  newly  elected  officers  were  called  upon,  and  several 
made  brief  speeches. 

The  meeting  of  December  11th  was  held  at  Morelli's.  Col.  William  L. 
Strong  presided  at  the  dinner  table.  Mr.  Foye  was  introduced  as  "  the  orator 
of  the  Society  and  a  newly  elected  vice-president."  Though  the  schoolmaster, 
Mr.  Packard,  was  abroad,  Mr.  Foye  showed  himself  perfectly  at  home  in  a 
theme  wherein  no  man  could  give  him  coaching.  He  struck  the  keynote  of 
loyalty  to  the  Buckeye  state  in  his  story  of  "  Hello  for  Ohio."  Mr.  Cald- 
well was  called  upon  and  told  of  "  The  Ohio  Man  at  the  World's  Fair." 
Homer  Lee  aptly  illustrated  the  pride  Ohio  takes  in  her  departed  sons  by  the 
Ohio  statue  at  the  World's  Fair. 

It  was  announced  by  the  president  that  the  committee  on  the  annual  ban- 
quet would  be  appointed  in  the  course  of  a  week,  and  at  a  later  date  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  were  named :  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman ;  Thomas  Ewing, 
Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Homer  Lee,  Wager  Swayne,  Charles  B.  Feet,  L.  C.  Hop- 
kins, S.  S.  Packard,  Warren  Higley,  C.  G.  Harraman,  W.  S.  Hawk,  Leander 
H.  Crall,  treasurer;  M.  M.  Miller,  secretary. 

Tlie  governing  committee  met  on  January  8,  1894.  Homer  Lee  pre- 
sented a  design  for  the  president's  badge,  to  be  composed  of  a  scarf  and 
jewel,  the  former  being  of  a  ribbon  of  gray  and  brown,  the  colors  of  the 
buckeye,  and  the  latter  suspended  from  the  scarf  of  gold,  circular  in  form, 
embodying  the  grand  seal  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  the  lettering  surrounding  the 

163 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

coat  of  arms  to  be,  "  Ohio  Society  of  New  York — President — Organized 
1885."  At  the  top  to  appear  a  buckeye,  surrounded  by  partly  opened  leaves, 
and  made  of  a  piece  of  oak  from  the  first  house  built  at  Marietta.  Above 
this  appears  the  rising  sun.  The  design  was  approved  and  the  decoration 
ordered  to  be  made. 


164. 


CHAPTER    X 

1894. 

THE  first  meeting  of  the  Society  in  1894!  was  held  pursuant  to  the 
following  notice :  "  The  next  regular  meeting  will  be  held  at  the  rooms 
of  the  Society,  236  Fifth  avenue,  on  Monday  evening,  January  8, 
1894.  As  the  official  announcement  of  committees  will  be  in  order,  each 
member  will  take  notice  that  he  has  been  appointed  a  committee  of  one  to  re- 
late a  personal  adventure  in  which  the  '  Ohio  man  '  did  not  distinguish  himself. 
As  the  date  is  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  (Jackson  Day), 
the  '  War  Horses '  are  especially  requested  to  come  prepared." 

At  that  gathering  the  standing  committees,  appointed  by  the  president, 
and  the  house  committee,  appointed  by  the  governing  committee,  were  an- 
nounced as  follows:  Literature  and  art,  Warren  Higley,  chairman;  Daniel 
C.  Beard,  Franklin  Tuttle,  Alexander  Doyle,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward;  entertainment, 
Warren  Higley,  chairman;  Curtis  G.  Harraman,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  W.  H. 
Caldwell,  M.  M.  Miller;  library,  Thomas  Ewing,  chairman;  Wager  Swayne, 
Henry  L.  Burnett ;  auditing,  Mahlon  Chance,  chairman ;  Frank  C.  Loveland, 
William  M.  Hoffer,  Theodore  S.  Nye,  De  Frees  Critten;  membership,  S.  S. 
Packard,  chairman;  Mahlon  Chance,  Henry  A.  Glassford,  D.  C.  Beard, 
William  M.  Hoffer,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Horace  H.  Brockway,  William  H. 
Caldwell,  H.  H.  Sisson,  Theodore  S.  Nye,  Frederick  C.  Train,  Andrew  J.  C. 
Foye,  John  W.  Monahan,  Edw.  S.  Wallace,  Frank  L.  Fisher,  Daniel  Pritch- 
ard;  house,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  chairman;  George  Follett,  Charles  B.  Peet. 

Speeches  by  a  number  of  the  members  followed  on  various  themes;  but 
the  record  does  not  show  in  what  manner  the  Ohioans  made  confessions  in 
accordance  with  the  call. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  Febmary  10th  it  was 
ordered  that  the  banquet  committee  be  authorized  to  publish  a  book  containing 
a  full  report  of  the  speeches  and  proceedings  of  the  annual  banquet,  and  that 
the  treasurer  be  authorized  to  pay  for  the  same  if  the  cost  did  not  exceed 
$150.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  February  13th  General  Swayne 
made  the  occasion  memorable  by  his  speech  of  presentation  of  the  president's 
badge  to  Colonel  Strong.  Responses  of  Colonel  Strong  and  General  Burnett 
followed. 

February  17,  1894,  was  the  date  of  the  ninth  annual  banquet  of  the 

165 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  and  Delmonico's  was  once  more  the  chosen  place. 
It  was  in  charge  of  the  special  committee  already  named,  while  the  following 
gentlemen  served  as  a  reception  committee :  Gen.  Anson  G.  McCook,  Albert  W. 
Green,  D.  Robison,  Jr.,  Edgar  A.  Follett,  P.  B.  Armstrong,  Lowell  M. 
Palmer,  John  F.  Rodarmor,  H.  J.  Reinmund,  Mahlon  Chance,  R,  C.  Kimball, 
Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  D.  H.  Bates,  Jr.,  H.  H.  Hobbs,  S.  C.  Lewis,  J.  Stedman 
Converse.  The  menu  card  was  almost  a  duplicate  of  that  of  1893.  There  was 
a  special  guest  table,  and  six  others  occupied  by  the  members  and  their 
friends.  Those  who  sat  at  the  head  and  foot  of  each  of  these  were  as  follows : 
A,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye  and  Charles  B.  Peet;  B,  Milton  I.  Southard  and 
Leander  H.  Crall;  C,  Henry  L.  Burnett  and  William  S.  Hawk;  D,  S.  S. 
Packard  and  Homer  Lee;  E,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward  and  Samuel  Thomas;  F,  Warren 
Higley  and  L.  C.  Hopkins. 

Hon.  William  McKinley,  governor  of  Ohio,  was  the  guest  of  honor,  and 
when  he  was  escorted  into  the  dining  hall  he  was  greeted  with  cheers.  Hon. 
William  L.  Strong,  president  of  the  Society,  presided,  and  those  who  sat  with 
him  at  the  guests'  table  were  as  follows :  On  his  right,  Hon.  William  McKinley, 
Hon.  Charles  F.  Manderson,  Hon.  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Bishop  John  M.  Walden, 
Gen.  Horace  Porter,  George  A.  Morrison,  president  St.  Andrew's  Society; 
John  D.  Crimmins,  president  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick;  Charles  A. 
Deshon,  president  Southern  Society;  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  ex-president  Ohio 
Society.  On  his  left  were  Hon.  William  B.  Allison,  Hon.  Joseph  H.  Outh- 
waite,  Hon.  Frank  Hurd,  Prof.  Sylvester  F.  Scovel,  Ellis  H.  Roberts,  presi- 
dent St.  David's  Society ;  H.  B.  B.  Staples,  president  Delaware  Society ;  John 
P.  Townsend,  president  New  England  Society;  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  ex- 
president  Ohio  Society. 

When  the  dinner,  abundantly  provided,  had  been  disposed  of.  President 
Strong  arose  and  announced  that  the  intellectual  feast  of  the  evening  had 
arrived.*  He  said :  "  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York :  I  take 
it  that  the  dinner  of  the  Ohio  Society  at  Delmonico's  this  evening  has  been  en- 
joyed by  all  of  you,  because  I  see  no  one  before  me  but  that  looks  as  though 
he  had  eaten,  and,  if  he  did  drink  at  all,  drank  all  that  he  felt  he  ought. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  for  the  benefit  of  the  members  of  our  Society  who 
honor  us  with  their  presence  only  once  a  year — at  our  annual  banquets — I 
want  to  say  that  the  Ohio  Society  is  sound  financially,  entirely  out  of  debt. 
Owing  to  the  watchful  care  of  our  noble  treasurer,  he  does  not  allow  the 
governing  committee  to  create  an  indebtedness  for  the  Society  unless  he  has 
the  money  to  pay  for  it;  and,  as  he  is  one  of  that  committee,  the  Society  is 

*  Fortunately  for  this  record,  the  speeches  delivered  on  that  memorable  occasion,  when 
Governor  McKinley  was  the  guest  of  honor,  were  stenographically  reported  and  published 
by  order  of  the  Society  in  pamphlet  form.     They  are  here  reproduced  in  full. 

166 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

never  in  debt.  In  addition  to  that,  he  has  a  very  handsome  balance  to  its 
credit  in  the  bank,  which  is  drawing  a  very  fair  rate  of  interest  considering 
the  present  crucial  condition  of  the  money  market. 

"  The  grim  monster,  death,  has  dealt  very  lightly  with  our  Society  since 
our  last  banquet.  We  have  lost  but  four  members  out  of  a  membership  of 
about  three  hundred.  The  addition  to  the  membership  roll  has  been  about  as 
large  as  in  any  of  the  years  preceding  since  the  formation  of  this  Society,  so 
that  now  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  is  on  a  firm  foundation  and  is  an 
assured  success. 

"  I  am  asked  very  often,  What  is  the  reason  you  Buckeyes  kick  up  such 
a  row  in  New  York  once  a  year.''  Well,  there  are  a  great  many  reasons  for 
that.  First,  Ohio  was  the  first  state  that  was  admitted  into  the  Union  out  of 
the  broad  expanse  of  territory  ceded  to  the  United  States  Government  by  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  that  celebrated  ordinance  of  1787  slavery  and  involuntary  servi- 
tude, except  for  crime,  was  forever  prohibited. 

"  Now,  the  people,  the  pioneers  of  Ohio,  that  first  settled  that  '  bonnie 
Buckeye  state,'  were  an  entirely  different  class  of  people  from  any  that  settled 
the  states  farther  west.  Their  devotion  to  their  cause,  their  reverence  for  their 
God,  and  their  adherence  to  a  form  of  government  by  the  people  which  they 
fought  for  through  the  Revolutionary  war,  attracted  the  brainiest  and  the 
best  class  of  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  their  friends  that  went  from  the 
Eastern  states  to  the  West.  They  and  their  descendants  have  left  their  im- 
press on  almost  every  page  of  history  connected  with  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  from  its  foundation  to  the  present  moment. 

"  Another  reason  why  we  celebrate  this  day  is  that  it  is  the  ninety-first 
anniversary  of  the  admission  of  our  state  into  the  union ;  and  as  Buckeyes  we 
like  to  feel  that  we  are  again  spreading  flowers  over  the  graves  of  the  heroes 
who  have  gone  before  us  from  Ohio,  and  we  like  to  hear  from  such  distin- 
guished gentlemen  as  have  this  evening  honored  us  with  their  presence  how 
the  gallant  old  Ship  of  State  is  rolling  along  at  home.  There  is  no  Buckeye 
whose  pulse  does  not  quicken  at  the  names  of  our  distinguished  men ;  particu- 
larly such  men  as  Allen  and  Thurman,  Ewing  and  Corwin,  Pugh  and  Pendle- 
ton, Chase  and  Sherman,  Hayes,  Garfield  and  Harrison.  Also  the  last  Demo- 
cratic governor  of  our  state,  and  the  present  governor,  Campbell  and  MJcKin- 
ley.  And  that  trio  of  military  heroes,  whose  names  will  continue  forever,  and 
glow  with  increasing  splendor  as  time  rolls  on :  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan. 
"  Now,  gentlemen,  there  is  another  reason  why  we  celebrate  to-night — 
although  we  have  dated  ahead  a  little — the  19th  of  February  being  our  day, 
instead  of  the  17th.  Dating  ahead  is,  as  you  know,  quite  ordinary  in  business 
nowadays.  By  the  providence  of  God,  the  state  of  Ohio  was  admitted  into  the 
Union  on  the  29th  day  of  November,  1802,  but  it  remained  to  give  us  a  classic 

167 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

month  to  celebrate  this  anniversary  in,  and  when  Mr.  Jefferson  ordered  his 
secretary  of  state  to  affix  the  seal  of  the  government  to  a  document  which 
bound  us  to  this  Union  forevermore,  that  document  was  dated  on  the  19th 
of  February,  1803;  and,  gentlemen,  when  we  celebrate  the  birthday  of  the 
Father  of  our  Country,  the  immortal  Washington,  in  this  month;  and  when 
we  celebrate  the  birthday  of  the  savior  of  our  country,  more  commonly  called 
the  Messiah  of  Freedom,  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  this  month,  it  is  fitting  that  the 
state  of  Ohio  should  celebrate  its  birthday  on  the  19th  of  February ;  and  so  we 
can  only  say :  '  Roll  on,  O  Ship  of  State,  and  let  her  sons  continue  to  add 
brighter  jewels  to  her  crown  than  any  that  have  been  put  there  before,  even 
in  the  pages  of  art,  science,  literature,  commerce,  finance,  judiciary,  or  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation,  forever.'  And  now,  gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society,  I 
would  like  you  to  rise  and  drink  the  first  toast  of  the  evening,  '  The  President 
of  the  United  States.'  "     [Toast  drank.] 

[Music—"  The  Star  Spangled  Banner."] 

"  Gentlemen,  the  next  order  for  the  evening  will  be  the  reading  of  a 
poem  by  Judge  Higley,  of  Cincinnati,  now  of  New  York,  called  '  The  Buckeye 
Tree.' " 

Judge  Higley :  "  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen,  I  beg  to  correct  the 
President  in  regard  to  announcing  this  poem  as  having  been  written  by  Judge 
Higley.  The  poem  is  by  the  first  poet  of  Ohio,  Dr.  W.  H.  Venable,  whom 
you  all  know.  It  is  upon  the  subject  of  the  buckeye  tree,  in  which  we  are 
all  interested  from  the  fact  that  we  have  all  received  at  least  two  of  the 
products  of  that  tree  to-night. 


THE  BUCKEYE  TREE. 

BY  W.   H.   VENABLE,  Lli.D. 

When  bluebirds  glance  the  sunlit  wing. 
And  pipe  the  praise  of  dancing  Spring, 
Like  some  gay  sj^lvan  prince,  and  bold. 
The  buckeye  dons  his  plumes  of  gold. 

When  truants  angle  in  the  sun. 
Or  roam  the  wood  with  dog  and  gun. 
How  tuneful  sounds  the  honeyed  tree. 
Hummed  round  by  the  melodious  bee! 

168 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

When  boisterous  Autumn  dashes  down 
Imperial  Summer's  rusthng  crown, 
Beneath  the  scattered  spoils  we  find 
The  polished  nut  in  bronzen  rind. 

The  buckeye  broom,  in  times  of  yore, 
Swept  for  the  dance  the  puncheon  floor; 
The  backwoods  beaux,  hilarious  souls. 
Quaffed  sangaree  from  buckeye  bowls. 

The  friendly  buckeye  leaves  expand, 
Five-fingered,  like  an  open  hand. 
Of  trust  and  brotherhood  the  sign — 
Be  welcome!  what  is  mine  is  thine. 

Historic  now,  and  consecrate. 

The  emblem  of  a  loyal  State, 

A  symbol  and  a  sign,  behold 

Its  banners  green,  its  plumes  of  gold. 

Ohio's  sons !  their  bugles  sang, 

Their  sabres  flashed,  their  muskets  rang, 

Forever  unto  freedom  true. 

The  buckeye  boys  in  Union  blue! 

[Applause,  and  cries  of  "  Good !  "] 

President  Strong:  "  The  next  regular  toast  of  the  evening,  gentlemen, 
will  be  responded  to  by  one  who  needs  no  introduction  to  this  Society  nor  to 
any  other  gathering.  He  dedicated  this  Society  and  christened  it;  he  was  at 
our  first  banquet  and  made  us  a  speech  then,  and  some  of  us  were  foolish 
enough  to  think  that  he  would  be  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  as  long  ago 
as  that.  I  doubt  if  he  needs  any  introduction  at  any  banquet  that  could  be 
given  anywhere  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  because  there  is  no  foreign  country 
that  sends  its  wares  to  this  country  but  knows  all  about  McKinley.  WTien 
in  Chicago  last  summer,  attending  the  exposition  there,  I  happened  to  be  in 
the  Russian  department,  and  a  representative  of  the  Czar  heard  that  this 
man  McKinley  was  going  to  be  at  Chicago.  He  said :  '  I  will  stay  here  until 
next  year  to  see  that  man.  He  has  the  largest  income  of  any  man  in  the 
world,  four  or  five  times  as  much  as  the  Czar  of  Russia.  I  want  to  see  him. 
Any  man  that  collects  three  or  four  hundred  millions  of  dollars  per  annum  I 

169 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

want  to  see.  I  take  off  my  hat  to  him.'  [Great  laughter.]  And  now,  gentle- 
men, the  regular  toast  of  the  evening  is  '  Ohio,'  and  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
presenting  Governor  McKinley,  of  that  state."      [Prolonged  applause.] 

When  Governor  McKinley  arose  he  was  greeted  with  applause  and 
cheers,  and  his  speech  was  listened  to  with  the  closest  attention.     He  said: 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York :  I  have 
received  the  impression  through  some  of  the  prominent  members  of  this  So- 
ciety that  there  is  no  limitation  in  expressions  of  boastful  pride,  in  this  pres- 
ence, of  Ohio  men  and  Ohio  character.  Indeed,  I  understand  that  eulogy  is 
the  chief  object  of  this  organization.  I  understand,  too,  that  those  of  us 
actually  living  in  Ohio  who  attend  these  meetings,  are  expected  to  spare  no 
tribute  of  praise  to  the  Ohio  men  resident  in  the  city  of  New  York.  If  this 
is  not  done,  we  are  never  invited  to  return.  I  want  to  come  back,  and  there- 
fore am  prepared  to  meet  any  condition  or  requirement  of  the  Society  in  this 
respect,  that  I  may  have  welcome  to  your  club  and  board  hereafter. 

"  I  am  proud  of  the  Ohio  paen  in  New  York.  They  represent  every  pro- 
fession. They  stand  in  every  mart  of  trade.  They  are  great  lawyers,  great 
doctors,  great  preachers,  great  teachers,  great  editors,  great  bankers,  great 
merchants,  great  manufacturers,  great  Democrats,  great  Republicans,  great 
statesmen,  and  some  of  them  have  been  great  soldiers.  Some  of  them  are  on 
Wall  Street,  or  were,  and  still  others  are  members,  as  I  am  informed,  of  the 
Tammany  Society,  and  yet  others  have  got  into  the  sacred  circle  of  the  Four 
Hundred.  As  I  look  over  this  distinguished  company  I  wonder  what  Ohio 
would  have  been  if  you  had  all  remained  at  home.  In  such  an  event  she  must 
certainly  have  been  '  paramount.'  But  then,  I  reflect,  what  would  New  York 
have  been  if  you  had  not  come?  The  stupendous  loss  to  the  great  Empire 
State,  I  am  sure,  you  feel  more  than  I  do,  and  know  better  than  I  can  de- 
scribe. 

"There  are  ex-Representatives  in  Congress  from  Ohio  in  this  great  me- 
tropolis ;  there  are  no  ex-Senators  yet.  There  are  ex-Govemors,  distinguished 
at  home  and  no  less  distinguished  here.  It  seems  to  be  a  favorite  place  for 
ex-Govemors,  and  the  way  they  get  on  will  encourage  others  to  come  after 
them.  I  might  have  been  a  member  of  this  Society  myself,  if  my  honored 
competitor  had  been  kept  at  home  two  years  ago;  and  when  the  exit  comes 
to  me,  as  it  comes  to  all  of  us,  sooner  or  later,  I  may  be  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
received  by  you  yet.  I  know  of  no  better  city  in  which  to  dwell  than  New 
York,  and  no  better  colony  of  which  to  be  a  part  than  this,  outside  the  sacred 
precincts  of  Ohio.  The  only  disparagement  to  you  is  that  there  are  not  so 
many  of  you  here  as  there  are  in  '  Greater  Ohio '  back  at  home.  You  are 
just  as  good,  just  as  true,  and  just  as  patriotic  men  that  are  here,  but  you 
are  not  so  numerous  as  those  remaining  in  Ohio.    You  have  converted  the  an- 

170 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YOllK 

cient  sage  advice,  '  Go  West,  young  man,'  into  '  Hustle  Down  East,'  and  you 
have  come  and  amply  demonstrated  that  the  Ohio  man  can  succeed  quite  as 
well  in  the  older  as  in  the  newer  states.  I  only  speak  the  voice  of  the  state 
when  I  say :  '  Bless  you,  my  children,  we  are  all  proud  of  you.'  We  will 
always  feel  that  we  have  only  temporarily  loaned  you  to  this  great  State  and 
great  city,  and  that  you  will  all  come  home  again  to  do  us  higher  honor  and 
credit  than  ever.  Much  as  has  been  done  by  and  for  Ohio ;  still,  as  the  Pres- 
ident said  of  the  nation  at  the  Centennial  in  Philadelphia,  she  is  great  enough 
to  appreciate  how  much  there  remains  for  her  to  attempt  and  achieve  in  the 
future. 

"  A  distinguished  Senator  from  Massachusetts  said  a  few  years  ago  that  he 
could  not  help  applying  to  Ohio  Pericles'  proud  boast  of  Athens :  '  Athens,  of 
all  her  contemporaries,  is  superior  to  the  report  of  her.'  Whatever  honors 
Ohio  enjoys  here,  or  elsewhere,  I  think  she  has  fairly  earned  them.  Her  dis- 
tinction rests  upon  what  she  has  attempted  and  achieved  in  the  domain  of  in- 
tellectual activity,  and  because  she  has  fulfilled  every  requirement  of  duty 
to  state  and  nation,  doing  always  her  full  share  to  support  the  government 
at  Washington  in  every  crisis.  The  state  was  early  dedicated  to  liberty.  No 
slave  was  ever  bom  on  her  free  soil,  nor  serf  tolerated  within  her  boundaries. 
She  has  presented  the  largest  opportunity  to  individual  development.  She 
puts  no  weights  upon  her  citizenship,  no  manacles  upon  either  soul  or  body. 

"  The  people  who  founded  the  state  of  Ohio  were  master  builders.  If 
Rufus  Putnam  was  the  '  father  of  Ohio,'  George  Washington,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  were  his  teachers  through  the  long  and  se- 
vere schooling  of  the  Revolution,  from  1775  to  1783.  The  structure  they 
erected  was  greatly  to  their  credit,  however  much  Nature  may  have  done  to 
assist  the  pioneers  in  the  labor  of  love  they  had  undertaken.  We  are  all  of 
us  proud  of  our  state,  proud  of  her  place  of  honor  in  the  sisterhood  of  states, 
proud  of  her  fields  and  factories,  proud  of  her  wealth  of  resources,  proud  of 
her  benevolent,  charitable,  and  educational  institutions,  and,  above  all,  proud 
of  our  grand  old  pioneers — ^their  pluck,  perseverance,  and  virtue;  their  moral 
and  intellectual  worth;  and,  whatever  else  is  said,  I  always  feel  like  paying 
my  respects  and  homage  to  them. 

"  It  was  my  privilege  a  short  while  ago  to  have  described  to  me  a  striking 
but  rude  and  unfinished  picture,  drawn  in  pen  and  ink  many  years  ago.  It 
was  the  scene  at  Marietta,  the  oldest  settlement  in  the  state,  when  the  first 
laws  were  posted  on  the  great  beech  trees  of  the  forest,  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  Governor  Arthur  St.  Clair,  in  the  summer  of  1788.  Whatever 
of  art  was  lacking  in  this  picture,  the  faces  were  those  of  strong,  earnest  men, 
well  fitted  to  build  a  commonwealth.  There,  in  the  impenetrable  forest,  they 
were  demonstrating  that  profound  respect  for  law  and  order  and  constituted 

171 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

authority,  to  which  they  ever  held,  and  which  they  transmitted  to  their  de- 
scendants, and  which  those  descendants  have  themselves  well  illustrated  in 
every  crisis  of  state  and  country. 

"  That  they  considered  this  first  proclaiming  and  publishing  of  the  law 
an  important  event,  was  strikingly  apparent,  not  only  by  the  attentive  at- 
titude of  the  little  group  of  revolutionary  heroes  that  were  there  as  our  first 
state  officers,  who  stood  watching  the  posting  of  the  parchment,  but  by  the 
effect  portrayed  on  the  wondering  faces  of  the  Indian  chieftains  who  were 
present.  Even  the  untutored  savage  saw  that  this  was  an  event  of  unusual 
significance.  The  beneficent  sway  of  civilization  was  not  to  be  gained  merely 
by  clearing  the  forests,  by  the  building  of  forts  and  stockades,  or  even  com- 
fortable homes.  The  possession  of  food  and  shelter,  of  splendid  farms  and 
generous  crops,  and  all  the  rich  returns  of  good  husbandry  were  as  nothing 
to  these  brave  pioneers,  if  their  civil  and  social  institutions  were  not  to  be 
preserved,  and  the  law  not  to  be  supreme  over  all.  They  would  first  establish 
courts,  schools,  and  churches,  before  they  thought  of  the  sordid  considerations 
which  so  often  actuated  pioneer  civilization ;  and  the  subsequent  career  of  the 
state  itself  is  the  best  proof  of  their  wisdom  and  foresight. 

"  Ohio  was  the  centre  of  population  for  more  than  two  decades,  during 
which  was  witnessed  the  most  triumphant  period  of  our  own  and  the  world's 
annals.  Those  were  decades  of  mighty  struggles,  and  still  mightier  achieve- 
ments. They  record  events  the  most  striking  and  far-reaching  in  our  history. 
They  record  the  mighty  social  and  political  transformation  which  changed 
the  face  of  the  civilized  world.  We  passed  during  this  epoch  from  a  warring 
federation  of  weak  and  weakening  states  to  a  mighty  and  indissoluble  Union 
of  indestructible  states.  We  emerged  from  a  civilization  half  slave  and  half 
free  to  one  where  all  are  free ;  we  passed  from  unequal  to  impartial  citizenship, 
and  from  division  and  weakness  to  unity  and  power.  In  our  political  auton- 
omy we  were  unrivalled  in  simplicity  and  strength.  During  these  decades  we 
were  not  only  the  centre  of  population,  but  our  citizens  occupied  the  centre 
of  political  activity,  and  contributed  masterful  forces  in  the  field  of  war  and 
statecraft.  They  were  leaders  in  each,  and  supreme  in  both.  No  great  battle 
was  fought  from  1861  to  1865  with  which  Ohio's  name  was  not  linked — no 
great  victory  achieved  in  which  Ohio,  or  some  son  of  Ohio,  did  not  share  the 
glory.  This  period  not  only  witnessed  the  political  and  social  progress  which 
I  have  described,  but  registered  the  greatest  industrial  and  material  develop- 
ment, the  widest  utilization  of  our  productive  forces,  and  the  most  wonderful 
progress  in  art,  science  and  invention  that  the  world  has  ever  known. 

"  It  is  the  fashion  for  us  to  boast  about  Ohio.  It  may  not  always  be 
timely,  and  sometimes  the  praise  may  be  too  generous;  but  no  unprejudiced 
student  of  our  history  can  hold  that  it  is  altogether  unjustifiable.     The  story 

172 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  the  early  settlers  is  the  story  of  heroism  and  sacrifice,  of  devotion  to  free- 
dom and  conscience ;  and  their  sons  have  wortliily  stood,  and  will  forever  faith- 
fully stand,  for  the  principles  of  their  sires.  The  story  of  Tiffin,  Worthing- 
ton,  and  Morrow,  of  Wade,  Giddings,  and  Ewing,  of  Grant,  Sherman,  and 
Sheridan,  of  Chase,  Stanton,  and  Brough,  and  of  Hayes,  Garfield,  and  Waite 
has  been  often  told,  but  I  do  not  think  too  often.  It  cannot  be  told  without 
being  helpful  to  all.  No  history  of  the  state  can  be  written  which  would 
leave  these  names  out,  and  no  recital  of  their  virtues  and  achievements  can 
be  made  which  does  not  inspire  our  admiration  and  create  within  us  higher 
and  better  and  nobler  aims.  But  our  state  has  had  no  lack  of  material  pros- 
perity. Geographically,  no  state  has  a  more  advantageous  position.  Ohio  is 
the  highway  between  the  East  and  the  West ;  she  is  the  gateway  to  the  South. 
This  advantage  has  been  so  much  boasted  by  our  people  that  General  Grant 
once  said,  in  a  spirit  of  playfulness,  as  well  as  rebuke,  that  I  have  always  ap- 
preciated :  '  Yes,  Ohio  is  a  great  state.  You  can't  get  to  Chicago  from  New 
York  and  back  again,  on  American  soil,  without  crossing  it.' 

"  Ohio  is  also  preeminently  a  state  of  workshops.  In  material  resources 
and  their  development,  in  the  variety  and  extent  of  her  applications  of  human 
skill,  in  her  production  of  nearly  everything  necessary  for  human  existence 
and  happiness,  Ohio  can  be  said,  without  exaggeration,  to  be  '  an  empire 
within  an  empire.'  In  cereals,  vegetables,  and  fruits,  she  stands  at  the  front 
for  variety  and  excellence ;  and,  to  the  amazement  of  her  sister  states,  she  took 
most  of  the  prizes  at  the  World's  Fair  for  her  exhibits  of  cattle,  sheep,  and 
swine.  In  the  number  and  variety  of  her  manufactures  also,  Ohio  leads  all 
the  states.  She  mines  not  only  enough  coal  for  her  thousands  of  furnaces, 
but  annually  exports  millions  of  tons.  Owing  to  her  vast  commerce  on  the 
Lakes,  more  iron  ore  is  handled  in  Ohio  than  in  any  other  state.  Her  rank 
in  manufacturing  is  equally  creditable.  Ohio  has  more  manufacturing  towns 
than  any  other  state.  Great  states  may  proudly  boast  of  their  cities  of  New 
York,  Brooklyn,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  and  St.  Louis.  It  is  true 
Ohio  has  no  cities  to  rival  these,  but  Ohio  can  truthfully  claim  more  pros- 
perous manufacturing  centres  of  from  ten  thousand  to  one  hundred  thousand 
population  than  any  other  member  of  the  Union. 

"  In  educational  matters  Ohio  takes  a  proud  position,  as  her  trophies  at 
both  the  Centennial  Exposition  and  World's  Fair  have  proven.  Her  graded 
public  schools  are  not  excelled.  She  expends  in  a  single  year  for  public  in- 
struction more  than  any  other  of  the  states  of  the  Union,  except  New  York 
and  Illinois.  More  than  one-tenth  of  all  the  money  expended  in  the  United 
States  for  school  purposes  is  expended  by  Ohio;  and  she  has  a  larger  per- 
centage of  attendance  upon  insti-uction,  according  to  population,  than  any 
other  state  of  the  Union.     She  is  a  state  of  colleges,  having  between  tliirty 

173 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  forty  good  and  flourishing  institutions,  all  firmly  established  and  well 
supported.  She  has  no  Harvard,  Yale  or  Princeton,  but  her  standard  of  gen- 
eral education,  even  in  the  liberal  branches,  is  nearly  at  the  top.  Nor  is  Ohio 
satisfied  to  stand  still  in  educational  matters.  She  is  always  on  the  march. 
Her  common  schools  are  better  to-day  than  ever  before,  and  some  time  Ohio 
will  have  a  state  university  at  her  capital  far  grander  and  stronger  than 
Washington  dreamed  might  eventually  be  established  by  the  nation  at  large 
at  its  capital. 

"  Her  judiciary  has  been  able,  pure,  and  learned.  Its  decisions  have 
commanded  confidence  in  every  state  and  territory  of  the  Union.  Hon. 
Richard  A.  Harrison,  of  Columbus,  himself  a  distinguished  lawyer,  said  not 
long  ago,  on  a  banquet  occasion :  '  Is  there  any  state  in  the  Union  that  ever 
had  a  bar  of  greater  men,  either  as  lawyers  or  statesmen,  than  the  bar  of 
which  Judge  Thurman  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  members?'  Their 
names  best  answer  his  inquiry.  The  Ohio  bar  in  Judge  Thurman's  time  was 
graced  by  Hammond,  Burnett,  Chase,  Waite,  Ewing,  Corwin,  Boynton,  Swan, 
Ranney,  Stanton,  Swayne,  Stanley  Matthews,  Aaron  F.  Perry,  Groesbeck, 
Day,  Hoadly,  Storer,  and  many  others  of  exceptional  strength  and  ability. 
There  have  been  five  men  from  Ohio  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  United 
States,  two  of  them  reaching  the  station  of  chief  justice  of  the  greatest 
tribunal  of  the  world,  while  death  claimed  a  third  before  he  could  assume  that 
exalted  station. 

"  In  medicine,  science,  art,  music,  poetry,  and  letters,  Ohio  has  won  a 
leading  place.  In  journalism  she  has  been  conspicuous.  The  Bulgarian  Lib- 
erator, as  he  is  called,  whose  fame  as  a  correspondent  is  international,  whose 
life  was  a  chivalrous  romance,  whose  pen  was  weighted  with  power  and  might, 
the  heroic  MacGahan,  was  a  Buckeye  boy.  His  body,  transferred  from  the 
ancient  seat  of  Eastern  empire  now  rests  among  the  rugged  hills  of  his  native 
county  of  Perry,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood,  and  where  was  spent  the  boy- 
hood of  the  greatest  cavalryman  of  the  Civil  War — the  dashing  and  intrepid 
Sheridan.  Kennan,  also,  the  daring  traveler,  whose  articles  and  lectures  on 
Russian  cruelty  in  Siberia  have  startled  two  continents,  is  a  product  of 
Northern  Ohio.  And  Edison,  the  wizard  of  Menlo,  most  practical  of  scien- 
tists and  greatest  of  electricians,  first  saw  the  light  in  an  Ohio  country  village. 
The  proud  old  state  may  well  risk  her  fame  in  that  field  upon  the  work  of 
this  illustrious  son,  but  to  Edison  she  can  add  Brush,  and  to  Brush  the  great 
Dr.  Mendenhall,  foremost  of  professors  in  electrical  science. 

"  No  other  state  in  the  Union  has  made  a  more  indelible  impression  upon 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States  than  has  our  beloved  commonwealth.  Worth- 
ington  and  Morrow,  Tappan  and  Allen,  Ewing  and  Morris,  Corwin  and 
Chase,  Pugh  and  Wade,  Sherman  and  Thurman,  Matthews  and  Pendleton — 

174. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

what  state  can  boast  stronger  men?  Wade,  rugged  and  resistless  in  his  con- 
victions, with  his  colleague  Giddings  in  the  House,  stood  on  the  very  outpost 
of  liberty,  fearless  and  defiant.  They  were  the  pioneers  of  freedom ;  and 
the  liberty  which  we  enjoy  to-day,  and  which  is  so  universal  in  our  country, 
and  which  represents  more  than  any  other  civilization  the  best  hopes  and 
aspirations  of  mankind,  will  be  forever  associated  with  their  great  names. 
During  the  Civil  War,  Wade  was  at  the  head  of  the  committee  on  the  conduct 
of  the  war,  in  the  Senate.  Sherman  was  a  member  of  the  committee  upon 
which  rested  the  duty  of  raising  the  vast  sums  required  for  the  prosecution 
of  the  war.  At  the  other  end  of  the  capitol  were  Schenck  and  Garfield,  Shel- 
labarger,  Ashley,  Delano,  and  Bingham.  Schenck  was  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  the  conduct  of  the  war,  and  was  a  moving  force  on  the  committee 
on  ways  and  means.  Garfield  was  at  the  head  of  the  committee  on  military 
affairs;  Bingham,  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee;  and  Ashley,  at  the 
head  of  the  committee  on  territories,  under  whose  administration  West  Vir- 
ginia, Nevada,  and  Nebraska  were  admitted  to  the  sisterhood  of  states — 
jointly  controlling  the  important  legislation  of  that  most  eventful  period. 
Stanton  in  the  War  Office  stood  hke  a  sturdy  oak,  unswayed  and  unbending. 
Upon  him  Lincoln  rested,  and  his  strong  nature  impressed  itself  upon  the 
Union.  He  moved  with  but  one  purpose,  actuated  by  the  single  motive  of 
patriotism.  That  purpose  he  expressed  in  1862,  when  he  said:  *  For  myself, 
turning  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left,  serving  no  man,  and  at 
enmity  with  none,  I  shall  strive  to  perform  my  whole  duty  in  the  great  work 
before  me.  Mistakes  and  faults  I  will  no  doubt  commit,  but  the  purpose  of 
my  action  shall  be  single  to  the  public  good.'      [Applause.] 

"  Chase  was  in  the  treasury  department,  devising  and  planning  for  the 
public  credit  and  for  the  enormous  revenue  required  daily  to  keep  in  motion 
the  operations  of  the  army ;  and  for  a  time  still  another  Ohio  man.  Governor 
Dennison,  was  in  the  Cabinet  of  the  martyr  President.  It  should  not  be  for- 
gotten, also,  that  when  Mr.  Chase  resigned  from  the  treasury,  the  first  man 
in  the  country  to  whom  President  Lincoln  turned  as  his  successor  was  ex- 
Governor  Tod,  of  Ohio,  who  declined  the  proffered  portfolio. 

"  Ohio  contributed  somewhat,  at  least,  to  bring  to  Mr.  Lincoln  the  op- 
portunity which  has  made  his  name  immortal.  In  1860  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Convention  was  held  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  third  ballot  had 
been  reached;  465  votes  had  been  cast;  233  votes  were  necessary  to  a  choice. 
Lincoln  had  231  1-2,  Seward  180,  and  the  remainder  were  for  Cliase  and 
others.  Lincoln  lacked  one  vote  and  a  half  to  give  him  the  requisite  number 
to  make  him  the  candidate  of  the  party — the  second  candidate  for  President 
the  Republican  party  had  ever  named.  Supreme  silence  followed  the  con- 
clusion of  this  ballot;  every  voice  was  hushed,  but  for  an  instant  only.     Dur- 

175 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ing  this  instant  my  former  fellow-townsman,  David  K.  Carter  (well  known 
to  many  around  this  table),  a  delegate  from  Ohio,  mounted  his  chair  and 
transferred  four  votes  from  Salmon  P.  Chase  to  Abraham  Lincoln ;  and  amid 
the  huzzas  of  that  crowded,  historic  wigwam,  Lincoln  was  made  the  nominee 
of  the  Republican  party.  Some  other  state  might  have  done  it,  some  other 
state  doubtless  would  have  done  it,  but  the  fact  remains  that  Ohio  did  it. 
[Laughter  and  applause.] 

"  As  Ohio's  name  is  linked  with  that  of  Lincoln  in  the  struggles  and 
sacrifices  for  the  Union,  so  also  is  it  known  in  the  pathos  of  the  death  of 
the  great  liberator.  At  his  bedside  stood  his  faithful  secretary  of  war;  and 
when,  in  the  gray  dawn  of  that  awful  morning,  the  spirit  of  the  immortal 
Lincoln  ascended,  the  solemn  silence  was  broken  by  Stanton,  who  reverently 
said:    *  Nom  he  belongs  to  the  ages.' 

"  Standing  in  this  presence  to-night,  I  recall  my  former  visit  here.  It 
was  the  first  and  only  time,  until  now,  that  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  being 
with  you.  I  remember  the  distinguished  company  then  assembled.  That 
illustrious  son  of  Ohio,  William  Tecumseh  Sherman,  a  zealous  member  of  this 
Society,  was  present.  All  interest  centred  upon  him,  whatever  eminent  men 
surrounded  him.  All  eyes  were  turned  to  him,  and  all  hearts  were  his.  I  re- 
member, in  substance,  the  opening  of  his  little  speech :  '  The  world  takes 
count  of  what  men  do,'  said  he,  '  not  what  they  say ;  not  where  they  live,  but 
how  they  hve.'  This  single  sentence  was  a  sermon  in  itself,  and  well  illus- 
trates the  career  of  him  who  spoke  it.  His  fame  rests  in  deeds ;  and  while 
he  loved  the  state  of  his  home  and  his  birth,  he  loved  still  more,  as  all  of 
us  do,  the  nation  which  he  helped  to  save. 

"  This  sentiment,  too,  was  in  keeping  with  that  grand  letter  of  the  old 
hero  to  a  Southern  paper,  as  to  the  proper  obligations  of  an  American  citizen 
respectively  due  his  state  and  the  nation.  You  will  recollect  that  General 
Sherman  then  said :  '  Mathematically,  the  whole  is  greater  than  a  part,  and 
is  worthy  of  more  respect  and  affection.  Instead  of  boasting  of  the  spot 
where  one  is  born,  by  an  accident  over  which  he  has  no  control,  I  should  suj>- 
pose  the  boast  would  be  of  the  former;  that  is,  that  every  American  should 
be  proud  of  his  whole  country,  rather  than  a  part.  How  much  more  sublime 
the  thought  that  you  live  at  the  root  of  a  tree  whose  branches  reach  the  beau- 
tiful fields  of  Western  New  York  and  the  majestic  canons  of  the  Yellowstone, 
and  that  with  every  draught  of  water  you  take  the  outflow  of  the  pure  lakes 
of  Minnesota,  and  the  drippings  of  the  dews  of  the  Alleghany  and  Rocky 
Mountains!'"       [Prolonged  applause.] 

President  Strong :  "  Fellow  Buckeyes,  it  is  not  often  that  we  have  the 
pleasure  of  being  graced  at  our  banquets  by  the  ladies;  and  I  would  I'ko 

176 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

every  member  of  the  Ohio  Society  to  get  on  his  feet  and  drink  to  the  health 
and  future  happiness  of  the  wife  of  the  Governor  of  Ohio.     [Cheers.] 

"  When  I  was  a  boy  in  my  father's  house,  we  kept  what  the  boys  called 
a  ministerial  hotel.  All  the  services  we  had  in  those  days  were  in  the  school 
houses.  We  had  no  churches  in  the  little  town  in  which  I  was  born.  We  had 
just  one  place  in  which  to  go  to  school  and  one  place  in  which  to  have  services 
on  Sunday,  and  they  were  held  by  the  Methodists,  the  Baptists,  and  the  Pres- 
byterians. Those  three  predominated  in  our  part  of  the  world,  and  the  min- 
isters would  always  come  to  our  house.  The  most  popular  minister  that  came 
there  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Methodist  Church.  When  he  rode  into 
our  barn  on  his  horse — he  always  had  the  best  horse  in  the  country,  and 
was  generally  considered  the  best  horse  trader — we  knew  there  would  be  fun 
for  us  children,  for  the  reason  that  we  always  had  school  on  Saturday  and 
Monday,  but  when  the  Methodists  had  their  quarterly  meetings,  and  the  pre- 
siding elder  came  around,  Saturday  and  Monday  were  holidays.  Another  rea- 
son why  we  always  likM  to  have  the  presiding  elder  come  was  that  he  always 
said  the  shortest  blessing,  made  the  shortest  prayer,  and  always  told  us  the 
best  stories.  I  give  you,  gentlemen,  '  The  Pioneer  Preacher,  the  Circuit-rider 
of  Ohio,'  and  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  Bishop  Walden,  of  Cin- 
cinnati."    [Applause.] 

Bishop  Walden :  "I  have  been  studying  your  chairman  since  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  sitting  by  his  side,  as  an  instance  of  the  influence  of  Ohio  upon 
the  boy ;  but  I  have  j  ust  now  learned  one  of  the  real  secrets  of  why  we  have 
this  capital  presiding  officer — it  was  the  influence  of  the  circuit  rider. 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  lovers 
of  Ohio:  To  share  with  you  in  your  annual  meeting  is  to  me  an  esteemed 
privilege;  to  be  selected  as  one  of  the  necessarily  limited  number  of  speakers 
is  a  high  honor ;  to  be  invited  to  respond  to  the  sentiment,  'The  Circuit-rider 
in  Ohio'  is  a  recognition  of  Methodism  and  my  relation  to  it,  at  once  com- 
plimentary to  my  church  and  gratifying  to  myself.  Under  these  circum- 
stances I  will  be  expected  to  speak  mainly  of  the  favorable  influence  of  Meth- 
odism in  our  native  state  as  it  appears  to  a  Methodist  and  a  Buckeye.  So 
much  is  crowded  into  the  century  since  the  first  circuit-rider  entered  the  Ohio 
territory  that  it  is  no  easy  task  to  select  a  few  salient  facts  that  may  fittingly 
engage  your  attention  amid  the  inspiring  eloquence  of  my  distinguished  com- 
peers who  as  citizens  of  Ohio  promote  her  welfare,  or  who,  residing  in  this 
city  or  elsewhere,  reflect  honor  upon  their  native  state." 

Bishop  Walden  proceeded  to  give  a  masterly  history  of  the  times  covered 
by  his  theme,  and  in  conclusion  said: 

"  Take  from  the  history  of  the  war  between  the  nation  and  the  seceding 
states  the  chapters  that  record  the  part  borne  by  Ohio,  and  what  remains 

177 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

would  be  fragmentary  if  not  unintelligible.  Three  names  alone  would  give 
our  state  an  incontestable  position — Sheridan,  Sherman,  Grant;  and  may  I 
mention  that  the  last  was  reared  in  a  Methodist  home  and  was  familiar  with 
the  work  and  spirit  of  the  circuit-riders.  And  while  this  great  trio  was  in 
the  field,  the  other  Sherman  and  his  coadjutors  were  foremost  in  Congress. 
Review  the  century,  and  the  galaxy  of  Ohio  statesmen  seem  to  fill  the  very 
sky;  five  of  them  called  to  the  highest  civil  trust,  and  that  after  an  honor- 
able service  in  their  country's  defense — the  elder  Harrison,  the  hero  of  Tip- 
pecanoe ;  Grant,  great  whether  at  the  head  of  the  army  or  at  the  head  of  the 
government ;  Hayes,  who  illustrated  his  own  wise  axiom,  *  He  serves  his  party 
best  who  serves  his  country  best' ;  Garfield,  the  self-made  man  and  chivalrous 
leader;  the  younger  Harrison,  whose  incorruptible  administration  is  the  na- 
tion's pride. 

"  As  the  country  now  trembles  and  reels  under  the  unprecedented  finan- 
cial stress,  the  eyes  of  the  people  are  again  turning  toward  Ohio  for  leaders 
whose  ability  has  been  tested;  and  Ohio,  proud  mother,  points  each  great 
party  confidently  to  a  very  constellation  made  up  of  ex-governors,  governor, 
and  senators,  and  the  ex-President  and  other  Buckeyes  in  other  states,  and 
bids  each  select  its  standard-bearer  from  among  her  favorite  sons.  My  theme 
makes  it  fitting  to  refer  to  the  Methodist  affiliations  of  the  magnetic  Foraker 
and  others,  but  I  only  venture  the  conjecture  that  your  honored  guest.  Gov- 
ernor McKinley,  might  have  been  a  popular  circuit-rider  and  become  a  bishop 
had  it  not  been  possible  for  him  to  serve  his  country  as  well  or  better  as  a 
statesman  and — President."     [Applause.] 

President  Strong:  "  Gentlemen,  I  am  going  to  present  to  you  a  man 
whose  father  was  governor  of  the  old  Keystone  State.  He  was  elected  by  the 
people,  for  that  is  the  way  they  elected  in  Pennsylvania.  I  do  not  know  that 
he  ever  did  any  special  thing  with  the  exception  of  getting  a  boy;  and  as 
the  Pullman  palace  cars  have  more  porters  in  their  establishment  born  in  the 
state  of  Ohio  than  in  any  other  state  of  the  Union  I  will  introduce  to  you 
General  Horace  Porter."     [Applause.] 

General  Porter :  "  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen :  This  is  not  fair. 
Your  presiding  officer  promised  me  this  afternoon  that  if  I  would  come  here 
and  sit,  even  up  on  the  roof,  he  would  not  only  not  call  upon  me  to  speak,  but 
he  would  not  permit  me  to  speak  if  I  wanted  to.  I  have  not  anything  to  catch 
on  to.  I  thought  I  had  something  during  the  feast — they  served  a  buckeye, 
and  I  was  ignorant  enough  to  mistake  it  for  a  chestnut.  I  suggested  that 
they  might  serve  that  better  later  in  the  dinner,  and  we  could  make  more 
effectual  use  of  it.  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  resort  to  the  natural  method 
as  advised  by  that  man  in  Ohio  whose  son  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress. 
In  parting  with  him  he  said :   '  Now,  Jack,  when  you  get  into  that  house  you 

178 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

just  pump  your  cerebral  barrel  full  of  ideas,  and  when  you  get  onto  your  feet 
knock  out  the  bung  and  let  nature  caper.' 

"  I  am  still  a  little  puzzled  to  know  just  how  I  got  into  this  Sanhedrim 
to-night.  History  would  have  us  believe  that  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolu- 
tion there  was  a  battle  fought  on  Breed's  Hill.  It  was  called  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  because  it  was  not  fought  there.  I  suppose  I  am  here  in  the 
society  of  the  sons  of  Ohio  to-night  because  I  was  not  born  there.  Perrin  of 
France  said,  after  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  be  elected  a  member  of  the 
French  Academy,  that  he  would  write  an  epitaph  to  be  put  on  his  tomb,  and 
it  read :  '  Here  lies  Perrin.  He  was  nothing,  not  even  a  member  of  the 
French  Academy.' 

"  Now,  I  have  just  returned  from  this  great  state  of  Ohio,  and  I  bring 
you  the  latest  bulletin  from  the  front.  I  went  out  to  speak  at  the  great  Lin- 
coln banquet,  and  I  supposed  then  as  now  that  I  might  not  be  called  upon 
to  speak.  I  went  out  by  invitation  of  my  friend  Governor  McKinley,  and  I 
thought  he  might  at  least  have  thrown  around  me  some  of  those  great  prin- 
ciples of  protection,  but  he  didn't.  He  put  a  duty  on  me.  It  was  not  ad 
valorem,  or  I  could  have  sworn  it  off.  It  was  specific.  Well,  I  met  all  of  the 
great  men  from  all  parts  of  Ohio  at  that  banquet.  The  woods  are  full  of 
them.  I  met  the  men  from  the  Ohio  and  from  the  Maumee  valley ;  from  the 
place  where  they  feed  on  hogs  to  the  place  where  they  feed  on  frogs.  I  met 
the  men  from  Cincinnati,  where  now  we  understand  that  they  are  closing  up 
the  windows  of  the  stores  during  the  day  and  burning  lard  lamps,  for  in  the 
general  fall  in  the  price  of  commodities  lard  light  is  cheaper  than  daylight. 

"  There  is  one  reason  that  Ohio  is  never  talked  much  of  in  foreign  coun- 
tries. A  foreigner  cannot  pronounce  that  name.  I  have  seen  in  Europe  men 
try  to  pronounce  Ohio  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  and  it  ended  only  in  salivation 
or  lockjaw.  You  see  in  that,  you  have  nothing  to  catch  on  to.  If  you  lose 
your  grip  you  are  gone. 

"  If  you  want  to  pronounce  that  other  name,  Hi-hi-waii,  and  you  get 
tangled  up,  you  can  fall  back  and  call  it  Sandwich  Islands.  If  you  want  to 
pronounce  the  name  of  that  dusky  savage  potentate,  of  evanescent  virtue  and 
volcanic  origin,  you  can  call  her  Lili-cuckoo-alani. 

"  I  had  a  most  comfortable  trip  through  the  manufacturing  regions  of 
Ohio — no  cinders  from  stacks  smutting  and  soiling  my  linen,  and  no  smoke 
blackening  my  face.  Now,  when  Governor  McKinley  was  in  Congress  he 
always  made  a  failure  of  this  sort  of  thing.  He  was  never  a  howling  success 
as  an  abater  of  the  smoke  nuisance.  Now,  I  noticed  out  there  that  they  did 
not  make  as  much  distinction  of  colors  in  that  state  as  they  do  in  the  state 
just  across  the  Ohio  River.  They  do  not  pronounce  '  nigger '  with  two  g^s. 
Why,  we  had  a  colored  bishop  at  that  banquet  that  made  about  the  best 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

speech  there.  He  was  so  black  that  charcoal  would  have  made  a  white  mark 
on  him.  He  had  been  a  slave.  I  think  he  was  one  of  the  charcoal  sketches 
from  the  hands  of  the  old  masters.  When  I  listened  to  that  man's  speech  I 
felt  like  saying  what  an  old  abolitionist  of  Boston  said  when  Forrest  went  up 
there  and  blackened  up  his  face  and  played  Othello.  This  man  took  a  party 
down  from  the  country.  He  Hstened  till  they  were  all  through,  then  he  said 
to  the  friends  who  were  with  him :  '  Well,  now,  as  to  the  merits  of  them 
actors,  laying  aside  all  sectional  prejudices,  dam  me,  if  I  don't  think  the 
nigger  held  his  own  with  the  hull  on  'em.' 

"  The  redoubtable  Jim  Fisk  once  said:  '  If  you  can't  be  a  rich  man,  just 
get  as  close  up  to  a  rich  man  as  you  can.'  Not  being  able  to  be  bom  in  Ohio, 
I  did  the  next  best  thing  and  was  born  in  the  state  right  alongside  of  it.  I 
hesitated  for  some  time,  but  since  I  have  heard  these  speeches  here  to-night 
and  heard  that  state  cried  up  in  this  manner,  I  see  I  made  a  mistake.  Henr^- 
Ward  Beecher  once  said  that  the  most  dangerous  thing  a  man  can  do  is  to 
be  bom.  I  think,  after  listening  to  these  speeches  to-night  that  most  any  one 
who  was  brought  up  in  that  benighted  region  outside  of  Ohio,  would  be  will- 
ing to  be  bom  again  if  he  could  be  sure  he  would  be  landed  in  Ohio. 

"  There  were  certain  things  in  common  between  those  two  states — the 
dialect.  A  man  from  Pennsylvania  goes  South;  they  listen  to  him  talk  and 
they  think  he  is  from  New  England.  He  goes  to  New  England;  they  listen 
to  him  there,  and  think  he  is  from  the  South.  He  goes  out  to  Ohio,  and  it  is 
more  discouraging  still — they  think  he  belongs  there.  Now,  I  spent  nearly 
thirty  years  trying  to  get  away  from  the  reach  of  Ohio  men,  and  I  have  not 
succeeded  yet.  I  started  out  in  the  war  with  Gihnore  from  Ohio,  and  went 
up  and  joined  McClellan's  staif.  He  had  gone  out  with  a  commission  from 
Ohio — Ohio  again.  I  then  planned  to  go  West,  and  they  assigned  me  to 
Rosecrans'  staff — Ohio  again.  Then  Sherman's  staff — Ohio.  Then  General 
Grant's  staff — Ohio  man  again.  Then  I  thought  the  only  way  for  m.e  to 
get  out  of  reach  of  these  people  was  to  leave  the  army  and  go  into  the  navy. 
I  made  an  expedition  down  the  coast  in  a  gunboat  commanded  by  Commodore 
Ammen — an  Ohioan.  I  said  then,  we  will  never  get  this  thing  fixed  until  the 
war  ends.  It  ended,  and  we  went  to  electing  a  President — Grant — Ohio  again. 
Second  term.  I  said,  we  will  go  out  to  Cincinnati  and  fix  the  thing  this  time — 
Hayes.  I  said,  now  we  will  get  loose  from  them  at  Chicago,  and  we  worked 
nine  days — Garfield.  Tried  it  again — Harrison.  I  had  a  case  in  the  Su- 
preme Court.  There  was  Waite — postponed  the  case.  I  came  over  to  New 
York  and  joined  the  Loyal  Legion — Commander  General  Swayne,  an  Ohioan. 
I  thought  there  was  no  hope  for  a  man  on  this  continent,  and  I  went  abroad. 
I  got  to  Paris.  There  was  Whitelaw  Reid,  a  minister,  from  Ohio.  Well,  now 
I  am  getting  used  to  it.     I  am  going  right  through  with  it,  and  I  shall  take 

180 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  supreme  satisfaction  of  going  to  the  polls  at  the  next  Presidential  election 
and  voting  for  a  man  from  Ohio. 

"  Now,  with  my  experience,  which  you  see  has  not  been  limited  in  regard 
to  these  two  states,  I  have  divided  my  attention  between  them.  I  feel  a  little 
like  that  tramp  who  went  a  number  of  nights  into  Spurgeon's  Tabernacle, 
South  London.  Mr.  Spurgeon  went  down  and  took  a  look  at  him — a  closer 
view — one  evening.  His  dress  did  not  even  rise  to  the  dignity  of  the  shabby 
genteel.  It  was  evident  from  his  garments  that  he  did  not  belong  to  the  Lon- 
don Four  Hundred.  Mr.  Spurgeon  took  him  by  the  hand  after  the  service 
and  said :  '  My  friend,  I  hope  that  these  meetings  have  done  you  some  good.' 
The  man  replied,  in  a  voice  husky  with  gin :  '  It  has,  your  honor,  it  has. 
When  I  first  came  here  I  was  a  reckless  and  a  desperate  man.  I  hated  both 
God  and  the  devil.  Now,  coming  here  and  hearing  your  sermons  I  love  them 
both.'  I  have  mentioned  all  the  distinguished  Ohio  men  that  I  can  think  of 
this  evening,  thinking  they  might  not  be  referred  to  in  the  spteches  that  are 
to  be  made. 

"  Yes,  I  often  in  the  war  used  to'  look  at  that  state  of  Ohio  on  the  map. 
We  used  maps  more  then  than  we  do  now.  I  could  see  that  comparatively 
narrow  neck  of  land  where  the  lake  swoops  down  and  where  the  Ohio  swoops 
up.  That  was  a  great  gateway  through  which  all  traffic  and  people  had  to 
pass  in  moving  from  the  loyal  East  to  the  loyal  West,  and  was  a  great  centre 
and  is  a  great  centre  to-day  of  population,  of  intelligence,  equally  removed 
from  the  isms  that  existed  in  the  extreme  sections  of  the  country  about  it. 
That  little  narrow  neck  of  land  which  forms  the  gateway  between  East  and 
West  used  to  look  to  me  on  the  map  like  the  waist  of  some  of  our  young  ladies 
after  they  had  employed  a  stout  maid  and  had  been  lacing  for  several  years. 

"  Let  me  say,  after  participating  in  this  very  hospitable  feast,  that  I 
can  only  say  before  I  sit  down  what  was  said  by  an  Ohio  man  when  we  were 
on  the  march  and  got  to  a  river  and  were  ordered  to  wade  across  it.  It  had 
swamps  for  miles  on  each  side.  The  leading  regiment — it  was  an  Ohio  regi- 
ment— Ohio  was  always  in  the  front — had  waded  half  a  day  and  did  not  find 
any  t'other  side  to  the  stream,  and  this  man  turned  round  to  his  chum  and 
said :  '  Bill,  I'm  blowed  if  I  don't  believe  we've  struck  this  river  lengthwise.' 
When  I  view  the  length  and  the  breadth  and  vast  extent  of  Ohio's  hospitality 
here  to-night  I  feel,  for  one,  that  I  have  struck  it  lengthwise."  [Great  ap- 
plause.] 

President  Strong :  "  The  General  has  given  us  a  full  history  of  the  old 
Keystone  state;  but  those  of  us  who  were  bom  in  log  cabins  in  Ohio — and  I 
should  think  by  looking  around  that  there  are  only  half  a  dozen  or  so  of  you 
— remember  well  the  little  log  schoolhouse,  and  just  how  every  man  that  sent 
a  child,  one  or  two  or  half  a  dozen  children,  to  school  had  to  furnish  wood 

181 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

enough  to  bum  all  winter.  He  also  had  to  board  the  teacher  just  as  long 
as  his  proportion  of  time  was  apportionate  to  the  number  of  children  that  he 
had;  and  one  of  the  joyous  occasions  of  going  to  school  in  a  httle  log  school- 
house  always  came  around  on  Christmas  Day.  That  was  the  time  when  the 
boys  revelled  in  the  anticipation  of  getting  a  few  decayed  apples  into  the 
schoolhouse  and  getting  there  early  in  the  morning  to  build  the  fire,  and  bar- 
ring the  door — bai-ring  the  master  out;  and  if  we  could  open  the  port-holes, 
which  were  paper  greased  over  with  lard,  for  windows — if  we  could  open  one 
of  those  and  fire  these  decayed  apples  out  at  our  teacher,  we  were  just  the 
boys  that  the  girls  all  fell  in  love  with.  And  that  was  what  we  all  liked  to 
do,  to  keep  our  teacher  out  on  Christmas  Day,  and  we  were  generally  suc- 
cessful in  doing  it  until  about  eleven  o'clock,  when  our  parents,  both  fathers 
and  mothers,  would  come  around,  and  we  had  to  suiTender,  but  we  surrendered 
with  the  understanding  that  no  birch  rods  would  be  used.  A  boy  then  that 
had  an  elementary  spelling-book,  and  Kirkham's  grammar,  and  Daboll's  arith- 
metic, was  a  millionaire;  and  if  he  was  bright  enough  to  study  his  lessons  in 
daytime  he  could  farm  these  books  out  in  the  evening  for  five  or  ten  cents  a 
night  for  each  book,  provided  he  would  take  it  in  kites  or  something  of  that 
kind,  and  the  last  day  of  school  was  generally  the  day  that  all  of  our  troubles 
were  settled.  Now,  gentlemen,  we  have  here  this  evening  a  professor,  a  pres- 
ident of  one  of  the  celebrated  universities  of  Ohio — President  Scovil,  of  Woos- 
ter,  Ohio,  who  will  give  us  a  dissertation  on  '  The  Early  Schools  Contrasted  with 
the  Present  School  System  of  the  State.'  I  have  the  honor  of  introducing  to 
you  now  President  Scovil,  of  Wooster,  Ohio."     [Applause.] 

Dr.  Scovil  delivered  an  extended  and  scholarly  address  upon  his  theme, 
and  in  conclusion  said: 

"  Our  past  and  our  present  assure  us  of  the  best  material  the  sun  ever 
shone  upon.  And  the  colleges  of  Ohio,  linking  hands  with  the  whole  secondary 
education,  are  pressing  eagerly  forward  toward  the  goal  of  an  ideal  funda- 
mental education  of  statesmen.  In  this  we  are  quickened  by  whatever  is  new 
in  the  times  upon  which  we  are  fallen.  When  the  very  deepest  questions  are 
coming  into  view,  when  '  direct  legislation  '  proposes  to  submit  to  the  popu- 
lar verdict  questions  formerly  reserved  for  legislative  experts,  carrying  for- 
ward the  evolution  of  ages  from  aristocratic  exclusiveness  to  democratic  dif- 
fusiveness, an  ample  and  adapted  education  is  demanded.  Much  is  now  being 
accomplished,  opening  the  way  for  more.  The  one  per  cent,  of  college  men 
the  country  affords  are  not  found  in  business  (as  Carnegie  complains),  but 
they  are  found  where  they  belong,  and  where  for  the  good  of  the  country 
they  must  continue  to  go  (while  the  percentage  continues  so  small) — among 
the  directing  classes.  Tliey  are  telling  powerfully  on  our  legislative  and 
administrative  life  now,  just  as  they  did  in  the  great  Constitutional  Conven- 

182 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tion.  The  scholar  is  in  politics  because  the  people  will  have  him  there,  and  the 
Ohio  colleges  are  supplying  an  urgent  demand  in  making  political  scholars. 

"  In  the  whole  Ohio  college  policy  there  is  nothing  but  that  which  has 
come  through  our  great  commonwealth's  historical  development,  nothing  which 
does  not  already  go  powerfully  toward  man-making  for  private  life  and  public, 
and  therefore  everything  to  set  forward  and  develop  with  a  generous  and 
confident  loyalty."     [Applause.] 

President  Strong:  "  Gentlemen,  according  to  an  old  Ohio  soldier,  he 
always  keeps  the  best  troops  in  the  rear,  and  we  have  this  evening  a  gentle- 
man from  Washington,  who  represents  the  capital  of  our  state  in  Congress, 
who  has  come  on  here  to  tell  us  something  about  '  The  Ohio  Statesman.'  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  Mr.  Outhwaite,  of  Columbus,  Ohio." 
[Applause.] 

Mr.  Outhwaite  said:  "Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society 
of  New  York :  Before  responding  to  the  toast,  '  Ohio's  Statesmen,'  I  must 
express  my  deep  appreciation  of  the  honor  conferred  by  your  courteous  in- 
vitation to  attend  this  ninth  anniversary  of  your  organization.  Were  I  a 
sojourner  in  this  city,  or  a  resident  thereof,  I  should  deem  it  a  high  privilege 
to  be  a  member  of  this  Society.  Since  I  was  bom  the  population  of  Ohio,  my 
native  state,  has  increased  over  two  millions.  The  number  of  its  inhabitants 
is  now  greater  than  that  of  the  thirteen  original  colonies  when  they  declared 
their  independence ;  yet  in  this  very  city  of  New  York,  one  hundred  and  seven 
years  ago,  the  Ohio  Company,  then  but  recently  organized  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  to  project  a  settlement  in  the  Ohio  country,  after  tedious  and 
lengthened  negotiations  succeeded  in  contracting  with  the  Continental  Con- 
gress for  a  million  and  a  half  acres  of  land  for  the  Ohio  Company  at  two- 
thirds  of  a  dollar  per  acre.  This  company  then  proceeded  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  settlement  of  their  newly  acquired  possessions  in  the  wilderness. 
The  details  are  interesting,  but  I  shall  not  dwell  upon  them.  Two  matters  to 
which  the  company  gave  special  attention,  however,  are  noteworthy  m  view 
of  the  programme  of  this  Society  to-night,  in  that  it  has  been  addressed  by  a 
venerable  divine  and  an  eminent  professor.  Among  the  arrangements  first 
made  by  the  Ohio  Company  was  one  to  employ  a  suitable  person  as  a  public 
teacher,  and  another  to  employ  a  suitable  person  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel, 
at  the  settlement  they  were  about  to  establish;  but  the  company  omitted  or 
wholly  neglected  to  employ  a  statesman.  Perhaps  they  thought  that  with 
piety  and  learning  prospering  in  their  midst,  statesmanship  would  spring  up 
in  their  community  as  Minerva  sprang  fully  equipped  from  the  brain  of  Jove. 
But  more  likely  they  felt  intuitively  that  every  man  among  those  sturdy 
pioneers  was  himself  a  statesman.  The  forty-eight  persons  who  disembarked 
from  the  '  Adventure  Galley  '  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  April  7,  1788, 

183 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

had  come  out  into  the  wilderness  to  lay  the  comer-stone  of  one  of  the  greatest 
political  edifices  that  has  ever  sheltered  millions  of  brave,  prosperous  and  hap- 
py freemen.  They  were  certainly  the  progenitors  of  the  state  builders  of  the 
great  Northwest.  Within  fifty  years  of  their  coming,  Ohio  had  a  million 
and  a  half  of  people,  and  had  already  made  such  rapid  strides  in  its  internal 
improvement,  its  systems  of  navigation,  its  jurisprudence,  and  its  enlarge- 
ment of  public  education,  as  to  become  an  example  to  some  of  the  older  states. 
In  the  promotion  of  those  interests  of  the  people,  the  wisdom  of  her  statesmen 
had  appeared.  While  Ohio  was  thus  making  a  grand  and  glorious  career 
for  herself,  some  of  her  more  adventurous  citizens  were  pushing  on  into 
fresher  fields  of  pioneer  work,  so  that  in  the  history  of  almost  every  territory 
we  find  evidences  of  their  presence  and  progress.  They  helped  to  form  the 
constitution  of  every  new  state  carved  out  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  to 
start  and  conduct  the  government  thereof.  For  three-quarters  of  a  century 
after  the  last  war  with  England  there  was  scarcely  a  Western  state  that  did 
not  have,  either  as  a  representative  in  Congress  or  as  governor  or  as  a  United 
States  senator,  a  son  of  Oliio,  native  or  adopted.  Since  I  have  been  in  Con- 
gress, at  one  time  there  were  thirty-six  senators  and  representatives  from 
other  states  who  were  either  natives  of  Ohio  or  had  lived  there  in  their  youth 
long  enough  to  have  their  statesmanship  permeated  with  the  essence  of  Buck- 
eye civilization.  Among  them  was  one  who,  in  youth,  had  directed  liis  course 
eastward  and  then  came  to  Congress  as  a  representative  from  the  granite  hills 
of  New  Hampshire;  one  in  the  Pennsylvania  delegation.  Another  Ohioan, 
'  native  and  to  the  manner  bom,'  drawn  eastward  also,  was  one  of  the  wittiest 
and  most  eloquent,  one  of  the  ablest  and  best  of  the  legislators  that  ever  came 
from  this  great  metropolis  into  the  halls  of  Congress — Sunset  Cox.  Other 
instances  could  be  given  of  Ohioans  who  have  represented  the  older  States  in 
Congress.  Our  people  have  not  been  content  to  spread  out  in  one  direction 
only.  They  have  radiated  in  every  direction.  That  is  why  there  are  so  many 
Buckeyes  here  this  evening.  We  have  already  penetrated  back  into  INIassa- 
chusetts,  where  the  Ohio  Company  originated.  Governor  McKinley,  no  doubt, 
would  like  to  capture  Maine  early  in  1896.  There  was  a  New  England  so- 
ciety which  used  to  meet  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  when  I  was  a  youth.  We  never 
got  through  learning  how  much  we  owed  the  East.  The  lesson  broke  off  about 
twenty-five  years  ago. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  I  desire  to  quote  here  from  an  Ohio  paper  issued  during 
the  past  week  in  my  own  city :  '  Ohio  has  had  thirty-nine  governors,  and  the 
list  is  one  that  an  Ohioan  may  view  with  pride.  There  are  in  the  list  propor- 
tionally as  many  names  that  figure  in  national  history  as  in  the  same  list  of 
any  other  state.  One  of  our  governors,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  became  Pres- 
ident.    Three — Thomas  Corwin,  Salmon  P.  Chase,  and  Charles  Foster — be- 

184 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

came  secretary  of  the  treasury ;  while  two — Return  Jonathan  Meigs  and  Wil- 
liam Dennison,  Jr. — became  postmaster-general.  Tiffin,  Meigs,  Worthing, 
Brown,  Corwin,  Chase,  and  Allen  served  in  the  United  States  Senate;  while 
Huntington,  Morrow,  McArthur,  Vance,  Shannon,  Convin,  Mordecai  Bartley, 
Medill,  Cox,  Hayes,  Allen,  Young,  Foster  and  McKinley  served  in  the  lower 
house  of  Congress.'  The  editor  has  inadvertently  omitted  the  name  of  one 
governor  who  served  in  the  bigger  house  of  Congress,  James  E.  Campbell. 
We  can  further  distinguish  this  list  to-night  by  saying  that  it  contains  two 
prospective  Presidents.  Should  they  be  entered  against  each  other,  it  will 
be  no  scrub  race,  let  me  assure  you.  The  last  national  administration  was 
chiefly  bom  in  Ohio;  that  is  to  say,  the  President  and  four  members  of  his 
cabinet  were.  I  regret  to  mention  the  fact  that  the  present  administration 
falls  considerably  below  the  last  one,  in  this  respect.  If  I  say  this  with  a  sor- 
rowful heart  and  a  sad  voice,  let  no  gentleman  here  suspect  that  I  am  thus 
moved  solely  by  the  refrain  of  personal  disappointment.  That  one  elector  of 
ours  did  not  count  for  much. 

"  If  we  could  collect  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Ohio  who  have  been  the 
statesmen  of  other  states,  holding  many  of  their  most  important  state  offices, 
and  those  who  have  represented  other  states  in  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  and  such  as,  bom  or  brought  up  in  Ohio,  have  held  high  places  in  the 
executive  branch  of  our  national  government,  and  add  these  to  the  illustrious 
names  of  all  that  can  be  truly  styled  Ohio  statesmen,  what  a  galaxy  we  should 
have !  Would  the  stars  in  our  view  in  the  heavens  above  us  to-night  furnish 
halos  for  them  all?  The  statesmen  from  Ohio  always  rise  to  the  level  of  the 
grandest  occasions.  But  recently,  on  Thursday  of  last  week,  one  of  them 
proposed  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  to  amend  the  calendar  of  our 
holy  days.  He  rose  with  dignity  and  gravity,  made  a  motion  to  adjourn, 
and  eloquently  alluded  to  the  fact  that  '  yesterday  was  Ash  Wednesday  and 
to-morrow  Good  Friday.  Certainly  the  Senate  should  adjourn  over  that 
day.'  The  grave  and  reverend  senators  discussed  only  the  question  as  to 
whether  there  was  any  precedent  for  such  action,  whether  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  ever  before  adjourned  over  Good  Friday.  Two  boys  were  dis- 
cussing the  subject  of  Good  Friday,  and  one  of  them  said  to  the  other: 
'  ^Vhat  is  all  this  about  Good  Friday?'  The  other  in  his  superior  wisdom  said, 
sneering  at  his  companion :  '  Don't  you  know  about  Good  Friday  ?  Well, 
you  had  better  go  home  and  read  your  Robinson  Crusoe,  then,' 

"  To  recall  in  suitable  words  the  various  distinguished  statesmen  of  or 
from  Ohio,  would  occupy  the  whole  of  an  evening,  and  it  would  require  more 
than  one  grand  volume  to  faithfully  portray  their  noted  labors  and  achieve- 
ments. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  in  the  State  of  Ohio  there  are  no  mountains,  but  many 

185 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

hills  and  hillocks ;  yet  even  from  the  summit  of  the  smallest  of  these  the  Ohio 
statesman's  vision  surveys  all  that  lies  between  him  and  the  distant  horizon 
of  the  whole  country."     [Applause.] 

President  Strong :  "  The  Ohio  Society  always  observes  the  Sabbath  day 
to  keep  it  holy,  but  before  we  adjourn  we  have  two  or  three  telegraphic  dis- 
patches that  we  would  like  to  read.  [Dispatches  read.]  I  hope  the  Ohio 
Society  feels,  as  its  president  does,  that  we  are  under  many  obligations  for 
the  interesting  addresses  that  have  been  presented  to  us  this  evening  by  the 
gentlemen  from  Ohio  and  from  Washington.  I  now  declare  this  meeting  ad- 
journed." 


186 


CHAPTER  XI 
1894—1896 

AT  the  meeting  of  March  10,  1894,  Governor  McKinley  was  elected 
an  honorary  member  of  the  Society.  The  April  meeting,  of  which 
no  date  is  given,  and  no  minutes  were  taken,  consisted  of  stereopticon 
views  of  Ohio  scenery,  and  General  Swayne  gave  a  running  commentary  on 
the  views.  This  was  followed  by  banjo  music  and  negro  recitations  by  the 
Misses  Leach. 

May  15th  was  ladies'  night.  The  president,  in  opening  the  meeting, 
mentioned  the  honor  that  Ohio  had  lately  received  during  the  dedication  cere- 
monies of  the  monument  to  the  mother  of  Washington,  the  widow  of  Chief 
Justice  Waite,  of  Toledo,  having  been  called  to  preside  on  that  occasion. 
Judge  Higley,  chairman  of  the  entertainment  committee,  took  charge  of  the 
evening's  entertainment,  which  consisted  of  college  songs  by  the  University 
Glee  Club,  recitations  by  Mrs.  Harriet  Webb,  and  a  picture  exhibition  of  the 
works  of  Rubens  and  other  artists.  This  was  followed  by  a  collation  and 
social  chat.  On  June  8th  Mr.  Foye,  chairman  of  the  house  committee,  on 
behalf  of  Franklin  Tuttle,  presented  to  the  society  the  portrait  of  its  pres- 
ident, William  L.  Strong.  Dr.  Beckwith  and  the  recording  secretary  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  draft  resolutions  of  acceptance  and  thanks  to  Mr. 
Tuttle  for  his  generous  gift  to  the  Society.  It  was  resolved  to  authorize  Mr. 
Foye  to  arrange  with  Mr.  Tuttle  for  the  painting  of  a  portrait  of  Colonel 
Moulton,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Society,  then  deceased. 

The  last  regular  monthly  meeting  before  the  summer  vacation  was  held 
at  Morelli's,  on  June  11th.  General  Swayne,  of  the  library  committee,  sug- 
gested that  each  member  should  contribute  books  especially  appropriate  for 
preservation.  The  features  of  the  evAiing  were  two  extended  and  impromptu 
yet  finished  addresses  by  Dr.  Beckwith  and  General  Swayne,  the  doctor's  being 
upon  the  "  Influence  of  Ohio  Mothers,"  and  the  general's  upon  the  "  Eff*ect 
of  Surroundings  and  Associations  upon  Character." 

During  the  summer  an  invitation  was  received  from  the  commissioner  of 
the  centennial  commemoration  of  the  battle  of  Fort  Defiance,  at  Defiance, 
Ohio,  on  August  8th,  and  the  following  reply  sent: 

187 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  New  York,  July  26,  1894. 
"  At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  of  the  Ohio  Society,  held 
this  day,  we  unanimously 

"  Resolved,  That  the  invitation  extended  to  the  Society  by  the  Fort  De- 
fiance centennial  committee  to  celebrate  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
battle  of  Fort  Defiance  on  the  8th  day  of  August,  1794,  was  received  and 
placed  on  file,  and  while  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  committee  of  gentlemen 
from  the  Society  to  attend  the  ceremonies  on  that  day,  yet  they  will  be  with 
you  in  spirit,  and  join  with  the  friends  of  Ohio  and  patriotic  citizens  of  the 
Northwest  in  preserving  the  memory  of  General  Anthony  Wayne  and  his  gal- 
lant associates  in  their  struggle  in  defence  of  the  Northwest  Territory.  Regret- 
ting that  the  Society  cannot  be  represented  by  a  body  of  gentlemen,  we  remain, 

"  Very  respectfully  yours, 

"  W.  L.  Strong,  President." 

At  the  first  fall  meeting,  held  on  October  8th,  the  following  gentlemen 
were  elected  to  serve  on  the  committee  for  nomination  of  officers  for  the  com- 
ing year:  Chas  B.  Peet,  chairman;  George  B.  Hibbard,  Henry  B.  Wilson, 
E.  A.  Follett,  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  John  A.  Smith,  Frankhn  Tuttle.  The  fol- 
lowing telegram  was  read,  from  S.  S.  Packard :  "  Nothing  less  than  the 
rupture  of  an  ear  drum  could  keep  me  from  you  to-night,  and  so  rejoicing 
with  you  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race  I  say  peace  be  within  thy  walls  and 
prosperity  within  thy  palaces. — S.  S.  Packard."  November  12th  was  ladies' 
night,  and  there  was  a  large  attendance.  The  nominating  committee  offered 
the  following  ticket:  President,  Henry  L.  Burnett;  vice-presidents,  S.  S. 
Packard,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Geo.  E.  Armstrong,  E.  C. 
Bodman;  secretary,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss;  recording  secretary,  Marion  M.  Mil- 
ler; treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall;  trustees,  Lowell  M.  Palmer,  Richard  J. 
Chard,  Jerome  D.  Gillett. 

Relative  to  the  honor  conferred  upon  the  Society  by  the  election  of  its 
president,  William  L.  Strong,  to  the  office  of  mayor  of  New  York,  telegrams 
and  letters  of  congratulation  were  read  from  Governor  William  McKinley, 
Senator  Sherman  and  others,  and  the  following  resolutions  offered  by  S.  S. 
Packard  were  unanimously  adopted: 

"  1.  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  feels  specialh^  honored  in  the  selec- 
tion of  its  president  to  be  the  mayor  of  New  York ;  and  our  acknowledgments 
are  due,  first  to  the  committee  of  seventy  and  the  anti-Tammany  organizations 
for  recognizing  in  Colonel  Strong  the  qualities  which  we  have  so  long  known  to 
exist,  and,  next,  to  the  thoughtful  people  of  this  city — men  and  women — who 
have  so  gloriously  promoted  his  election. 

"  2.     We  believe  that  there  has  been  no  mistake  in  this  election — that 

188 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Colonel  Strong  not  only  possesses  the  spirit  and  desire,  but  the  solid  qualities 
as  well,  that  will  justify  the  expectations  and  reward  the  hopes  of  the  people. 

"  3.  While  we  are  proud  to  know  him  as  a  friend  and  associate,  and 
while  we  appreciate  that  simplicity  of  character  and  modesty  of  demeanor 
that  make  him  '  one  of  us,'  in  the  truest  sense,  we  feel  that  the  best  service 
we  can  render  to  him  and  the  city  is  to  save  him  from  the  annoyance  and 
embarrassment  of  personal  solicitations  or  unsought  advice  and  to  leave  his 
hands  unfettered  and  his  mind  free  to  act  in  all  the  functions  of  his  great 
office. 

"  4.  And  so  we,  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  take  this  occasion  to 
pledge  to  our  honored  president  and  friend  our  moral  support  in  the  great 
duties  that  have  come  to  him,  and  to  express  our  confidence  in  his  abilit}'  to 
discharge  those  duties,  unswerved  by  personal  considerations,  and  in  the  high- 
est interests  of  the  people. 

"  5.  We  hail  with  unalloyed  satisfaction  the  determination  of  the  com- 
mittee of  seventy  and  allied  organizations — including  Dr.  Parkhurst — to  re- 
main intact,  and  not  to  cease  their  vigilance  untl  the  good  work  so  gloriously 
begun  shall  have  been  so  gloriously  consummated." 

In  further  honor  of  William  L.  Strong  as  its  retiring  president,  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  presented  by  Henry  L.  Burnett,  was  unanimously  adopted : 

"  Our  president  having  been  asked  '  to  go  higher  up,'  to  be  mayor  of  this 
great  city  and  the  representative  of  its  good  people  in  their  war  upon  the 
corruption,  the  vice  and  crime  which  have  so  generally  permeated  and  con- 
trolled its  public  life;  now,  at  the  close  of  his  presidency  of  our  Society,  we 
deem  it  fitting  and  proper  that  an  opportunity  should  be  given  for  the  mem- 
bers to  testify  their  gratitude  to  Colonel  Strong  for  his  long  and  faithful  ser\"- 
ices  in  that  office,  and  their  warm  attachment  and  high  regard  for  him  as  a 
man,  to  take  him  by  the  hand  and  say,  '  God  help  you,  and  the  good  God  keep 
and  guide  you  in  accomplishing  the  great  work  to  which  you  have  been  called 
by  the  people.'     To  this  end, 

"  Be  It  Resolved,  That  a  complimentary  dinner  be  given  to  Colonel 
Strong  at  Delmonico's  at  such  time  as  may  best  suit  his  convenience." 

In  pursuance  of  the  above  resolution  it  was  resolved  to  give  the  banquet 
on  Tuesday  evening,  December  4th,  at  Delmonico's.  The  following  members 
were  appointed  to  make  arrangements  for  the  same:  Banquet  committee,  S.  S. 
Packard,  chairman ;  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Wager  Swayne,  Thomas  Ewing, 
Leander  H.  Crall,  treasurer;  Homer  Lee,  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Charles  B.  Peet,  W. 
S.  Hawk,  L.  C.  Hopkins,  Warren  Higle}^,  C.  G.  Harraman,  M.  M.  Miller, 
secretary. 

The  special  purpose  of  the  meeting  being  the  presentation  to  the  Society 
of  the  fine  oil  portraits  of  the  late  Col.   Charles  W.   Moulton,   one  of  the 

189 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

founders  of  the  Society,  and  of  President  William  L.  Strong,  mayor-elect, 
Warren  Higley,  chairman  of  the  entertainment  committee,  took  the  chair. 
Speeches  were  delivered  by  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  Chancellor  MacCracken,  C. 
C.  Shayne,  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Col.  William  P.  Fogg,  and  others.  A 
certificate  of  Colonel  Moulton's  membership  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  was 
presented  to  the  Society  by  Homer  Lee.  After  a  few  felicitous  remarks  by 
Colonel  Strong,  the  meeting  was  adjourned,  and  a  collation  served.  During 
an  interval  in  the  social  time,  the  members  were  entertained  with  a  piano  selec- 
tion by  Miss  Nellie  Knapp,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1894  was  held  on  November  30th,  with  President 
Strong  in  the  chair.  The  officers  proposed  above  were  unanimously  elected. 
After  a  few  remarks  by  the  retiring  president,  which  were  of  a  light  and 
humorous  nature,  but  direct  from  the  heart,  he  thanked  the  Society  for  the 
approaching  honor,  it  was  to  tender  him  as  its  retiring  president  and  maj'^or- 
elect,  in  the  banquet  at  Delmonico's.  At  the  conclusion  the  mayor-elect  said : 
"  If  I  knew  that  this  Society  would  tender  me  a  banquet  after  my  course  as 
mayor,  it  would  delight  me  beyond  measure,  for  I  prize  the  good  opinions  of 
my  old  friends  in  the  Ohio  Society  more  than  those  of  any  others  of  my  fellow- 
citizens,  as  I  have  prized  the  honor  of  my  position  as  president  of  this 
Society  even  above  that  of  my  new  office." 

General  Burnett,  in  assuming  the  gavel  of  the  president,  responded  in 
an  equally  felicitous  manner,  engaging  himself,  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  to 
emulate  his  worthy  predecessors  in  the  office.  General  Ewing,  General  Swayne 
and  Colonel  Strong.  S.  S.  Packard  and  Dr.  Beckwith  followed  with  some 
apt  remarks. 

Mr.  Packard,  as  chairman  of  the  banquet  committee,  reported  success 
in  securing  prominent  speakers,  and  Mr.  Crall,  the  treasurer,  reported  assur- 
ance of  the  financial  success  of  the  dinner.  On  motion  of  C.  C.  Shayne  a  vote 
of  thanks  was  tendered  President  Strong  for  his  services  to  the  Society  during 
the  three  terms  of  his  office. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  the  annual  report  of  the  governing 
committee,  made  on  this  occasion : 

"  Shakespeare  says  there  are  three  classes  of  mortals  who  are  great,  namely : 
Those  who  are  bom  great,  those  who  achieve  greatness,  and  those  who  have 
greatness  thrust  upon  them.  To  the  first  class  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
of  our  number  belong.  With  St.  Paul,  we  can  say :  we  are  Roman  bom.  To 
the  second  class  fifty  of  our  number  have  risen,  having  served  in  Ohio  at  least 
seven  years,  which,  by  the  way,  is  but  half  the  length  of  time  Jacob  was  re- 
quired to  serve  Laban  for  his  Rachel,  and,  for  the  great  love  he  bore  her, 
those  years  seemed  to  him  but  as  one  day.  No  doubt  our  immortals  of  class 
two  esteem  their  sojourn  in  Ohio  (their  adopted  home)  as  of  similar  brevity, 

190 


President    from    November    i>9,    1894,    to    November    ^^9,    1898 


X 


i  V     )! 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

because  only  tlius  could  they  have  achieved  their  present  greatness.  We  have 
no  third  class,  although  during  the  past  year  an  ineffectual  effort  was  made 
to  establish  such  an  order  by  making  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Ohio 
Society  those  primarily  unfortunate  beings  not  bom  in  Ohio,  but  who  become 
fortunate  through  having  married  Ohio  maidens.  Had  that  proposal  carried, 
we  should  doubtless  have  witnessed  an  alarming  exodus  of  New  York  men  to 
the  Ohio  land  of  Canaan  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  the  Buckeye  girls, 
whose  honeymoons  would  have  then  included  a  ladies'  night  at  No.  236  Fifth 
avenue,  provided  the  governing  committee  had  been  able  to  pass  upon  so  many 
applications  to  membership  in  this  third  class  thus  established. 

"  Regarding  our  membership,  our  worthy  recording  secretary  has  fur- 
nished the  following  interesting  statistics:  Average  years  of  residence  in 
Ohio  of  non-native  members,  19 ;  longest  residence  in  Ohio  of  non-native 
member,  seventy  years,  namely,  ex-Senator  Henry  B.  Payne,  bom  in  New 
York  state;  shortest  resident  in  Ohio  of  native  member,  two  years,  namely, 
James  M.  Johnson,  of  Denver,  Col.,  born  in  Bolivar,  O.  The  oldest  native 
Ohio  born  member  is  P.  D.  Hall,  formerly  of  Akron,  now  of  New  York  city, 
who  is  about  ninety  years  of  age.  The  youngest  native  Ohio  bom  member,  so 
far  as  can  be  gleaned  from  the  records,  is  Paul  Worth  Smith,  of  Oxford, 
Ohio,  age  about  twenty.  Our  members  come  from  eighty-four  places  in  Ohio, 
as  follows :  Sixty  from  Cincinnati,  41  from  Cleveland,  19  from  Columbus,  9 
from  Mansfield,  8  each  from  Wooster  and  Youngstown,  7  each  from  Akron, 
Marietta,  Steubenville  and  Toledo,  5  each  from  Springfield  and  Zanesville, 
and  1,  2,  3  or  4  each  from  the  other  seventy-two  places.  The  governing 
committee  is  about  to  lose  one  of  its  number — our  retiring  president — who  is 
called  to  higher  honors  and  more  important  public  duties.  We  lose  him  with 
sincere  regret.  He  Avas  our  most  punctual  member,  because  our  regular 
meetings  have  been  held  in  his  bank  at  the  close  of  banking  hours,  and  he 
could  not  get  away.  Nearly  thirty  years  have  elapsed  since  Ohio  saved  our 
country,  for  we  all  agree  that  she  did  save  it.  It  has  remained  for  an  Ohio 
man  to  save  our  adopted  city,  the  metropolis  of  our  country.  We  pray  that 
God  may  help  him  in  his  herculean  task,  and  we  promise  him  our  united  and 
our  individual  support  in  his  great  undertaking. 

"  Since  the  immortal  Lincoln's  time — thirty  years  ago — only  one  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  has  been  selected  who  was  not  an  Ohio  man,  and 
that  one  bears  the  name  of  one  of  Ohio's  great  cities.  In  all  probability,  many 
persons  voted  for  Cleveland  because  they  had  an  idea  that,  bearing  such  a 
name,  he  was  an  Ohio  man.  It  looks  now,  however,  as  if  the  Ohio  order  of 
things  will  be  wholly  resumed  in  1896,  when  one  of  our  immortals  of  the  first 
class  will  take  charge  of  the  White  House,  for,  even  if  McKinley's  star  shall 
wane,  there  are  many  others  shining  brilliantly,  some  of  the  first  magnitude, 

191 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

as,  for  instance,  Harrison,  Thurman,  Allison,  Campbell,  Sherman  and  Strong, 
saying  nothing  of  Ewing  and  Swayne,  Burnett  and  Brice,  Foraker  and  West, 
and,  as  in  Sisera's  conflict  of  old,  described  in  Holy  Writ,  these  bright,  partic- 
ular, Oliio-bom  stars,  in  their  courses,  shall  fight  against  the  stars  from  all 
other  states,  and  surely  one  from  Ohio's  constellation  shall  eclipse  the  rest. 
In  any  event,  the  Ohio  Society  is  prepared  to  furnish  a  man  on  tap  whenever 
public  office  seeks  the  man  and  when  the  man  does  not  seek  the  office,  for  it  is 
admitted  even  by  our  enemies  that  Ohio  never  or  seldom  takes  what  she  cannot 
reach." 

The  report  of  the  secretary  was  as  follows : 

"  To  the  president  and  mxembers  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York :  Re- 
membering the  able  and  comprehensive  report  made  by  his  predecessor,  the 
present  incumbent  of  the  office  of  secretary,  after  performing  for  one  year  its 
honorary  but  not  onerous  duties,  has  reached  the  conclusion  that  the  chief,  if  not 
the  only,  remaining  active  function  of  the  secretary's  office  is  that  of  present- 
ing a  report.  If  the  report  now  off*ered  seems  to  any  one  meagre  in  its  state- 
ment of  facts,  the  secretai-y  begs  that  the  members  of  the  Society  will  kindly 
attribute  that  deficiency  to  those  circumstances  which  have  led  him  to  the  con- 
clusion mentioned. 

"  Keeping  the  roll  of  members  is  one  of  the  constitutional  duties  of  the 
secretary.  The  few  changes  which  have  taken  place,  except  by  the  addition  of 
newly  elected  members,  have  made  this  duty  easy  and  pleasant.  I  apprehend 
that  this  is  due  in  good  part  to  a  policy  which  I  believe  has  been  long  pursued 
by  our  worthy  treasurer,  and  that  is:  never  to  drop  a  member  from  the  list 
if  it  can  be  avoided.  And  whether  a  man  wishes  to  resign  or  not,  our  esteemed 
brother  is  not  disposed  to  consider  a  member's  wishes  in  this  respect,  but  con- 
tinues to  revive  his  flagging  interest  from  time  to  time  by  gentle  monetary 
communications,  accompanied  by  an  extract  from  the  constitution.  That 
extract  sets  forth  the  fate  of  one  who  becomes  delinquent  in  his  dues.  Most 
of  the  members  have  probably  never  obser\^ed  this  extract,  for  our  kind-hearted 
financier  has  it  printed  on  the  back  of  his  communication,  as  I  am  informed, 
so  that  it  shall  not  be  seen.  By  such  gracious  conduct  of  his  office  he  makes 
light  the  secretary's  duty  in  keeping  the  roll  of  members,  and  succeeds  as 
well  in  making  reports  with  which  no  other  officer  can  hope  to  compete. 

"  Every  report,  to  be  a  report,  should,  I  suppose,  have  some  figures  in  it. 
Here  are  a  few.  The  Ohio  Society  now  numbers  4  honorary  members,  253 
resident  members,  69  non-resident  members ;  total,  326.  We  have  represented 
fifty-five  counties,  Hamilton  county  furnishing  the  largest  delegation,  with 
sixty-one  members,  and  Cuyahoga  county  the  next,  with  fifty-one  members. 
There  are  thirty-three  counties  in  Ohio  wliich  are  not,  but  ought  to  be,  repre- 
sented in  this  Society. 

192 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  I  remember  a  gentleman  reading  a  paper  before  this  Society,  some 
years  ago,  in  which  he  several  times  made  the  suggestive  and  pointed  asser- 
tion, '  We  need  more  members  and  we  need  more  money.'  That  assertion 
seems  to  be  quite  as  pertinent  now  as  it  was  then ;  for  the  question  still  remains, 
how  are  we  to  get  more  members,  and  how  are  v/e  to  keep  them? 

"  I  conceive  that  the  two  amendments  proposed  to  our  constitution  at 
the  last  meeting  of  the  Society  would  to  some  extent  answer  this  question. 
The  amendment  by  which  a  reduction  would  be  made  in  the  dues  of  non- 
resident members  ought  to  result  in  diminishing  the  number  of  resignations 
from  the  roll  of  such  members  and  in  adding  to  it  many  new  names.  There 
is  another  amendment  providing  for  a  special  class  of  non-resident  members, 
composed  of  gentlemen  of  the  Oliio  press,  who  shall  furnish  us  with  their 
papers  or  periodicals,  this  class  of  members  being  excused  from  dues.  Such 
a  measure  would,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  add  greatly  to  the  influence  and  repu- 
tation of  the  Society  in  Ohio  and  to  its  strength  and  interest  here.  The  ex- 
pense would  practically  amount  to  nothing  more  than  that  incurred  for  the 
extra  number  of  notices  and  year  books  which  would  be  required  and  the  post- 
age upon  the  same. 

"  I  found  in  my  last  visit  to  Ohio,  and  have  ascertained  from  Ohio  men 
here  with  whom  I  have  talked,  that  the  Society  is  quite  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  our  mother  state.  We  can  say,  without  boasting,  that  the  past  of  the 
Society  is  at  least  secure.  For  the  good  of  our  future,  it  is  important  that 
the  favorable  reputation  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  should  be  spread, 
and  it  should  be  spread  on  the  soil  where  Buckeyes  are  planted  and  grow  and 
from  whence  we  must  transplant  them  here  and  in  years  to  come  get  that  tim- 
ber which  has  become  so  highly  prized  in  the  interior  adornment  of  municipal 
and  federal  buildings  in  the  East. 

"  Many  of  the  friends  of  the  Society  beheve  that  it  would  gain  in  each 
Ohio  editor  who  would  accept  the  terms  of  membership  an  earnest  advocate  of 
its  aim  and  success.  Receiving  notices  of  the  meetings  from  month  to  month, 
and  having  his  name  enrolled  in  the  year  book  as  one  of  its  members,  he 
would  give  the  Society  frequent  and  favorable  mention  in  his  journal  and  so 
bring  it  prominently  before  his  readers.  Being  an  editor,  and  acquainted 
with  all  the  news  of  his  locality,  he  would  know  the  men  in  his  community  who, 
in  Major  McKinley's  felicitous  phrase,  propose  to  '  hustle  down  East,'  and 
he  would  certainly  counsel  such  men,  when  they  get  to  New  York  to  join  his 
Society,  if  they  get  an  opportunity.  The  amendment  proposed  off'ers  other 
advantages  to  the  Society. 

"  I  am  told  that  there  are  some  of  our  members  who  call  regularly  at 
these  rooms  to  look  at  the  Ohio  papers,  which  have  been  sent  to  us  so  gener- 
ously by  our  loyal  newspaper  friends  in  Ohio.    I  am  sure  additional  files  would 

193 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

attract  other  members  here  and  would  afford  frequent  occasion  for  bringing 
some  of  the  members  together  here  and  for  promoting  more  active  interest  in 
the  Society.  The  country  editor  we  all  know  is  in  a  sense  the  historian  of  his 
village  and  county.  An  Ohio  editor,  in  the  course  of  an  exchange  of  letters 
with  me  recently,  incidentally  mentioned  the  fact  that  he  was  the  secretary  of 
an  historical  society  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Ohio,  and  he  offered  to  get 
and  send  to  me  such  interesting  historical  matter  as  he  could  relating  to  his 
locality  and  his  society.  I  dare  say  there  are  other  journalists  who,  if  they 
were  members  and  advised  of  the  historical  objects  of  this  Society,  would  put 
themselves  in  the  way  of  getting  for  us  interesting  historical  and  descriptive 
literature  and  relics  to  place  upon  the  shelves  of  our  library  and  to  hang  upon 
our  walls. 

"  The  progress  of  the  Society,  in  general  as  well  as  in  detail,  having 
been  faithfully  narrated  in  the  reports  presented  by  the  other  officers  and 
committees,  the  secretary  asks  the  Society  to  exercise  toward  him  some  degree 
of  leniency  for  having  consumed  its  time  in  a  report  which  seems  to  be  of 
things  he  has  conceived  might  be  rather  than  of  things  pertaining  to  his 
office,  which  he  has  done  or  left  undone,  and  he  respectfully  submits  the  same 
for  their  merciful  consideration. 

"  EvARTS  L.  Prentiss,  Secretary** 

The  banquet  given  by  the  Society  at  Delmonico's  to  the  Hon.  William 
L.  Strong,  mayor-elect  of  the  city  of  New  York,  occurred  on  December  4, 
1894.  The  gentlemen  already  named  had  the  matter  in  charge,  and  were 
assisted  by  a  reception  committee  constituted  as  follows :  David  Homer  Bates, 
H.  B.  Brundrett,  H.  A.  Glassford,  H.  H.  Hobbs,  H.  H.  Brockway,  Fulton 
McMahon,  C.  C.  Shayne,  W.  H.  Caldwell,  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  F.  C.  Train, 
A.  W.  Follett,  Frank  M.  Foye.  There  were  six  tables  in  addition  to  that 
devoted  to  the  distinguished  guests.  At  table  A,  George  E.  Armstrong  sat 
at  the  head  and  William  L.  Brown  at  the  foot;  at  table  B,  Andrew  J.  C. 
Foye  and  Leander  H.  Crall;  at  C,  S.  S.  Packard  and  William  S.  Hawk;  at 
D,  Milton  I.  Southard  and  Homer  Lee;  at  E,  E.  C.  Bodman  and  Warren 
Higley ;  at  F,  D.  H.  Bates  and  L.  C.  Hopkins. 

Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  president  and  toastmaster,  was  flanked  on  the 
right  by  the  following  gentlemen:  Hon.  William  L.  Strong,  Hon.  Seth  Low, 
Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles,  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  Hon.  William  J.  Wallace, 
Hon.  Clarence  Lexow,  Hon.  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing.  On 
the  left  by  Hon.  William  McKinley,  Hon.  John  W.  GofF,  Hon.  William  R. 
Merriam,  Hon.  Calvin  S.  Brice,  St.  Clair  McKelway,  Joseph  Larocque,  Rev. 
Dr.  Charles  H.  Babcock,  Gen.  Wager  Swayne. 

This  notable  gathering  of  friends  to  do  honor  to  one  of  their  number 

194 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

who  had  been  elevated  to  high  office  after  a  campaign  of  great  excitement  can 
best  be  introduced  by  the  following  from  the  New  York  Tribune  of  the  fol- 
lowing day: 

"  In  periods  of  political  excitement  the  sonorous  and  good  old  Indian 
name  of  the  Buckeye  state,  Ohio,  is  greatly  liked  by  Republicans,  and  the 
Democrats  do  not  like  it  at  all.  But  when  the  Ohio  men  in  this  city  come  to- 
gether at  dinner,  as  they  do  generally  once  a  year  in  February,  political  differ- 
ences are  not  much  thought  of,  and  Democrats  and  Republicans  alike  cheer 
each  other.  The  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  this  year  forestalled  their  an- 
nual banquet  by  at  least  two  months,  and  had  a  big  complimentary  dinner  last 
evening  in  honor  of  Mayor-elect  Strong.  About  two  hundred  of  the  sons  of 
Ohio,  the  great  majority  of  whom  do  not  and  never  did  hold  an  office,  gath- 
ered in  Delmonico's  and  cheered  with  enthusiasm  whenever  Colonel  Strong's 
name  was  mentioned  by  any  of  the  speakers.  At  a  certain  period  of  the 
evening,  a  little  before  the  speaking  began,  some  ladies  came  in,  among 
them  Mrs.  Strong,  and  seats  were  found  for  them  in  the  orchestra.  Their 
handsome  appearance  formed  an  attractive  background  to  the  nicely  arranged 
display  of  flags  and  bunting  behind  which  they  sat.  S.  S.  Packard,  who 
presided  at  one  of  the  tables,  jumped  to  his  feet  and  waved  his  handkerchief, 
which  was  a  signal  for  everybody  else  to  do  likewise,  and  this  demonstration 
of  welcome  was  supplemented  by  a  hearty  outburst  of  cheering. 

"  The  tables  were  arranged  at  right  angles  to  the  long  one,  at  which 
the  chairman  sat,  and  at  the  head  of  each  one  of  these  tables  sat  one  of  the 
vice-presidents  of  the  Society,  and  at  the  other  end  one  of  the  members  of  the 
dinner  committee.  Buckeye  brown  ribbons  across  the  shirt  front  were  worn 
by  the  members  of  the  dinner  committee,  and  a  handsome  souvenir,  to  which 
was  glued  an  imitation  buckeye,  was  carefully  put  away  by  each  one  as  a 
memento  of  the  occasion." 

The  announced  list  of  speakers  and  toasts  was  as  follows: 
President  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Toastmaster. 
Mayor-elect  William  L.  Strong,  Guest. 

1.  President  Seth  Low,  of  Columbia  College. 

"  Can  a  City  be  Governed  on  Business  Principles.'"' 

2.  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  H.  Parkhurst. 

"  Eternal  Vigilance,  the  Price  of  Purity." 

3.  St.  Clair  McKelway,  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"  The  Greater  New  York." 

4.  Hon.  John  W.  Goff. 

"  Let  There  Be  Light." 

5.  Joseph  Larocque,  Esq. 

"  The  Committee  of  Seventy." 

195 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  proceedings  in  full  were  as  follows : 

President  Burnett :     "  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  and  Guests : 

"  At  the  close  of  Colonel  Strong's  presidency  of  our  Society,  and  as  he 
was  about  to  enter  upon  his  duties  as  mayor  of  this  great  city,  a  universal 
desire  was  expressed  that  an  opportunity  should  be  given  for  all  the  members 
to  meet  him  and  take  him  by  the  hand;  to  express  to  him  their  gratitude  for 
his  long  and  manifold  services  to  the  Society,  their  esteem  and  affection  for 
him  as  a  man,  and  to  declare  their  faith  to  the  people  of  this  city  from  their 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  man,  that  he  wiU  resolutely,  cleanly  and  wisely  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  the  important  office  to  which  he  has  been  called. 

"  And  our  Society  feels  that  under  the  circumstances  it  has  a  peculiar  and 
special  interest  in  this  job — ^this  cleaning  of  the  Tanmiany  augean  stable,  and 
a  good  honest  business  government  for  our  city. 

"  Coming  here  from  our  native  state  of  Ohio,  becoming  citizens  of  this 
great  city  and  state,  rearing  and  educating  our  children  under  the  city's 
government,  its  laws  and  influences,  intending  to  live  out  our  lives  and  work 
out  our  fortunes  in  your  midst,  we  feel  that  we  have  as  deep  and  abiding  an 
interest  in  the  prosperity,  the  good  name,  and  honor  of  this  great  imperial 
city  as  any  one  bom  within  her  walls ;  and  is  it  presumption  in  us  to  say  that 
the  descendants  of  the  Revolutionary  heroes  and  soldiers  who  in  old  Massa- 
chusetts formed  the  first  Ohio  Society  and  emigrated  to  and  took  up  their 
homes  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  river,  and  carved  out  their  fortunes  and 
a  great  empire  there ;  is  it  '  cheek '  in  us,  as  our  friend  Mr.  Depew  or  Mr. 
Choate  might  say,  that  we  now,  having  returned  and  taken  up  our  homes 
among  you,  have  taken  and  propose  to  continue  to  take  actively  and  earnestly 
a  hand  in  the  job  of  securing  good  government  for  the  city  of  our  adoption? 
But  taking  a  hand  may  mean  one  thing  to  the  average  New  York  politician 
and  a  very  different  thing  to  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Society.  Touching 
Colonel  Strong's  election,  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Society,  feeling  that  we 
were  all  warm  personal  friends  of  his,  was  to  pass  a  resolution  unanimously 
that  no  personal  appeals  should  be  made  to  him  for  office  or  favor  by  any 
member;  that  he  should  not  be  burdened  or  annoyed  by  applications  or  im- 
portunities by  any  of  his  friends  of  his  old  Society;  that  our  duty  and  our 
work,  yea,  our  pleasure,  lay  in  uniting  with  all  the  good  citizens  in  moral  sup- 
port of  his  administration,  in  aiding  him  to  begin  and  carry  through  all 
genuine  reforms,  to  enforce  the  law,  to  strengthen  and  support  his  arms  in 
bearing  high  the  banner  of  non-partisan  and  pure  municipal  government. 
We  seek  no  offices,  nor  solicit  them  for  our  friends.  Of  course,  even  an  Ohio 
man  cannot  help  taking  an  office  now  and  then  if  it  is  thrust  upon  him. 

"  But,  turning  from  the  Society  to  our  guest.  Colonel  Strong.  He  is 
known  well  by  every  member  of  the  Society,  and  in  its  nine  years  of  existence 

196 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

no  man  has  been  more  active  or  liberal  in  advancing  its  welfare,  no  member 
so  well  known  and  loved  by  all  the  '  boys.'  We  are  all  his  warm  friends,  not 
only  now  that  high  office  has  been  thrust  upon  him,  but  during  all  the  time  he 
has  been  with  us  and  one  of  us. 

"  Some  of  our  members  have  known  him  intimately  since  his  boyhood  out 
in  Ohio,  some  associated  with  him  for  years  in  business.  Those  who  have 
known  him  longest  love  him  best.  He  has  in  the  Society  not  one  enemy,  nor  a 
lukewarm  friend. 

"  Colonel  Strong  has  in  him  good  stuff  for  mayor.  The  committee  of 
seventy  builded  wiser  than  it  knew,  Mr.  Larocque,  when  it  selected  him  as  the 
standard-bearer  of  the  great  army  of  the  people  in  their  attack  upon  Tam- 
many and  storming  of  their  entrenched  positions  in  the  offices  of  this  city. 

"  We  who  know  him  well  know  that  he  is  strong  and  resolute  of  will  and 
tenacious  of  purpose.  He  is  essentially  honest-minded,  honest  in  thought  and 
action;  honest  with  others,  honest  with  himself;  slow  and  deliberate  in  his 
mental  operations;  a  judgment  that  waits  on  information,  and  yet  at  times 
astonishing  his  friends  by  the  quickness  and  accuracy  of  his  intuitions. 

"  If  a  question  of  policy  or  administration  new  to  him  were  to  be  pre- 
sented, he  would  probably  be  slow  to  answer.  He  would  hear  and  like  to  hear 
from  men  whose  intelligence  and  character  he  respected  all  they  had  to  say  upon 
the  subject;  and  then,  well,  he'd  think  it  over. 

"  While  in  quite  a  large  measure  he  has  something  of  that  equable  temper 
and  stolid  sturdy  nature  of  Grant,  he  can  and  will  at  times  be  impatient  and 
say  '  no '  with  vehemence.  This  will  occur  when  suggestions  are  made  to  him 
of  action  or  administration  that  violate  or  run  counter  to  his  conviction  of 
right;  and  on  questions  of  right  he  will  not  always  agree  with  the  theorists. 
Like  Lincoln,  he  is  no  idealist.  '  The  right  which  he  sees  will  be  a  practical 
right,  a  right  which  can  be  compassed.' 

"  He  is  sturdy,  inflexible,  honest  always. 

"  His  active  business  life  of  forty  years  in  this  great  city  has  made  him 
a  good  judge  of  men — of  character.  A  busy,  active,  hard-working  merchant 
for  many  years,  president  of  a  large  bank,  director  of  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant life  insurance  companies  of  this  country,  and  director  of  one  of  the 
great  trunk  line  railroads,  he  has  been  thoroughly  schooled  in  the  city's  com- 
merce, its  property  interests,  its  finances,  and  its  transportation.  He  knows, 
as  few  men  know,  the  city's  needs  and  its  resources.  He  is  well  equipped  for 
the  work  before  him. 

"  Finally,  3'ou  will  find  him  warm  of  heart,  a  '  kindly  man  among  his 
kind,'  in  close  touch  and  sympathy  with  the  plain  people  and  all  who  toil ;  and 
also  you  will  find  that  in  digging  out  corruption,  the  vile  and  vicious  from  their 
lurking  places,  he  will  have  long  and  sharp  nails,  but  clean  hands.     And  he 

197 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

has  that  rare  quality  most  valuable  in  places  of  power  in  public  or  private  life 
— uncommon  common  sense.    I  introduce  Col.  Strong." 

Mayor  Strong  said :  "  About  forty  years  ago,  in  Ohio,  Mr.  President  and 
brother  Buckeyes,  I  attended  a  little  dinner,  I  think  of  about  twenty-five  or 
thirty  people,  and  we  had  nothing  to  eat  but  bear  meat  (laughter),  and  that 
is  why  the  dinner  was  given.  We  had  got  a  bear.  Now,  gentlemen,  from  the 
looks  of  these  tables  and  the  absence  of  provisions,  you  have  changed  the  order 
— have  taken  the  meat  away  and  left  the  dishes  bare.  This  is  a  distinction  with 
a  difference.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  to  know  just  how  to  handle  myself  on 
this  occasion.  You  '  boys  '  have  got  the  advantage  of  me.  In  the  first  place,  I 
don't  think  that  I  feel  in  the  best  humor.  I  suppose  I  understand  the  reason. 
As  soon  as  m}'^  nomination  was  made  for  mayor,  this  Ohio  Society  had  a  meet- 
ing and  elected  a  nominating  committee  to  name  a  new  president,  and  no  sooner 
was  I  elected  mayor  than  they  kicked  me  out. 

"  I  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  this  Society,  and,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  I  have  been  an  officer  ever  since  it  was  formed,  until  last  Friday  night, 
when,  on  account  of  having  been  elected  mayor,  I  was  reduced  to  the  ranks.  I 
did  not  know  before  that  an  Ohio  man  is  never  allowed  to  take  office  without 
being  kicked  out  of  all  the  societies  of  which  he  is  a  member.  I  have  already 
left  two,  I  believe — not  left,  but  quietly  been  shuffled  out  just  as  I  have  been 
out  of  the  presidency  of  this  Society.  I  never  did  quite  know  why  this  dinner 
was  gotten  up,  unless  it  was  to  buy  me  off !  I  suspect  that  one  or  two  of  my 
friends  sitting  here  on  my  right  said,  '  We  will  give  the  Colonel  a  nice  Del- 
monico  banquet,  and  that  will  make  it  all  right.' 

"  But,  gentlemen,  the  tender  recollections  that  will  hover  around  the  Ohio 
Society  while  I  am  in  the  ranks  will  not  make  me  any  the  less  zealous  for  its 
success.  I  shall  be  delighted  always  to  have  the  pleasure  of  being  with  you  at 
your  meetings,  for  I  know  of  no  place  where  a  real  genuine  Buckeye  can  have 
quite  so  good  a  time  as  he  can  at  236  Fifth  avenue. 

"  I  am  rather  inclined  to  think  that  after  the  fulsome  discourse  of  your 
president,  my  mouth  is  pretty  well  sealed.  I  cannot  afford  to  say  much.  My 
own  impression  is  that  in  about  three  years  from  now  you  gentlemen  will  be 
mighty  sorry  that  you  gave  me  this  dinner.  (Laughter.)  In  olden  times,  as 
you  remember,  they  put  laurel  wreaths  on  the  brows  of  their  heroes  when  they 
returned  from  battle;  and  when  the  statesman  had  accomplished  some  great 
good  for  the  state  he  was  similarly  honored.  But  you  have  reversed  the  order. 
And  more  than  this,  you  seem  determined  to  dine  and  wine  me  until  you  make 
me  entirely  unfit  to  take  the  position  to  which  you  have  elected  me.  I  say 
'  you,'  for  I  have  not  seen  a  man  in  the  Ohio  Society  who  did  not  vote  for  me. 
In  fact,  I  have  seen  but  two  men  in  the  city  of  New  York  who  said  they  didn't ! 

198 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Now,  3^our  president  referred  to  a  resolution  gotten  up  by  my  friend, 
Mr.  Packard,  and  unanimously  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  not  embarrassing 
me  after  I  got  into  the  office,  saying  in  substance  that  no  member  of  the  Ohio 
Society  should  ask  for  an  appointment  either  for  himself  or  for  another.  Well, 
you  will  remember  there  was  one  gentleman  who  hurried  out  before  that  resolu- 
tion was  read,  and  came  back  and  voted  for  it.  He  had  seen  me;  but  as  all 
applications  that  have  been  made  to  me  have  been  made  under  the  sacred  seal 
of  confidence,  I  shall  call  no  names. 

"  During  the  campaign  there  was  a  little  thing  occurred  that  I  will  relate 
here.  I  may  have  mentioned  it  to  some  of  my  friends  of  the  Ohio  Society ;  and 
I  am  sorry  our  friend  is  not  here  to  testify  to  its  truth.  He  was  making  a 
speech  at  Cooper  Institute,  and  was  describing  the  immense  hospitality  of  his 
candidate  for  mayor,  as  he  had  enjoyed  it  down  at  the  seashore.  He  said  we 
sat  on  the  piazza  with  the  broad  ocean  before  us  and  about  two  fingers  of 
sarsaparilla  in  our  glasses.  Well,  the  next  morning,  there  were  four  or  five 
gentlemen  from  the  East  Side  who  came  to  the  bank,  and  one  of  them  said, 
'  Now,  look  here,  Mr.  Strong,  you  must  call  that  man  off.'  '  That  man '  was 
Mr.  Fred.  Taylor.  '  You  must  call  him  right  off.  No  more  sarsaparilla  in 
this  campaign.  It  may  do  well  enough  to  run  a  bank,  or  a  dry  goods  business, 
but  when  you  get  into  the  mayor's  chair,  you  must  have  something  a  little  more 
tony  than  sarsaparilla.'     (Laughter.) 

"  Gentlemen,  it  is  useless  for  me  to  try  to  express  my  feelings  on  this  occa- 
sion. I  could  not  do  it.  The  compliment  you  have  paid  me  is  more  than  I  can 
stand."     (Cheers  and  much  applause.) 

President  Burnett:  "In  the  early  days  of  Louis  XLV.,  to  those  who 
doubted  his  future  Cardinal  Mazarin  declared  '  that  they  did  not  know  him, 
and  that  there  was  stuff  enough  in  him  to  make  four  kings  and  an  honest  man.' 
I  think  we  may  say  of  Colonel  Strong  that  he  has  in  him  the  stuff  for  four 
ordinary  mayors  and  always  an  honest  man  left  over. 

"  In  the  experiment  of  the  government  of  cities  upon  business  principles, 
there  has  been  one  eminent  example  in  this  country.  That  was  Brooklyn, 
under  the  administration  of  a  gentleman  present  with  us  to-night,  and  to  all 
students  of  municipal  administration  that  example  has  been  pointed  out  as  one 
conspicuous  in  its  success — as  successful  as  was  possible  under  the  great  body 
of  law  under  which  that  municipality  had  to  be  administered,  a  body  of  law  not 
formed  for  independent  or  business  government,  but  passed  by  each  party  when 
in  power  more  or  less  in  its  own  interests.  Of  that  administration  and  the  ex- 
perience of  that  gentleman,  we  shall  hear  to-night.  There  has  been  added  to 
the  wealth  of  our  hoardings  his  citizenship — he  has  become  a  part  of  New 
York,  thank  God  !  (Applause.)  He  is  now  at  the  head  of  our  great  institution 
of  learning,  Columbia  College,  and  he  gives  to  it  the  wealth  of  his  knowledge 

199 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  experience — not  only  that,  but  is  training  up  our  young  Americans,  the 
heirs  presumptive  and  the  heirs  apparent  of  this  great  repubhc,  who  are  so  soon 
to  enter  into  their  royal  inheritance,  and  teaching  them  high  standards  of  civic 
duty. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  introduce  President  Low." 

Seth  Low  said :  "  Mr.  President  and  Glentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society :  It 
is  very  good  of  you  to  permit  a  mere  New  Yorker  to  be  present  on  this  occasion 
of  your  rejoicing,  and  yet  I  must  remind  you  that  New  York,  cosmopolitan 
New  York,  was  true  to  her  best  self  when  she  followed  the  leadership  of  Colonel 
Strong  to  victory  a  week  or  two  ago.  It  is  at  once  the  strength  and  the  glory 
of  this  city  that  she  takes  that  which  is  good  from  all  other  parts  of  this  Union 
and  makes  it  a  part  of  her  own  life  and  her  own  power. 

"  I  confess,  gentlemen,  to  being  surprised  at  one  thing  that  I  have  heard 
since  being  here.  I  do  not  know  how  it  may  be  with  college  students,  but 
college  presidents  who  are  worth  anytliing  are  always  ready  to  learn.  And  I 
have  learned  with  amazement  that  the  Ohio  Society  has  determined  that  no 
other  Ohio  man  shall  hold  office  in  the  city  of  New  York.  I  had  supposed 
that  the  Ohio  man  went  into  his  back-j^ard  every  day  and  put  his  ear  to  the 
ground  to  see  if  he  could  not  hear  his  country  calhng  him.  (Great  laughter 
and  applause.)  But  it  is  evident  that  we  of  New  York  only  partially  under- 
stand the  Ohio  man,  even  now.  Nevertheless,  I  knew  him  well  enough,  Mr. 
President,  to  be  confident,  when  I  learned  that  Colonel  Strong  was  an  Ohio  man, 
that  he  would  be  elected.  A  long  and  careful  watchfulness  of  political  events 
in  this  country  had  led  me  to  believe  that  the  ordinary  man  who  faces  a  man 
from  Ohio,  either  in  battle  or  in  a  pohtical  contest,  deserves  the  comment  of  the 
locomotive  engineer  who  observed  a  bull  charging  his  engine.  He  said,  '  I 
admire  your  pluck,  but  I  must  condemn  your  judgment.' 

"  But,  gentlemen,  I  have  been  asked  whether  it  is  possible  to  conduct  a 
city  upon  business  principles.  If  I  shall  not  discourage  the  mayor-elect,  I 
should  say  in  some  senses  j^es,  and  in  some  senses  no.  To  try  to  make  clear  the 
sense  in  which  other  elements  come  into  such  a  task  than  those  which  a  man  is 
accustomed  to  in  business,  I  must  recall  a  conversation  that  I  had  with  Mr. 
Beecher  after  I  had  sat  in  the  mayor's  office  of  Brooklyn  for  two  or  three 
years.  He  said,  '  Well,  Mr.  Mayor,  how  are  the  politicians  feeling.'' '  '  Well,' 
I  said,  '  Mr.  Beecher,  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  very  good  authority  on  that 
point.  If  I  were  to  make  a  guess,  I  should  say  that  those  who  are  in  office  feel 
all  right,  and  those  who  are  out  are  a  little  discontented.'  (Laughter.)  Well, 
he  laughed,  and  said  it  reminded  him  of  what  he  used  to  see  in  Indiana  when 
he  was  located  there.  In  those  days  large  droves  of  hogs  wandered  around, 
and  in  winter-time  ate  the  mast,  the  acorns  that  fell  from  the  trees ;  and  when 
cold  weather  came  they  all  gathered  up  into  a  bunch.     '  Now,'  he  said,  '  Mr. 

200 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Low,  it  is  most  singular,  but  I  never  saw  such  a  bunch  of  those  interesting  ani- 
mals where  the  inside  hog  did  not  appear  to  be  perfectly  quiescent  and  satisfied, 
while  the  whole  outer  ring  was  in  a  state  of  discontent.'  Of  course,  if  I  had  not 
heard  of  the  resolution  passed  by  the  Ohio  Society,  I  should  not  have  ventured 
to  tell  the  anecdote  in  this  presence.  (Renewed  laughter.)  That  is  to  say, 
gentlemen,  that  in  the  government  of  a  city  elements  do  enter — whether  they 
should  or  not,  they  do  enter — into  the  problem  that  do  not  attach  themselves 
to  the  conduct  of  a  private  business.  What  seems  to  me  to  differentiate  public 
life  from  private  in  any  capacity  is  this,  that  in  public  life  there  exists  an 
organized  opposition  that  tries  to  make  you  fail  just  as  much  when  you  ought 
to  succeed  as  when  you  deserve  to  fail.  It  does  not  want  you  to  succeed,  because 
if  you  succeed  you  gather  prestige  and  power  that  may  be  dangerous  to  the 
opposition.  Now  a  business  man  has  competition  to  face,  but  he  does  not  have 
that ;  and  it  is  an  influence  that  necessarily  affects  public  life  and  differentiates 
it  in  some  respects  from  any  private  occupation.  I  found  that  public  life  was 
a  life  of  Rembrandt  effects.  The  lights  are  very  strong  and  bright.  What 
can  be  more  stirring  to  the  heart  of  a  man  competent  to  feel  it  than  the  applause 
of  a  great  metropolis  like  this.''  On  the  other  hand,  what  is  more  trying  than 
the  criticism  of  your  neighbors ;  the  falsehoods  that  often  circulate  about  men 
charged  with  difficult  and  responsible  duties.''  One  has  to  steel  himself  against 
it,  to  bear  himself  as  though  he  were  absolutely  unconscious  of  all  these  false 
things  that  are  being  said,  and  that  is  why  I  say  that  it  is  a  life  of  Rembrandt 
effects.  The  shadows  are  dark  because  the  light  that  casts  them  is  very  bright. 
But  there  is  a  sense,  gentlemen,  in  which  a  city  can  be  administered  on  business 
principles,  I  am  sure.  But  before  I  approach  that  let  me  try  to  make  clear 
to  you  by  a  historical  survey  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  overwhelming  signifi- 
cance of  the  election  of  our  friend.  In  1814  the  mayor  of  the  city  of  New 
York  was  not  an  elective  officer.  He  was  appointed  by  the  State  Council  of 
Appointment,  a  body  that  consisted  of  the  governor  of  the  state  and  of  four 
senators  chosen  by  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature.  A  body  so  composed  re- 
moved from  the  mayor's  office  of  New  York  city  in  1814  so  considerable  a  man 
as  De  Witt  Clinton,  who  a  few  years  later  constructed  the  Erie  Canal.  They 
put  into  his  place  the  then  president  of  the  Tammany  Society,  under  an  ar- 
rangement by  which  that  gentleman  was  to  receive  in  a  few  weeks  from  the 
national  government  the  appointment  of  surveyor  of  the  port  of  New  York, 
when  he  was  to  be  succeeded  by  still  a  different  man.  The  bargain  was  carried 
out  to  the  letter.  In  other  words,  away  back  there  in  1814  the  city  was  used 
as  a  pawn  in  the  game  of  national  politics.  That  was  at  a  time  when  the  mayor 
was  not  elected,  therefore  it  did  not  involve  universal  suffrage ;  it  was  at  a  time 
when  there  had  not  been  any  very  great  and  marked  immigration,  therefore  it 
did  not  involve  the  question  of  the  foreign  vote.    It  simply  illustrates  how  deep- 

201 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

seated  among  Americans  is  the  habit  of  allowing  their  cities  to  be  second  in 
their  thoughts — or  rather  it  showed  the  habit  of  that  day,  of  using  the  city,  as 
I  said,  as  a  pawn  in  the  game  of  national  politics.  Now  what  followed?  That 
incident  and  others  like  it  led  men  to  say,  '  Well,  this  State  Council  of  Appoint- 
ment will  do  such  a  thing  because  it  is  not  local  to  the  city,  but  if  the  city 
could  select  its  own  mayor,  then  the  interests  of  the  city  would  be  paramount.' 
So  in  1821,  when  the  constitution  of  the  state  was  revised,  they  gave  the  election 
of  mayor  to  the  common  council.  But  lo !  when  the  mayor  was  chosen  in  that 
way  the  common  council  did  the  same  thing — the  city  was  second.  It  was 
always  an  influence,  a  '  make-weight '  in  some  national  or  state  enterprise,  and 
so  men  said,  '  Well,  if  the  people  of  the  city  were  to  choose  their  own  mayor, 
then  the  interests  of  the  city  would  be  paramount  indeed,'  and  so  in  1835  the 
mayor  of  the  city  of  New  York  was  elected  by  the  people  for  the  first  time. 
Then  what  happened.''  Why,  precisely  the  same  thing  went  on,  and  from  that 
day  until  the  last  election  the  people  of  the  city  of  New  York  have  subordi- 
nated the  welfare  of  the  city  to  their  interest  in  state  or  national  politics ;  and 
therefore  the  great  significance  of  our  victory  on  election  day,  it  seems  to  me, 
is  this,  that  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  this  city  large  numbers  of  the 
majority  party  have  said,  '  We  are  going  to  stand  for  the  welfare  of  New 
York  city  if  it  wrecks  our  party  in  the  state  and  nation  forever.'  (  Applause. ) 
Just  think  of  it!  Two  years  ago  the  Democratic  party  gave  their  candidate 
for  mayor  a  majority  of  over  70,000,  and  Colonel  Strong  is  elected  by  45,000. 
(Cries  of  '  Good! ')  I  want  to  say,  gentlemen,  that  that  gives  the  new  mayor 
a  great  opportunity  and  lays  upon  him  an  equal  obligation.  For  the  first  time 
the  people  of  New  York  at  the  ballot-box  have  said  to  their  mayor,  '  You  must 
be  mayor  of  New  York  before  you  are  a  partisan.'  (Applause.)  It  is  the 
very  first  time  that  this  great  city  in  all  its  history  has  delivered  that  message 
to  its  chief  magistrate. 

"  I  hope  that  in  this  presence  and  on  this  occasion  I  may  venture  to  illus- 
trate the  rest  of  my  theme  out  of  my  own  experience.  I  think  I  knew  the  busi- 
ness of  Brooklyn  during  the  period  of  my  mayoralty  as  well  as  A.  T.  Stewart 
knew  his  business.  The  foundation  of  that  knowledge  was  this  device  to  which 
I  resorted.  I  opened  a  complaint-book  in  my  office.  Whenever  I  received  a 
complaint  from  any  citizen,  high  or  low,  it  was  acknowledged  by  a  postal-card 
saying  that  the  complaint  had  been  received  and  had  been  refen*ed  to  the 
proper  department  for  investigation.  The  complaint  was  then  forwarded  to 
the  department  with  a  request  that  they  would  examine  and  report.  If  the 
answer  stated  that  the  complaint  was  either  not  well  founded  or  admitted  of  no 
remedy,  the  citizen  who  made  it  was  given  that  information,  with  the  oppor- 
tunity to  point  out  to  me,  if  he  pleased,  in  a  conference  whether  the  department 
was  right  or  wrong  in  its  judgment.    If  the  department  said  that  the  complaint 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

would  be  attended  to,  the  citizen  who  made  it  received  a  postal-card  saying  that 
such  and  such  a  department  had  said  his  complaint  would  be  attended  to  and 
the  trouble  remedied  in  a  few  days ;  would  he  be  kind  enough  to  report  to  the 
mayor's  office  whether  it  was  done  or  not?     Now  under  that  system  I  knew 
whether  the  street-cleaning  was  well  done,  just  as  the  barometer  shows  the 
pressure  of  the  air.     The  whole  population  of  the  city  was  on  watch.     I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  the  street-cleaning  was  not  always  well  done,  but,  neverthe- 
less, the  complaints  varied,  and  they  varied  as  to  tlie  section  of  the  city  they 
came  from  just  in  proportion  to  the  thoroughness  and  effectiveness  of  the  work 
that  was  being  done  at  that  time  by  the  department.    It  gave  me  the  judgment 
of  the  city,  the  current  judgment  of  the  people,  as  to  the  actual  working  and 
efficiency  of  the  department.     That  is  something  that  can  be  done  by  any  man. 
But  I  had  one  advantage  which  Colonel  Strong  has  not  yet,  by  law,  but  which 
he  will  have,  I  am  sure,  if  the  will  of  the  people  is  carried  out.    I  had  the  oppor- 
tunity to  appoint  every  head  of  department,  and  therefore  I  was  able  to  make 
an  administration  which  I  was  not  only  willing  to  be  responsible  for,  but  for 
which  I  was  obliged  to  be  responsible.     The  heads  of  departments  met  in  my 
office  every  Wednesday  to  go  over  the  minutes  of  the  common  council.     Not  a 
resolution  was  passed  by  that  body  during  all  my  term  that  was  not  subjected 
to  the  criticism  of  the  entire  city  government,  and  it  was  not  an  infrequent 
thing  that  one  department  would  throw  a  side-light  on  a  matter  touching  an- 
other.    This  charter  brought  about  unity  in  the  city  government.     It  made  it 
work  as  one,  instead  of  expecting  efficiency  from  a  machine  that  consisted  of  so 
many  separate  departments.     Now  let  me  point  out  to  you  that  under  such  a 
charter  as  New  York  has  at  this  moment  the  Tammany  Society,  wuth  its  control 
of  all  the  departments,  has  been  the  only  force  making  for  unity  and  efficiency 
in  the  city  government.     How  could  you  conduct  a  great  mill,  how  could  you 
conduct  a  great  business,  if  the  head  of  every  department  w^as  free  to,  do  his 
will  without  any  reference  to  the  next  man,  perhaps  engaged  in  an  amiable 
effort  to  thwart  him  just  when  he  ought  to  succeed?    I  have  known  departments 
to  be  attacking  each  other  in  the  public  press  because  each  commissioner  felt 
himself  supreme  in  his  owm  sphere.     I  have  sometimes  thought  that  the  so- 
called  boss  justified  his  existence  more  in  that  direction  than  in  any  other,  in 
that  by  his  common  control  over  all  the  officials  he  has  brought  unity  to  the 
administration  of  the  system.     But  it  is  a  far  better  way  to  get  your  unity 
hand  in  hand  with  responsibility,  and  not  put  it  into  the  pocket  of  an  irrespon- 
sible party  chieftain.     (Applause.)    That  is  why  the  mayor  of  a  city  ought  to 
have  the  power  to  appoint  his  heads  of  departments  and  the  power  to  remove 
them;  because,  just  as  soon  as  you  put  a  department  into  the  hands  of  a  man 
out  of  sympathy  with  the  chief  executive,  your  machine  begins  to  inin  like  a 
stage-coach  with  a  shoe  on  the  wheel.     You  might  as  well  expect  the  heavenly 

203 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

bodies  to  keep  out  of  collision  without  the  law  of  gravity  as  to  expect  unity 
and  efficiency  in  administration'  from  a  charter  that  divides  up  administration 
into  a  lot  of  departments,  the  head  of  everyone  of  which  feels  independent  of 
the  mayor  and  of  everybody  else.  Just  look  at  the  situation  as  it  exists. 
Assuming  that  no  such  law  is  possible,  how  can  Colonel  Strong  carry  on  the 
city  government  with  every  department  in  the  hands  of  men  attempting  to 
thwart  him  at  every  step.''  Therefore,  it  seems  to  me  that  if  you  are  to  have 
business  principles  in  the  conduct  of  the  mayor's  office,  you  have  got  to 
organize  your  city  government  on  business  principles.  Those  principles  are 
very  simple  as  they  apply  to  this  case.  Wherever  executive  work  is  to  be  done, 
put  it  in  the  hands  of  one  man.  Our  forefathers  did  not  make  a  non-partisan 
commission  to  administer  the  war  department ;  they  did  not  do  it  to  administer 
the  post-office  department ;  they  did  not  do  it  to  administer  the  treasury  depart- 
ment. They  acted  in  accordance  with  that  principle  which  the  experience  of 
mankind  has  universally  sustained.  Why,  the  Romans  had  eleven  aqueducts 
to  supply  their  city  with  water,  and  all  of  those  aqueducts  were  under  the 
charge  of  a  single  man.  No  people  have  ever  illustrated  magnificent  adminis- 
tration in  affairs  of  government  better  than  they.  There  is  another  principle  as 
simple  as  that:  that  in  a  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  wisdom.  Wherever 
the  work  is  discretionary  rather  than  executive,  have  a  board ;  but  where  it  is 
executive  in  the  main,  have  one  man.  I  see  it  stated  that  we  cannot  have  a 
single  head  for  the  police  department,  because  they  have  charge  of  the  elec- 
tions. Don't  let  them  have  charge  of  the  elections,  then,  and  appoint  a  board 
for  that  purpose,  and  let  it  be  a  board  that  has  no  other  business ;  then  it  can 
be  watched  effectively;  and  let  the  pohce  commissioner  run  the  poHce.  The 
two  things  do  not  necessaril}'^  go  together.  They  do  not  go  together  as  matter 
of  fact  in  Brooklyn ;  and  they  need  not  go  together  in  New  York.  Now,  gen- 
tlemen, if  we  expect  a  successful  administration  from  our  new  mayor — and  we 
do  expect  it  and  pray  for  it,  and  we  will  help  you  to  effect  it.  Colonel  Strong — 
if  we  are  to  take  that  attitude,  let  us  see  to  it  that  the  mayor  has  a  business 
charter  to  administer,  and  give  him  conditions  under  which  business  principles 
can  be  expected  to  work  out  good  results."     (Much  applause.) 

President  Burnett:  "  Our  banquet  committee  knew  who  were  our  friends 
and  friends  of  the  people.  Mr.  Packard,  Mr.  Foye,  Mr.  Crall  and  Mr.  Lee 
exercised  a  very  wise  discretion  when  they  said  to  themselves,  *  There  are  many 
men  in  this  city  who  at  this  time  will  have  a  message  to  dehver  to  the  people, 
and  this  will  be  a  fitting  occasion  for  that  message  to  be  delivered.'  And  we 
thank  President  Low  for  that  message  which  he  has  delivered  to  the  people  of 
New  York  and  this  state. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  find  that  President  Low,  like  many  Eastern  people,  has 
not  yet  quite  comprehended  an  Ohio  man.     While  it  is  true  we  have  passed  a 

204 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

resolution  that  we  will  neither  for  ourselves  nor  our  friends  add  to  the  burden 
of  our  friend  and  late  president  by  soliciting  favors  from  him,  we  have  not 
passed  on  to  that  point  where  we  have  said  that  when  the  good  people  of  New 
York  come  in  a  body  and  '  snatch  an  Ohio  man  by  the  scruff  of  his  neck  '  as  it 
were  from  his  retirement,  and  say,  '  You  must  serve  us,'  that  he  will  refuse. 
Oh,  no,  that's  not  the  kind  of  patriots  we  are. 

"  In  the  great  powers  of  government  the  second,  if  not  the  first,  power  in 
the  state  is  the  press.  We  little,  perhaps,  comprehend  how  much  our  daily 
action  is  governed  by  what  we  read  in  our  daily  papers,  how  much  our  actions 
ai'e  based  and  our  ideas  formed  upon  what  we  there  read,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  the  editors  of  papers — papers  are  not  turned  out  merely  by  machinery,  but 
with  some  great  informing  mind  behind  each  sheet — do  not  comprehend  the 
power  they  wield  or  the  duty  that  rests  upon  their  shoulders.  In  modem  days, 
I  am  glad  to  say,  many  of  the  great  papers  of  the  country  are  rising  to  the 
occasion  and  are  independently  and  honestly  trying  to  lead  and  inform  the 
people.  Conspicuous  among  those  editors,  it  is  honor  due  to  state,  there  has 
been  one  independent  editor  in  Brooklyn  who  has  independently  voiced  the  de- 
mands of  the  people.  That  editor  is  with  us  to-night,  and  from  him  we  would 
like  to  hear  upon  one  special  subject,  and  a  Httle  upon  the  subject  I  have  just 
spoken  of.  We  have  thought  here  in  New  York  that  New  York  ought  to  be 
before  the  world  as  great  as  she  is  in  fact,  one  of  the  great  imperial  cities  of  the 
world.  We  have  held  out  the  hand  to  Brooklyn  to  come  in  and  be  a  part  of  the 
Greater  New  York.  Brooklyn,  for  some  reason  which  we  have  not  quite  com- 
prehended, has  been  coy  in  this  mating.  Why  this  has  been  so  we  do  not  quite 
understand,  and  our  friend  and  great  editor,  St.  Clair  McKelway,  will  tell  us 
something  about  it."     (Much  applause.) 

Mr.  McKelway  said :  "  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

"  When  Mr.  Packard,  the  man  with  the  marble  brow  and  the  glad  hand, 
summoned  me  to  this  duty,  and  when  I  read  that  General  Burnett  was  to  pre- 
side on  this  occasion,  I  said,  '  I  have  always  been  able  to  deal  with  my  tra- 
ducers,  but  for  once  I  will  be  at  the  mercy  of  my  introducers.'  The  tribute 
which  the  General  pays  to  the  editor  of  the  morning  newspaper  can  be  endorsed 
by  me  because  I  am  the  editor  of  an  evening  newspaper.  He  says  very  truly 
that  the  newspapers  are  not  brought  out  merely  by  machinery.  In  truth,  if 
machines  had  their  way  newspapers  would  not  be  brought  out  at  all.  (Laugh- 
ter.) A  citizen  of  Brooklyn — a  citizen,  as  I  may  say,  of  East  New  York — 
addressing  the  Ohio  Society  in  West  Brooklyn,  feels  that  sense  of  geographical 
derangement  which  an  applicant  for  the  far  too  hasty  naturalization  until 
lately  disbursed  at  the  City  Hall  felt  when  he  unhesitatingly  swore  without 
the  fear  of  the  Lexow  committee  or  its  counsel  before  his  eyes,  that  he  was  the 

£05 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

son  of  an  Irish  mother  and  a  French  father,  who  was  born  on  a  Dutch  sloop 
under  the  Spanish  flag  in  Chinese  waters.  (Laughter.)  Such  a  juxtaposition 
of  ethnological  circumstances  is  like  the  Ohio  idea  in  New  York.  Now,  if  that 
great  state  is  not  satisfied,  what  in  the  world  does  it  want.''  It  has  the  mayor- 
alty of  the  metropolis ;  it  has  the  third  senator  from  this  commonwealth 
(laughter),  and  when  Colonel  Strong  pathetically  spoke  about  the  election  of  a 
new  president.  Governor  McKinley  loudly  applauded.  With  such  a  cinch  as 
this  in  possession  and  in  perpetuity,  all  the  real  estate  should  belong  to  the 
Buckeye  commonwealth,  because  the  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

"  I  remember,  gentlemen,  the  first  output  of  the  Ohio  idea  in  this  city. 
It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  l-ith  of  April,  1865.  I  then,  as  a  law  student  in 
the  office  of  Samuel  Blatchford,  mingled  with  the  thousands — I  might  say  with 
the  millions — that  crowded  these  streets,  heart  beating  against  heart,  eye  inters 
rogating  eye,  because  of  a  calamity  that  had  fallen  on  our  nation.  No  longer 
was  a  President  going  to  power  amid  the  falling  pillars  of  a  dissolving  Union. 
The  Union  had  been  saved,  but  the  magnitude  of  the  achievement,  in  the  death 
of  a  great  President,  had  been  forgotten.  Many  were  the  words  that  were 
spoken  in  front  of  the  custom-house  that  day,  whose  pillars  patriotic  hands 
had  before  covered  with  emblems  of  mourning.  Some  of  them  were  words  that 
lashed  the  heart  to  fury,  but  the  words  that  were  most  appropriate  were  those 
words  spoken  and  to  be  recalled  now  of  one  man,  himself  so  little  known  that 
his  name  had  to  be  told  by  Mr.  Wadsworth,  the  chairman,  to  the  throng,  and  as 
he  stood  there,  master  of  his  mind  and,  therefore,  master  of  men's  souls  that 
day,  he  said  that  the  act  of  a  bravo  was  not  the  crime  of  a  section,  that  although 
the  President  was  dead,  God  reigned  and  the  government  at  Washington  still 
lived.  And  from  the  pronunciation  of  that  Ohio  idea,  men  went  away  heavy 
of  heart,  but  with  reason  redominating  them  at  that  time.  Some  years  after- 
ward, that  very  man,  for  the  offence  of  desiring  to  place  an  agent  of  his  own 
choice  in  that  building  from  whose  steps  he  had  stilled  the  wrath  of  men,  was 
himself  violently  assassinated.  That  was  the  chmax  of  the  spoils  system  in 
America.  Last  November  was  the  climax  of  the  anti-spoils  system  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  Will  the  people  of  New  York  resent  dictation  to  their  mayor- 
elect  from  political  bosses,  as  they  were  prepared  to  resent  dictation  to  the 
President,  had  not  death  sealed  his  efforts  on  the  threshold  of  his  office.''  I  be- 
lieve that  with  Colonel  Strong's  motto  of  bear  and  forbear  his  administration 
will  be  a  success,  especially  if  in  sarsaparilla  only  he  keeps  loaded  for  bear 
during  the  three  years  of  his  office. 

"  I  was  surprised  at  your  chairman  declaring  that  the  function  of  a  col- 
lege president  was  to  teach  young  ideas  how  to  shoot.  Manifestly  it  is  to  teach 
them  how  to  kick.  But  I  was  not  surprised  when  President  Low  solemnly 
warned  the  mayor-elect  not  to  look  for  any  office.     The  next  governorship  is 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

reserved  for  the  other  side  of  the  river.     Thus,  by  easy  stages,  I  approach 
my  text. 

"  I  have  been  asked  to  talk  about  Greater  New  York.  New  York  is  al- 
ready great.  The  achievements  of  New  York  energy  almost  equal  Brooklyn 
Heights.  New  York  can  be  made  and  kept  greater,  can  remain  and  become 
Greater  New  York.  This  project  and  this  duty  have  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  consolidation.  Great  is  a  word  of  moral,  and  not  of  material  import.  It 
has  become  associated  with  consolidation  by  a  lust  for  largeness,  by  a  beatifica- 
tion of  bigness,  by  a  sometimes  maudlin  and  a  sometimes  morbid  mouthing  of 
the  meritoriouness  of  mere  magnitude.  It  may  or  it  may  not  bring  about 
consolidation,  but  whether  or  not  it  does  on  that  ground,  it  will  not  bring  it 
about  with  the  most  commendable  motive.  There  may  be  moral  reform  and 
economic  arguments  for  consolidation  that  I  shall  here  neither  affirm  nor  deny, 
but  I  have  to  say  that  this  lust  for  mere  largeness  which  I  have  spoken  of  is 
not  sentimental,  but  sordid.  It  is  characteristic  more  of  speculators  than  of 
statesmen,  more  of  demagogues  than  of  wise  politicians.  The  populous  cities 
of  this  world  have  been  inland  cities — ^London,  Paris,  Berlin,  Moscow,  Old 
Rome,  of  the  magnitude  of  which,  and  of  the  home-rule  principle  of  one-man- 
power in  which,  President  Low  has  spoken;  earlier  than  that,  Babylon  and 
Nineveh — perhaps  earlier  than  that  Jerusalem  and  the  other  cities  in  the  Holy 
Land.  This  may  or  may  not  be  a  law.  If  it  is  a  law,  a  temporary  spurt 
against  it  will  not  permanently  avail.  My  own  duty  toward  consolidation  I 
shall  consider  where  it  meets  me,  where  I  live.  My  object  in  addressing  you 
to-night  is  to  show  that  great  New  York  can  become  Greater  New  York  mainly 
if  not  only  by  what  New  Yorkers  do  in  New  York  and  for  New  York.  That 
may  he  retarded  or  opposed  at  Alban}^  It  cannot  be  long  defeated  there.  It 
may  be  retarded  or  interfered  with  by  politicians.  They  cannot  long  stand  in 
the  way  of  it.  There  is  only  one  thing  additional  to  what  you  have  now  that 
you  really  need  in  the  way  of  laws,  and  that  is  a  home-rule  charter,  giving  your 
mayor  the  power  to  appoint  all  heads  of  departments  as  we  have  in  Brooklyn ; 
giving  your  mayor,  as  we  have  not  in  Brooklyn,  the  power,  for  cause  and  on 
hearing,  himself  to  remove  all  heads  of  departments,  with  no  appeal  from  his 
act  except  to  the  people  who  made  him.  There  is  a  duty  that  you  owe  to  this 
man,  and  that  is  the  duty  of  organization,  of  continued  organization,  of  moral 
and  sympathetic  support.  Your  enemies  will  teach  you  a  lesson  in  that  respect. 
They  are  as  well  organized  now  for  the  next  fight  as  they  were  for  the  last 
fight.  The  devil  always  sleeps,  if  at  all,  with  one  eye  open.  The  spoilsmen 
are  alwaj's  ready  and  always  organized.  Good  men  generally  dream  or  snore 
between  elections.  If  you  will  systematize,  organize,  perpetuate,  and  in  all 
moral  and  earnest  ways  keep  alive  the  enthusiasm  and  the  energy  which  you 
displayed  in  November,  the  future  of  New  York  beyond  the  three  years  of  the 

207 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

term  of  this  man  will  be  as  secure  as  during  the  three  years  you  have  elected 
him  to  large  duties,  to  great  opportunities,  to  corresponding  obligations,  and 
to  immense  responsibilities.  You  can  fritter  away  your  triumph.  One  way 
will  be  a  dispute  between  the  Seventy  and  the  Good  Government  Clubs  as  to 
which  did  the  more  to  gain  the  victory.  It  was  gained  by  both ;  it  was  gained 
for  neither.  ( Cries  of  '  Good !' )  It  was  gained  for  all  the  people.  It  was 
gained  as  truly  for  those  who  opposed  it  and  whom  it  delivered  as  it  was  for 
those  who  won  it  and  who  thereby  dehvered  themselves.  Now  they  say  you 
are  going  to  have  opposition  at  Albany.  You  probably  wiU.  A  Brooklyn 
man  speaking  to  an  audience  hke  this  feels  like  a  member  of  the  church  trium- 
phant addressing  the  members  of  the  church  militant,  and  thus  addressing  your 
militant  spirit  let  me  teU  you  only  to  want  what  is  right  in  Albany,  and  then 
if  you  apparently  are  not  to  get  it  there,  don't  waste  much  time  there.  Come 
down  to  New  York,  call  mass-meetings  in  Cooper  Union  and  Chickering  Hall. 
Put  your  best  speakers  to  the  front  and  demand  the  reason  why  the  best 
thought,  the  best  character,  the  best  capacity  of  this  delivered  city  cannot  have 
its  way  through  the  law-making  power  of  the  state.  Make  the  political  exist- 
ence of  the  leaders  dependent  upon  their  right  doing,  and  you  will  find  that 
they  will  prefer  submission  to  suicide.  Another  way  by  which  you  may  weaken 
your  victory  will  be  prematurely  to  strive  for  the  eviction  of  pubhc  trans- 
gressors— ^to  do  so  too  soon,  by  getting  the  wrong  man  to  bring  the  wrong 
charges  before  the  wrong  functionaries  for  the  eviction  of  their  fellows  or  of 
other  fellows  from  place.  The  theory  that  the  clown  of  the  menagerie  can  in- 
duce the  tiger  to  change  some  of  his  stripes  is  of  all  delusions  the  extreme.  He 
doesn't  gather  grapes  from  thorns,  nor  figs  from  thistles,  nor  reform  grapes 
from  Tammany  roots.  This  mistake,  but  for  the  Providential  brevity  of  the 
time  between  sentence  and  its  execution,  would  be  serious.  The  inrush  at  Al- 
bany of  fresh  air  on  the  1st  of  January  will  dispel  divided  purpose  and  bring 
the  sunlight  of  united  action.  Old  things  will  have  passed  away,  and  all  things 
wiU  have  become  new.  The  mere  existence  of  good  government  as  a  fact  will 
be  an  advantage  you  can  hardly  exaggerate.  The  force  of  that  fact  will  be 
Strong.  The  influence  of  that  fact  will  constantly  augment.  Now  there  is 
one  thing  that  you  must  have,  and  that  is  you  must  have  a  backbone  govern- 
ment. I  trust  and  believe  that  this  man  of  your  choice  has  a  backbone.  (Cries 
of  '  You  are  right ! ')  If  he  hasn't,  let  him  advertise  for  one.  And  talking  of 
advertisements,  I  am  here  for  business.  He  owes  everything  to  all  the  people 
and  nothing  to  any  one  of  them.  [Cries  of  '  Good ! ']  He  helps  them  all  when 
he  best  satisfies  his  own  consciousness  and  his  own  judgment.  [Cries  of 
'  Good!']  He  is  iinder  obligation  to  all  and  under  dictation  to  none.  Now 
when  you  have  cleaned  house,  when  you  have  swept  and  garnished  your  apart- 
ments, when  you  have  permanently  prevented  the  return  of  the  more  than 

^08 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

seven  evil  spirits  that  would  make  your  last  estate  worse  than  the  first,  when 
you  have  appreciated  what  must  be  done  to  keep  New  York  great,  and  to  make 
your  city  Greater  New  York,  consolidation  will  not  be  out  of  order,  and  may 
I  be  there  to  see !  "     [Applause  and  cheers.] 

President  Burnett :  "  You  see  now  the  power  that  is  in  the  press  and  how 
important  it  is  to  the  people  that  a  clear  and  clean  intellect  should  inspire  and 
inform  its  pages. 

"  For  the  great  achievement  and  victory  that  has  come  to  the  people  of 
New  York  there  have  been  many  agencies  at  work.  The  representatives  of  the 
press  and  the  pulpit  were  almost  unanimous  in  their  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
right  as  against  the  wrong.  The  committee  of  seventy  did  a  great  work,  but 
perhaps  there  was  no  single  agency  more  potent  than  that  power  of  the  state, 
the  legislative  committee  sent  to  this  city  to  investigate  and  place  before  the 
people  of  the  city  the  facts,  which  they  would  not  otherwise  have  believed  to 
exist,  although  they  passed  by  and  touched  them  each  day  of  their  lives.  The}' 
could  hardly  understand  and  little  believed  in  the  existence  of  vice  and  corrup- 
tion that  had  crept  into  our  public  life,  and  would  not  have  believed  it  had  it 
not  been  established  by  overwhelming  evidence.  For  that  work  the  people 
of  this  city  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  beyond  aU  measure  and  all  measurement 
to  one  man,  and  that  man  is  with  us  to-night.  He  brought  before  that  com- 
mittee the  witnesses  who,  by  their  testimony,  lifted  up  the  eyes  of  the  people 
to  the  malefactors — and,  fellow-citizens,  to  that  instrument  of  our  enfranchise- 
ment, who  has  done  this  good  and  great  work,  the  people  have  said,  '  Go  up 
higher.'  I  need  not  introduce  to  either  Ohio  boys  in  New  York,  or  to  New 
York  citizens,  John  W.  GofF."      [Cheers.] 

Mr.  Goff  said :    "  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : 

"  I  also  received  a  note  from  Mr.  Packard,  he  of  the  '  marble  brow  ' — 
though  until  now  I  did  not  know  that  the  gentle  accent,  speaking  through  the 
typewriter,  was  the  voice  of  the  man  I  have  heard  speak  facetiously  on  several 
occasions — and  he  warned  me  that  if  I  was  not  here  at  a  certain  hour  to-night 
I  would  miss  my  dinner.  It  was  the  most  inhospitable  warning  I  ever  received 
coming  to  a  banquet ;  and  I  did  miss  my  dinner,  and  I  have  not  had  my  dinner, 
Mr.  Chairman.  I  was  detained  in  court  until  nearly  seven  o'clock  to-night,  and 
I  have  to  apologize  to  the  committee  for  my  failure  to  be  here  at  the  time  men- 
tioned in  the  note.  But  I  was  detained,  gentlemen,  in  a  meritorious  work,  in 
my  opinion.  I  was  making  my  best  endeavors  to  help  a  Tammany  commis- 
sioner to  vindicate  himself.  And  indeed  I  had  some  feeling  of  compassion  for 
that  gentleman  when  I  left  the  room  to-night;  but  it  does  not  equal  my  com- 
passion for  the  unfortunate  city  of  New  York,  since  I  have  heard  her  so  calmly 
dissected,  her  wounds  bound  up,  plaster  administered,  and  the  last  but  not  least, 
my  friend  McKelway's  spoonful  of  Mrs.  Winslow's  Soothing  Syrup.     Pity 

209 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

New  York!    Between  Brooklyn  on  the  east  and  Ohio  on  the  west,  where  is  she? 

"  We  have  heard  from  our  eloquent  college  president,  INlr.  Low,  and  as 
our  president  of  the  evening  said  New  York  tries  to  get  everything  that  is 
good,  we  have  tried  to  get  the  able  Mr.  Low.  We  have  succeeded  in  doing  that, 
and  I  think  that  the  time  is  not  very  far  distant  when  we  will  follow  up  that 
advantage  by  getting  over  Mr.  McKelway.  Mr.  Low  gave  us  some  leaves  out 
of  the  book  of  his  experience,  meant  as  an  aid  to  our  distinguished  guest.  Why, 
he  said,  '  Mr.  Strong,  I  wish  you  to  remember  this,'  in  effect.  '  I  kept  a  com- 
plaint-book, and  in  that  complaint-book  were  registered  the  letters  and  com- 
plaints of  our  citizens  upon  every  conceivable  topic  of  municipal  administra- 
tion. I  could  tell  how  my  streets  were  being  cleaned  and  how  our  other  depart- 
ments were  being  administered  just  as  truly  as  I  could  tell  the  weather  by  the 
rise  and  fall  of  the  barometer.'  I  sincerely  hope  to-night,  and  I  say  it  with  all 
sincerity  and  earnestness,  that  Mayor  Strong  will  not  open  a  complaint-book 
on  the  Brooklyn  principle,  because  our  distinguished  President  Low  failed  to 
remember  this  fact,  that  one  of  the  very  best  and  energetic  mayors  that  New 
York  has  ever  had,  Mr.  Hewitt,  opened  a  very  large-sized  com  plaint -book,  and 
he  was  in  more  hot  water  than  any  man  has  ever  been  since,  or  before.  And 
further,  the  simile  does  not  follow — New  York  is  not  Brooklyn.  Why,  of 
course  that  complaint-book  was  well  attended  to.  There  could  not  be 
many  complaints,  however,  in  the  Brooklyn  complaint-book,  for  we  all  know 
that  our  Brooklyn  friends  come  over  to  New  York  to  kick,  and  then  go  to 
Brooklyn  to  sleep,  and  even  when  our  junior  friends  wish  to  select  a  stamping 
ground  after  business  hours  they  come  over  to  New  York,  and  it  is  from  there 
all  the  complaints  arise.  Why,  one  speaker  has  said  to-night  that  Brooklyn 
was  coy  in  joining  her  municipal  destinies  with  New  York.  Did  any  of  you 
gentlemen  ever  notice  one  of  the  charming,  handsome  women  of  Brooklyn  when 
they  arrive  at  Fulton  Ferry  or  at  the  Bridge?  They  invariably  gather  their 
skirts  about  them,  fearing  to  be  touched  by  New  York  mud.  Of  course  Brook- 
lyn is  coy !  And  all  the  married  men  of  Brooklyn  want  her  to  remain  coy,  be- 
cause if  there  was  consolidation,  what  in  God's  name  could  the  married  men 
of  Brooklyn  give  as  an  excuse  to  their  wives  for  remaining  out  late?  I  noticed 
that  our  friend,  Mr.  McKelway,  when  he  came  to  that  point,  was  exceedingly 
non-committal.  He  said :  '  I  will  meet  the  question  of  consolidation  in  the 
proper  place ! '  [Laughter.]  And  mark  you  that  in  the  same  breath  with  that 
he  said :  '  If  there  are  any  advertisements  lying  around  loose  I  am  here  for 
business ! '  What  a  beautiful  and  unconscious  illustration  of  that  which  we 
have  often  heard  in  the  criticisms  of  the  public  press,  that  the  editorial  end 
of  the  concern  was  largely  influenced  by  the  business  end. 

"  I  remember  just  now  a  sentence  of  Mr.  Low,  in  his  classic  speech,  where 
he  made  an  allusion  to  ancient  Rome.     He  said,  '  Why,  Rome  had  its  eleven 

210 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

aqueducts.'  I  presume  some  of  you  gentlemen  have  heard — I  know  Mr.  Pack- 
ard has — that  story  of  the  speech  of  Daniel  Webster,  delivered  at  a  dinner 
given  to  him  in  Rochester  at  the  Falls  of  the  Genesee?  I  dare  not  repeat  it  here. 
But  you  will  remember  that,  with  all  those  eleven  aqueducts,  Rome  had  never 
its  aqueduct  commission !  And  then,  Mr.  Low,  in  his  speech,  rather  favored 
bossism  in  certain  aspects — rather  inclined  to  the  view  that  the  boss  was  a 
beneficent  being.  Students  and  philosophers  lean  to  the  theory,  many  of  them, 
and  the  contention  seems  to  have  a  great  deal  of  strength  to  support  it,  that 
the  best  government  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  that  of  the  paternal  and  benefi- 
cent despot.  Possibly  Mr.  Low  had  that  in  his  mind ;  but  we  cannot  have  that 
government  now  in  New  York,  not  at  least  for  the  next  three  years,  because  the 
government  of  the  most  despotic  autocrat  that  ever  existed  in  any  city  in  any 
civilized  country  could  not  have  surpassed  the  government  that  we  have  passed 
through  in  New  York  for  the  past  two  or  four  years.  IVIr.  Strong  can  never 
be  enthroned  as  a  boss  in  New  York.  Bossism  has  been  broken,  and  let  every 
true  friend  of  honest  municipal  government  send  up  a  hearty  prayer  that  its 
death-knell  for  eternity  in  our  country  has  been  sounded. 

"  Coming  in  the  door  I  caught  a  few  sentences  of  Mr.  Strong's  address. 
I  am  becoming  very  much  interested  in  Mr.  Strong's  speeches,  or  rather  talks — 
they  are  not  speeches,  they  are  talks,  delightful,  social,  confidential  talks ;  and 
he  seems  to  take  his  hearers  into  his  confidence — and  from  the  first  time  I  heard 
him  in  the  campaign,  up  to  this  very  night,  inclusive,  he  has  been  improving, 
and  if  he  continues  he  will  blossom  out  into  one  of  the  best  after-dinner  orators 
in  New  York.  A  delightful  little  speech  I  heard  him  make  last  Saturday  night, 
in  the  presence  of  an  assemblage  in  which  were  contained  gentlemen  of  political 
power  and  influence  in  our  city  and  state.  He  said  with  delightful  simplicity, 
after  reciting  that  the  Committee  of  Seventy  laid  claim  to  him,  that  the  Com- 
mittee of  Thirty  of  the  Republican  party  laid  claim  to  him;  that  the  Mil- 
hollandites  laid  claim  to  him;  that  the  O'Brienites  told  him  he  belonged  to 
them ;  that  the  Stecklerites  said,  '  We  own  you,  body  and  soul ;'  Mr.  Piatt 
said,  '  I  have  got  a  great  big  mortgage  upon  you ;'  the  Grace  Democracy  said, 
*  We  own  you  completely.'  '  Gentlemen,  I  will  be  perfectly  willing  to  let  you 
and  each  one  of  you  do  as  you  please,  provided  you  let  me  do  as  I  please.'  I 
thought  that  was  a  pretty  good  indication  of  the  man.  What  a  delightful 
condition  that  will  be !  We  all  may  do  as  we  please,  and  Mayor  Strong  will 
do  as  he  pleases;  and  if  he  does  as  he  pleases  I  am  satisfied  that  the  fear  he 
expressed  to-night,  that  at  the  end  of  his  administration  you  would  not  give 
him  a  dinner,  will  not  be  realized.  He  said  to-night  with  some  feeling,  *  Pos- 
sibly at  the  end  of  my  administration  you  may  not  wish  to  banquet  me.'  True 
it  is  we  have  had  in  this  city  mayors  who  have  gone  In  with  great  eclat,  their 
praise  sounded,  their  biographies  written,  their  grandmothers  described  as  the 

211 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

handsomest  women  that  ever  trod  God's  footstool,  their  small  vices  magnified 
into  great  virtues,  and  yet  at  the  expiration  of  their  terms  they  have  left  the 
chair  with  the  malediction  of  every  politician  in  the  city  of  New  York.  But 
Mayor  Strong  says,  '  If  I  can  do  as  I  please  I  will  let  you  da  as  you  please,* 
and  when  he  said  to-night  with  that  sense  of  feeling,  '  I  fear  you  will  not  give 
me  a  dinner  when  I  get  through,'  it  was  a  passing  sentence  at  a  banquet  where 
good  cheer  pervades,  but  there  was  pathos  in  it,  because  the  people,  after  all, 
are  frequently  fickle.  They  raise  up  a  god  upon  a  pedestal  to-day,  and  crash 
it  to  the  floor  to-morrow.  Charles  I.  had  a  triumphant  entry  into  London, 
when  several  deaths  are  reported  to  have  taken  place  owing  to  the  pressure  of 
the  crowd  to  kiss  the  hem  of  his  garment;  and  exactly  one  year  after  that 
terrible  crush  deaths  also  occurred  from  the  terrible  pressure  of  the  crowd 
to  get  near  him  and  spear  him. 

"  Popular  idols  are  dangerous  things.  Popular  devotion  frequently  turns 
into  popular  unrestraint.  During  these  weeks  preceding  Mayor  Strong's  ad- 
ministration, we  are  all  disposed  to  join  in  the  acclaim  of  praise  following  vic- 
tory, but  let  us  resolve  ourselves  into  a  committee  of  the  whole,  not  only  to  give 
praise  to  Mayor  Strong,  but  to  unite  with  him  and  hold  up  his  arms  through- 
out the  whole  of  his  term,  if  he  carries  out  his  expressed  determination  to  do 
what  is  right.  Aye,  even  though  the  Ohio  man  has  to  suppress  his  native-bom 
instincts,  referred  to  by  Mr.  Low,  let  him  do  it.  I  never  thought  Mr.  Low 
such  a  sly  joker.  I  remarked,  when  he  said  he  never  knew  an  Ohio  man  but 
went  out  into  his  back-yard  and  put  his  ear  to  the  ground  to  listen  for  the 
voice  of  a  nation  calling  upon  him,  that  he  gave  a  sly  glance  at  Governor  Mc- 
Kinley.  Well,  if  Mayor  Strong  had  his  ear  to  the  ground  to  listen  to  the  voice 
of  the  people  of  New  York  calling  him,  he  heard  the  call,  and  as  has  been 
well  said  to-night,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  our  city  the  people  called. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  of  the  best  men  in  our  city,  the  flower  of  our 
municipal  life,  a  magnificent  army,  marched  to  the  polls  on  election  day  and 
gave  Mayor  Strong  a  commission  such  as  no  mayor  has  ever  had  in  this  city 
of  New  York.  Every  earnest  friend  of  good  government  will  aid  him  in  the 
enforcement  of  that  commission.  Even  I  myself  will  aid  him  to  the  best  of 
my  ability,  though  at  the  commencement  I  had  a  slight  grievance  against 
Mayor  Strong — not  personally,  but  partially  of  a  national  character,  because 
I  have  heard  in  this  hall  eloquent  and  witty  after-dinner  speakers  on  St.  Pat- 
rick's night  say  that  the  Irish  had  captured  New  York,  and  in  fact  that  New 
York's  name  should  be  changed  by  the  transposition  of  the  letter  '  Y.'  Put 
'  C '  in  its  place  and  it  could  be  called  New  Cork.  Well,  for  some  years  we 
have  had  in  our  chief  magistrate's  chair  a  distinguished  representative  of  my 
nationality,  of  which  I  am  proud — of  my  nationality,  I  mean.  And  in  the 
early  days  of  the  campaign  your  humble  servant's  name  was  mentioned  as  a 

212 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

candidate  for  the  mayoralty.  It  looked  to  me  that  the  old  saying  that  '  God  is 
good  to  the  Irish  '  was  yet  to  be  verified.  I  was  suddenly  lifted  into  the  realm 
of  greatness.  I  began  to  think  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  hunt  up  my 
genealogy  and  to  get  out  the  tree  of  my  pedigree  in  illustrated  magazines, 
when  all  at  once  and  without  the  slightest  indication  of  his  coming,  an  Ohio 
man  crossed  my  horizon,  and  Ireland  was  not  in  it.  Will  it  come  to  the 
mouths  of  some  brilUant  after-dinner  speakers  to  say  at  your  next  anniversary 
dinner  that  Ohio  to  come  extent  has  been  depopulated  by  the  exodus  of  its 
citizens  to  New  York  because  one  of  its  sons  occupies  our  chair.?  I  welcome 
Ohioans  to  New  York  if  we  can  get  them  all  like  Colonel  Strong.  Let  them 
come,  and,  particularly,  I  open  the  gate  for  them  as  candidates  for  enlistment 
in  our  reorganized  police  department ! 

"  If  you  forget  it,  gentlemen,  I  do  not — I  have  not  had  my  dinner  yet, 
and  therefore  I  must,  in  justice  to  my  dinner,  abbreviate.  Let  me  say  here 
one  or  two  words  touching  upon  the  subject  so  well  set  forth  by  Mr.  McKel- 
way.  While  it  is  true  that  Mayor  Strong  does  not  belong  to  any  faction,  yet 
it  is  well  that  those  elements  that  so  nobly  and  generously  fought  for  his 
election  shall  have  their  say.  I  do  not  believe  in  men  being  smothered.  It  is 
because  we  in  New  York  for  several  years  have  been  smothered  that  the  boss 
has  flourished  and  that  the  people  have  been  degraded.  Let  us  have  good, 
healthy  sentiment.  Let  us  have  the  good  American  rule  of  men  speaking  out 
in  meeting.  Is  is  healthy,  it  is  productive  of  the  expansion  of  lung-power,  and 
wherever  lung-power  has  had  full  expansion,  revolutions  and  cut-throat  plots 
have  never  prospered.  Secret  political  societies  can  never  exist  where  men  have 
the  right  to  speak  out.  So  long  as  the  men  of  New  York,  Republicans,  Demo- 
crats, Good  Government  men,  citizens  of  no  particular  party,  but  all  men  join- 
ing shoulder  to  shoulder  and  going  in  that  grand  procession,  in  that  grand 
army,  to  the  polls  on  election  day,  so  long  as  those  men  can  continue  to  march 
we  are  safe.  I  think  that  the  overwhelming  sentiment  in  New  York  to-day 
among  Republicans,  Independent  Democrats,  all  except  those  who  expect  to 
go — I  think  the  ovei-whelming  sentiment  is  that  Mayor  Strong's  arms  must 
be  upheld  and  adequate  power  given  to  those  arms  to  carry  out  the  mandate 
of  the  people  given  at  the  last  election. 

"  I  trust,  gentlemen,  that  if  the  Ohio  Society  in  honoring  the  man  from 
your  state — the  first  from  the  state  that  has  ever,  I  believe,  occupied  our  chief 
magistrate's  chair — that  if  the  men  from  Ohio  wish  to  determine  to  aid  their 
kinsman,  if  I  might  so  call  him,  let  them  join  together  in  the  movement  to  sus- 
tain his  administration.  But  we  must  necessarily  have  some  disputes.  We 
might  as  well  expect  in  a  Presidential  convention  the  Buckeyes  and  the  Hoo- 
siers  to  agree  what  state  shall  name  the  Presidential  candidate  as  to  expect 
that  we  in  New  York  shall  keep  quiet  from  discussing  the  ways  and  means  to 

213 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

obtain  the  desired  end.  Let  us  discuss  them,  let  us  talk  of  them,  but  let  us 
keep  one  thing  in  view — let  it  be  our  guiding  star,  as  fixed  in  its  determination 
as  the  star  of  the  north  is  to  the  pole,  that  so  far  as  we  can,  irrespective  of 
party,  the  degrading,  debasing  rule  of  Tammany  Hall  or  its  minions  will  never 
again  triumph  in  this  city  in  our  generation."     [Applause.] 

President  Burnett :  "  Associated  in  the  minds  of  the  people  in  the  great 
work  of  arousing  public  sentiment  to  the  duty  of  cleaning  this  Augean  stable 
is  one  man  who  blazed  the  way  and  led  in  the  fight.  I  speak  of  Dr.  Parkhurst. 
[Applause.]  He  expected  to  have  been  with  us  to-night  and  to  have  ad- 
dressed you,  but  owing  to  a  death  in  his  family  he  could  not  come.  We  have 
from  him  a  letter,  addressed  to  the  chairman  of  the  banquet  committee,  Mr. 
Packard,  and  that  letter  I  will  ask  him  to  read." 

Mr.  Packard :  "  Mr.  President,  I  am  aware  that  I  am  asked  to  read  Dr. 
Parkhurst's  letter,  and  I  propose  to  do  it  before  I  take  my  seat.  Nevertheless, 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  question  of  privilege,  and  I  avail  myself  of  it. 

"  Allusions  have  been  made  to  a  resolution  offered  by  me  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Ohio  Society,  which  committed  the  members  of  that  Society  to  a  certain 
course  of  action,  or  rather  of  inaction.  The  resolution  is  no  longer  mine,  as  it 
was  passed  unanimously,  and  has  become  one  of  our  laws.  I  fear,  however, 
that  its  purport  may  not  be  quite  understood — that  even  the  mayor  may  get 
a  wrong  impression  concerning  it.  The  resolution  did  not  declare  that  no 
member  of  the  Society  would  accept  an  office  that  was  properly  pressed  upon 
him ;  but  that  we  would  not  annoy  or  embarrass  the  mayor  by  signing  petitions 
or  writing  letters  advocating  the  claims  of  other  people.  President  Low  is 
right  in  assuming  that  the  Ohio  man  does  not  stuffs  cotton  in  his  ears  so  that 
he  may  not  hear  his  country's  call,  and  Mayor  Strong  will  do  well  to  bear  this 
in  mind.  What  we  of  the  Ohio  Society  most  desire  is  to  have  a  valid  excuse 
for  refusing  to  advocate  the  claims  of  the  ordinary  office-seeker.  And  now  I 
will  read  the  letter: 

"  183  East  Thirty-fifth  Street, 
"  New  York,  December  4,  1894. 

"S.  S.  Packard,  Esq.,  101  East  TS^-enty-third  Street,  City. 

"  My  Dear  Sir :  Only  circumstances  that  are  beyond  my  control  could 
have  prevented  my  acceptance  of  your  invitation  to  the  banquet  to  be  given 
this  evening  in  honor  of  the  mayor-elect. 

"  The  days  through  which  we  are  passing  are  full  of  pleasant  realization 
and  of  large  hopes.  In  pursuance  of  a  special  purpose  I  have  been  devoting 
considerable  of  my  time  during  the  two  weeks  past  to  studying  the  history  of 
the  warfare  which  our  citizens  have  been  waging,  and  which  culminated  just 
four  weeks  ago  in  the  election  of  Colonel  Strong  as  mayor,  and  there  has  been 

214 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

steadily  growing  within  me  the  clearer  appreciation  of  what  that  glorious  vic- 
tory means.  That  which  has  been  gained  wins  significance  and  lustre  from 
the  very  coarseness  and  repulsiveness  of  that  from  which  we  have  been  de- 
livered. It  seems  almost  too  good  to  be  true.  Long  lines  of  meaning  run  out 
from  that  victory  in  every  direction. 

"  First  and  foremost,  we  have  not  elected  a  compromise,  but  we  have 
elected  a  man.  We  believe  in  Mr.  Strong  and  we  trust  him.  Our  fear  had 
been  that  rival  elements  would  not  be  able  to  be  brought  together  except  at 
the  expense  of  putting  fonvard  as  candidate  for  mayor  some  equivocal  make- 
shift, almost  too  good  to  be  condemned,  and  a  good  deal  too  dubious  to  be 
safe  to  tie  to.  The  disheartenment  and  mortification  of  such  a  condition  we 
have  been  spared.  We  have  won  a  fusion  mayor  without  any  confusion  of 
principle  or  sacrifice  of  self-respect,  which  is  a  splendid  tribute  to  the  tone  of 
the  citizens  and  the  quality  of  the  candidate. 

"  I  am  also  confident  for  the  future,  because  I  believe  that  the  forthcoming 
mayor  will  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  his  high  duties  unmortgaged.  He  is 
nobody's  man  because  he  is  everybody's  man.  He  was  elected  to  be  the  servant 
of  the  city,  and  the  platform  he  was  elected  on  is  the  platform  he  will  adminis- 
ter on.  He  will  not  be  unsusceptible  to  influence,  of  course,  but  nobody  will 
own  him.  The  official  whom  anybody  owns  is  the  official  that  all  patriotic  and 
self-respecting  citizens  ought  to  be  quick  to  disown. 

"  I  want,  therefore,  personally,  to  pledge  to  Mayor  Strong  my  loyalty ; 
we  would  like  to  be  of  service  to  him,  but  shall  seek  first  of  all  to  ser\'e  him  by 
taking  pains  not  to  get  in  his  way.  There  seems  to  be  no  necessary  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  our  having  here  in  New  York  three  years  of  quiet,  honest,  and  har- 
monious city  government  that  shall  be  productive  of  industries  and  educative 
of  the  higher  temper  and  instincts  of  our  citizenship,  thereby  laying  the 
foundation  of  municipal  prosperity  and  dignity  upon  which  we  may  expect 
an  enlightened  and  contented  city  to  go  on  building  in  administrations  to  come. 

"  Yours  very  sincerely, 

"C.   H.   Parkhuest." 

President  Burnett :  "  In  many  feasts  the  best  course  is  left  until  the 
last.  We  have  fashioned  our  banquet  a  little  on  that  plan.  Among  all  the 
agencies  and  forces  leading  to  our  victory,  there  is  none  that  is  entitled  to  more 
credit  for  wisdom  of  action,  for  thoughtful  planning,  than  the  Committee  of 
Seventy.  That  committee  selected  Colonel  Strong  as  the  standard-bearer  in 
the  fight  against  corruption  and  to  oust  Tammany.  Its  work  was  efficient.  It 
has  made  from  the  beginning  no  mistakes.  When  it  selected  Colonel  Strong 
to  lead  in  the  fight  it  followed  that  up  by  giving  to  him  its  active  support,  and 
by  its  voice  and  work  did  grand  service  in  tlie  great  struggle.     Its  work  is  not 

215 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

yet  done.  It  has  been  alluded  to  by  Mr.  McKelway  and  by  other  speakers. 
You  have  heard  from  Brother  Packard,  and  it  is  true,  that  Colonel  Strong,  as 
the  law  now  stands,  has  the  appointment,  out  of  the  innumerable  offices  of  this 
city,  of  but  ten  places.  The  offices  are  now  filled  with  the  servants,  the  agents 
of  that  vile  body  we  have  tried  to  destroy.  They  represent  this  system  of  gov- 
erning a  city  by  terror  and  by  spoils.  That  system  must  be  rooted  out  from 
the  bottom — its  very  roots  dug  out  and  burned  up ;  and  until  you  have  accom- 
plished that  you  have  not  regenerated  New  York.  Until  you  have  taken  from 
every  office  its  Tammany  head  and  Tammany  sinecures  now  fattening  on  that 
office,  you  have  not  destroyed  the  system;  and  until  you  plough  it  up,  dig  it 
up,  and  cast  it  onto  the  offal  heap,  the  garbage  of  this  city,  and  dump  it  into 
the  sea,  or  take  the  new  methods  now  of  destroying  offal,  by  cremating  it,  you 
have  not  ended  Tammany.     [Applause.] 

"  You  remember  the  story  of  the  old  darkey  and  his  pickaninny  who  were 
sitting  on  the  pier  fishing,  and  the  little  nigger  fell  into  the  sea.  The  old 
darkey  promptly  jumped  in  and  rescued  him,  and  after  he  had  brought  him 
to  land  the  policeman  congratulated  him  upon  his  courage  and  heroism.  The 
old  darkey  replied :  '  Oh,  da's  all  right ;  had  to  sabe  dat  nigger ;  dat  boy  got 
all  de  bait! '  [Laughter.]  Now  the  effort  of  Tammany  will  be  to  preserve 
their  big  and  little  niggers,  because  they  have  got  the  bait,  and  without  bait 
as  a  reward  for  votes,  and  without  a  corrupt  police  to  terrorize  and  tyrannize 
over  the  people,  Tammany  would  be  powerless  in  your  city. 

"  In  the  work  of  reforming  the  law  so  as  to  give  Colonel  Strong  the 
power  of  appointment,  making  these  places  vacant,  and  (like  Sheridan  in  the 
great  Union  Army)  bring  his  eyes  and  his  hands  to  seek  out  and  grapple  with 
the  enemy,  to  find  the  places  where  they  lurk  and  are  entrenched,  that  Com- 
mittee of  Seventy  can  do  a  great  work,  and  to  its  efficient  and  clear-headed  and 
clear-sighted  head,  Mr.  Larocque,  we  appeal  to  form  and  help  carry  through 
such  remedial  legislation  and  to  go  forward  with  such  departmental  investiga- 
tions and  reformations  as  shall  remedy  the  ills  under  which  we  suffer.  I  pre- 
sent Mr.  Larocque."     [Applause.] 

Mr.  Larocque  said:  "Mr.  President,  Colonel  Strong,  and  Gentlemen  of 
the  Ohio  Society: 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  be  with  you  to-night  to  join  with  you  in 
the  tribute  of  respect  to  the  guest  of  the  evening,  and  to  rejoice  with  you  in 
the  change  which  has  come  over  the  condition  of  our  city.  The  morning  of  the 
6th  of  November  found  the  city  of  New  York  bound  hand  and  foot — every 
office  in  the  hands  of  the  adherents  of  a  political  organization  that  had  fastened 
upon  its  vitals  and  controlled  every  motion  of  its  system.  Abuses  had  grown 
to  such  an  extent  that  when  the  city  of  New  York  was  mentioned  in  the  pres- 
ence of  one  of  its  citizens,  he  involuntarily  hung  his  head  with  shame,  and  so 

216 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

great  and  so  widespread  had  become  this  power  that  the  courage  to  resist 
seemed  to  have  departed  from  our  people.  The  evening  of  the  6th  of  Novem- 
ber saw  this  condition,  if  not  reversed,  in  the  way  of  reversal,  and  to-day,  for 
the  first  time  in  years,  the  citizen  of  New  York,  whether  born  in  Ohio  or  in 
the  state  itself,  can,  as  I  say,  raise  his  head  when  the  city  is  spoken  of,  look 
frankly  into  the  face  of  his  interlocutor,  and  say :  '  Yes,  I  am  a  citizen  of 
New  York,  and  the  citizens  of  the  city  of  New  York,  as  shown  by  this  vote 
at  the  polls  of  the  majority  of  its  people,  have  arisen  to  a  sense  of  their  op- 
portunities, and  have  overthrown  by  their  votes  the  power  that  has  so  long  dis- 
graced them.'  " 

The  speaker  followed  with  an  extended  and  eloquent  elaboration  of  the 
thought  outlined  in  the  above. 

President  Burnett:  "Fellow-members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  I  am  under 
a  promise  not  to  call  Governor  McKinley  to  make  a  speech.  [Cries  for  Mc- 
Kinley.]  I  was  about  to  add  that,  although  I  am  under  that  pledge,  I  am 
your  servant.  [Laughter.]  Your  orders  I  will  obey.  Wherever  Ohio  boys 
are  gathered  together,  and  Mr.  McKinley,  Governor  McKinley,  of  Ohio,  is  in 
their  presence,  they  would  not  go  home  and  sleep  well  could  they  not  hear  his 
voice."     [Cries  of  "Good!"] 

Governor  McKinley  said:  "Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio 
Society : 

"  I  have  no  purpose  to  interfere  with  the  programme  of  the  evening,  or 
with  the  order  of  speaking  as  it  has  been  arranged  by  the  president  of  the  So- 
ciety. I  counted  myself  fortunate  to  be  in  the  city  on  this  occasion  when  my 
kinsmen  from  the  state  of  Ohio,  represented  in  this  association,  were  assembled 
to  do  honor  to  their  old  president  and  to  the  mayor-elect  of  the  city  of  New 
York.  I  come  to  join  with  them  my  tribute  of  respect  to  one  whom  I  have 
known  long,  have  long  honored  and  esteemed  as  one  of  my  old  and  time- 
honored  and  much-beloved  friends.  You  have  selected  him  as  the  mayor  of 
this  great  city,  not  because  he  is  from  the  state  of  Ohio ;  you  have  selected  liim 
for  what  he  is,  for  what  he  represents,  for  what  he  stands  for.  He  represents 
in  a  long  business  life  honest,  clean,  manly  methods,  and  I  am  quite  sure  to 
the  administration  of  the  great  office  to  which  he  has  so  recently  been  chosen 
he  will  bring  the  same  clean,  business,  manly  methods  that  have  characterized 
every  business  connection  of  his  life.  [Applause.]  I  want  to  assure  my  asso- 
ciates of  the  Ohio  Society  that  Ohio  is  justly  proud  of  the  distinction  which 
has  been  given  to  one  of  her  early  citizens.  Colonel  Strong.  And  I  wish  for 
him,  as  every  Ohioan  does,  no  matter  what  his  political  associations  may  be,  a 
successful  administration  of  the  municipal  government  of  the  greatest  city  of 
the  greatest  state  and  the  greatest  nation  under  the  sun."     [Applause.] 

217 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

President  Burnett :  "  Fellow-members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  these  thought- 
ful words  of  thoughtf\il  men  should  sink  deep  into  your  hearts. 

"  There  is  one  great  force  and  factor  in  the  victory  that  has  not  been 
mentioned  to-night.  Emotion  and  sentiment,  it  is  said,  play  always  a  very 
important  part  in  every  great  revolution.  In  that  part  of  our  revolution  there 
was  an  element  that  has  not  been  brought  to  your  attention — the  ladies  of 
New  York.  [Applause.]  When  they  threw  themselves  on  the  side  of  truth 
and  purity,  the  chivalry  of  native-bom  Americans  was  aroused,  and  they  poised 
their  lances  for  the  fray.  I  propose  the  toast  of  the  evening,  '  The  Ladies  of 
New  York.'  To  the  Ladies,  God  bless  them.  And  God  bless  all  of  you,  and 
good-night." 

David  Homer  Bates  was  re-elected  chairman  of  the  governing  committee 
in  December.  At  the  meeting  of  December  10,  1894,  President  Burnett  re- 
ported the  appointment  of  the  following  committees :  Literature  and  art.  Ho- 
mer Lee,  chairman ;  J.  F.  Holloway,  L.  C.  Hopkins,  Franklin  Tuttle,  J.  Q.  A. 
Ward.  Entertainment,  Warren  Higley,  chairman ;  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  An- 
drew J,  C.  Foye,  Ctirtis  G.  Harraman,  Homer  Lee.  Library,  David  H.  Bates, 
chairman ;  W.  S.  Hawk,  C.  C.  Shayne.  Auditing,  Frank  C.  Loveland,  chair- 
man; W.  C.  Andrews,  John  D.  Archbold,  P.  B.  Armstrong,  Theo.  S.  Nye; 
Membership,  L.  C.  Hopkins,  chairman ;  John  D.  Archbold,  Geo.  E.  Armstrong, 
Jas.  M.  Ashley,  Jr.,  S.  D.  Brewster,  Henry  A.  Glassford,  Wm.  S.  Hawk, 
John  Q.  Mitchell,  Edgar  A.  Follett,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  David  F.  Harbaugh, 
Chas.  B.  Peet,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Wm.  L.  Brown,  De  Frees  Critten,  E.  S.  Wallace, 
Wm.  H.  Eckert,  Fulton  McMahon,  Otis  Wilkinson,  Peter  Zucker. 

The  president  followed  this  announcement  with  a  few  practical  remarks 
suggesting  a  plan  of  campaign  in  securing  new  members.  He  broached  the 
question  of  a  ladies'  reception  to  be  given  by  the  Society  during  the  season, 
suggesting  that  a  combination  of  dinner,  entertainment  and  dance  might  cause 
it  to  be  a  novel  and  notable  affair. 

The  members  dined  together  at  Morelli's  on  January  14,  1895.  Mr. 
Crall,  the  treasurer,  reported  that  the  balance  of  the  banquet  finances  amounted 
to  $404,  part  of  which  would  be  expended  in  the  issuing  of  a  year  book  of  the 
Society  containing  its  constitution,  by-laws,  roster,  etc.,  as  well  as  the  proceed- 
ings and  addresses  of  the  banquet  in  honor  of  Mayor-elect  William  L.  Strong. 
The  preparation  of  this  book  had  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  S.  S.  Packard, 
chairman  of  the  banquet  committee.  The  meeting  of  March  11th  was  held 
at  the  same  place.  At  the  end  of  the  courses  President  Burnett  introduced, 
in  a  few  happy  remarks,  William  L.  Strong,  his  predecessor,  to  the  assembly. 
Colonel  Strong  reported  as  a  committee  of  one  upon  the  "  pleasures  and  pains 
of  city  government." 

No  doubt  the  fact  that  the  banquet  in  the  December  preceding,  in  honor 

218 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  Mayor  Strong,  was  so  large  and  so  important  an  affair,  had  much  to  do 
with  the  omission  of  the  usual  festal  event  in  1895  and  the  substitution  of  a 
ladies'  reception  and  dinner  in  its  stead. 

This  was  given  on  Tuesday  evening,  April  30th,  at  Delmonico's.  The 
following  gentlemen  had  the  arrangements  in  charge :  Warren  Higley,  chair- 
man; Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  C.  C.  Shayne,  L.  C.  Hopkins,  Leander  H.  Crall, 
Homer  Lee,  Curtis  G.  Harraman,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr. 

The  fact  that  this  form  of  an  entertainment  was  an  innovation,  in  that 
ladies  were  included,  and  the  further  fact  that  the  time  of  giving  it  was  very 
late  in  the  season,  caused  some  anxiety  and  spurred  the  committee  to  unusual 
activity  in  their  preparations.  But  the  ladies  responded  generously  to  the 
invitation  of  the  committee  to  assist  in  the  work,  and  the  following  kindly  con- 
sented to  serve  on  the  reception  committee,  viz. :  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Mrs. 
William  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Thomas  Ewing,  Mrs.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Mrs.  L.  H. 
Crall,  Mrs.  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Mrs.  Warren  Higley,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Andrews,  ]\frs.  S. 
S.  Packard,  Mrs.  Homer  Lee,  Mrs.  David  H.  Bates,  Mrs.  Murat  Halstead, 
Mrs.  C.  C.  Shayne,  Mrs.  Geo.  E.  Armstrong,  Mrs.  L.  C.  Weir,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Ewing,  Jr.,  and  Mrs.  Allison  R.  Hopkins. 

The  dining  room  was  arranged  with  small  tables,  at  each  of  which  one 
of  the  above  named  committee  of  ladies  presided,  and  the  guests  were  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  bring  relatives  and  friends  together  at  the  same  table.  This  made 
the  banquet  a  very  delightful  and  charming  occasion.  After  dinner  the  large 
hall  was  cleared  and  the  dance  commenced,  and  this  was  enjoyed  by  all.  The 
committee  in  reporting  the  event  to  the  society  made  use  of  the  following  com- 
mendatory language :  "  We  are  pleased  to  report  that  this  reception  and 
banquet  was  a  great  success ;  that  it  was  pronounced  by  those  in  attendance  as 
a  very  joyful  and  happy  occasion,  and  the  committee  are  of  the  opinion  that 
the  Society  will  do  well  to  consider  the  giving  of  a  similar  banquet  annually 
hereafter." 

At  the  May  meeting  President  Burnett  read  a  letter  from  Senator  Calvin 
S.  Brice,  giving  an  account  of  a  plan  proposed  for  the  preservation,  in  the 
hands  of  his  daughter  Katharine,  of  the  estate  of  the  late  Chief  Justice  Salmon 
P.  Chase.  A  committee  consisting  of  A.  D.  Juilliard,  chairman;  Wager 
Swa3'ne,  Thomas  T.  Eckert  and  Calvin  S.  Brice  were  appointed  to  co-operate 
with  the  president  in  the  presentation  of  the  plan  to  the  members  of  the  So- 
ciety and  the  solicitation  of  individual  subscriptions.  A  letter  was  also  read 
from  Senator  George  F.  Hoar,  of  ^Massachusetts,  appealing  to  the  sons  of 
Ohio  and  of  New  York  to  contribute  to  the  preservation  and  care  of  the  house 
of  Gen.  Rufus  Putnam  in  Rutland,  Mass.,  where  the  scheme  of  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany was  evolved.  The  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  to  be  appointed 
by  the  chair.    In  the  June  meeting  it  was  ordered  that  the  rooms  of  the  Society 

219 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

be  opened  to  the  families  of  members  and  ladies  introduced  by  them,  from  10 
A.  M.  to  7  P.  M. 

The  following  nominating  committees  were  chosen  at  the  meeting  of  Oc- 
tober 14,  1895:  Frankhn  Tuttle,  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  Dr.  S.  J.  Converse,  W. 
H.  Eckert,  E.  A.  Follett,  J.  F.  Holloway,  David  H.  Bates,  Jr.  The  meeting 
of  November  11th  took  the  form  of  a  dinner  at  Morelli's,  and  the  main  busi- 
ness transacted  was  the  presentation  of  the  following  ticket :  President,  Henry 
L.  Burnett;  vice-presidents,  S.  S.  Packard,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Andrew  J.  C. 
Foye,  George  E.  Armstrong,  A.  D.  Juilliard;  secretary,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss; 
recording  secretary,  Noah  H.  Swayne  2d;  treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall; 
trustees,  to  serve  for  three  years,  Henry  B.  Wilson,  Warren  Higley,  T.  H. 
Wheeler. 

After  the  regular  business  had  been  transacted,  the  president,  after  some 
happy  remarks,  called  upon  a  guest  of  the  Society,  Mr.  Haskell,  of  Ohio,  who 
responded  with  the  praise  of  the  Buckeye  state,  especially  that  portion  known 
as  the  "  Black  Swamp."  Mr.  McMillan,  the  newly  appointed  park  commis- 
sioner, gave  reminiscences  of  his  early  life  in  the  Mahoning  valley.  The  de- 
scription of  this  region  was  supplemented  by  W.  C.  Andrews'  account  of  the 
iron  industries.  Messrs.  Southard,  Packard  and  Chance  made  running  re- 
marks appropriate  of  the  reminiscences  suggested  by  previous  speakers,  Mr. 
Chance  ending  with  an  eloquent  eulogy  of  the  "  Old  Roman,"  Senator  Allen  G. 
Thurman,  prostrated  by  illness.  In  accordance  with  this  feeling  Judge  John  M. 
Guiteau  presented  the  following  resolution :  "  Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society 
tenders  its  sympathy  to  Mrs.  Thurman  and  his  relatives  during  the  illness  of 
the  '  Old  Roman.'  "     The  motion  was  carried. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  on  November  29th  the  gentlemen  above  named 
were  elected.    It  was  ordered  that  the  banquet  be  held  on  January  11,  1896. 

David  Homer  Bates,  chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  reported  upon  a 
number  of  matters,  and,  continuing,  said :  "  The  treasurer  is  the  only  officer 
of  the  Society  who  can  furnish  data  concerning  resignations.  In  fact,  the  un- 
written law  which  governs  that  subject  is  just  the  reverse  of  that  which  applied 
in  the  case  of  the  Irishman's  wife  who  had  died.  The  question  was  put  to  him, 
*  Was  she  resigned? '  '  Bedad,'  says  Pat,  '  she  had  to  be! '  Brother  Crall, 
however,  considers  that  as  long  as  there's  life  there's  hope  of  getting  him  to 
pay  his  dues,  and  thus  it  is  we  seldom  or  ever  hear  of  a  resigned  Ohio  man. 
The  particular  attention  of  the  members  of  the  Society  is  called  to  the  fact 
that  our  membership  is  not  increasing  as  rapidly  as  should  be  the  case,  to  com- 
pensate for  inevitable  losses.  Let  each  one  of  those  present  to-night  resolve 
that  he  will  bring  in  at  least  one  new  member  before  the  annual  banquet,  or  say 
before  February  1,  1896.  This  would  insure  real  growth.  Some  of  us  have 
sons,  brothers  or  other  relations  or  near  acquaintances,  who  would  probably 

220 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

join  our  ranks  for  the  asking.  During  the  year  we  held  two  general  meetings, 
first  the  banquet  to  Mayor-elect  Strong  on  December  4,  1894,  and  the  ladies' 
reception  on  April  30,  1895.  Both  were  eminently  successful,  as  those  who 
had  the  pleasure  of  attending  can  testify,  and  we  are  now  eagerly  craning  our 
necks  to  see  when  our  next  banquet  will  occur  and  what  will  be  its  peculiar 
character.  We  can,  however,  depend  on  the  committee  having  that  matter  in 
charge  giving  us  something  that  we  shall  all  be  proud  of,  particularly  in  view 
of  the  fresh  high  record  made  by  Ohio  in  the  person  of  our  worthy  past 
president.  Mayor  Strong,  in  his  most  excellent  speech  at  the  Atlanta 
Exposition." 

The  report  of  the  secretary  was  as  follows : 

"  It  seems  proper  that  the  Society  should  require  each  active  officer  to 
annually  render  an  account  of  his  stewardship  and  of  the  various  talents  in- 
trusted by  it  to  his  care. 

"  The  duties  assigned  to  the  secretary  by  the  by-laws  are  of  five  sorts.  In 
the  first  place,  he  is  to  conduct  the  correspondence  of  the  Society.  During  the 
past  year  such  correspondence  has  been  very  limited  in  volume  and  has  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  answers  to  inquiries  by  members,  of  the  announcements  of 
changes  of  residence  or  of  the  resignation  or  death  of  members.  The  matters 
contained  in  these  communications  which  seemed  to  be  of  common  concern  have 
been  from  time  to  time  laid  before  the  Society.  The  notices  of  all  meetings, 
required  by  the  by-laws  to  be  issued  by  the  secretary,  have  been  so  issued  and 
mailed  to  all  the  members  at  the  addresses  supplied  by  them.  The  roll  of 
members  has  likewise  been  kept  and  that  has  been  an  easier  clerical  task  than 
the  secretary  would  wish  it  to  be,  for  the  roll,  while  of  goodly  proportions,  is 
not  so  long  as  it  ought  to  be.  With  all  the  changes  it  undergoes  by  resigna- 
tion, death  or  by  accession,  it  continues  constantly  near  the  300  mark,  the 
total  present  membership  being  332,  divided  into :  resident,  257 ;  non-resident, 
71 ;  honorary,  4.  In  looking  over  that  roll,  from  time  to  time,  the  secretary 
cannot  but  be  more  and  more  sensibly  impressed  with  satisfaction  that  so  hon- 
orable a  duty  has  been  his,  and  he  can  but  wonder  whether  any  other  society  in 
this  city  can  boast  a  roster  so  brilliant  or  one  upon  which  the  names  stand  for 
so  much  in  all  that  constitutes  success. 

"  The  most  comprehensive  duty  required  of  the  secretary  under  our  by- 
laws is  the  one  which  provides  that  he  shall '  furnish  information  on  call  of  any 
of  the  committees  and  discharge  such  other  duties  as  may  be  assigned  to  him  by 
the  Society  or  the  president.'  While  the  secretary  has  been  at  all  times  ready 
and  willing  to  furnish  on  call  such  information  as  his  limited  capacity  would 
supply,  he  is  gratified  to  report  that  the  call  upon  him  during  the  past  year 
has  been  fittingly  moderated  to  the  supply.    He  may  also  report  that  the  other 

221 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

duties  assigned  to  him  by  the  Society  and  the  president  have  been  assigned  with 
signal  forbearance,  but  such  duties  as  have  been  so  assigned  he  has  endeavored 
to  perform.  "  Respectfully  submitted. 

"  EvAUTS  L.  Prentiss,  Secretary." 

On  December  8th  the  president  appointed  the  following  committees  for 
the  ensuing  year:  Art  and  literature,  Homer  Lee,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Daniel  C. 
Beard,  J.  Stedman  Converse,  Franklin  Tuttle.  Entertainment,  S.  S.  Packard, 
S.  R.  Beckwith,  D.  H.  Bates,  Jr.,  Samuel  McMillan,  C.  Q.  Harraman.  Au- 
diting, L.  C.  Hopkins,  H.  A.  Glassford,  C.  W.  Moore,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr., 
Warner  Ells.  Library,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Thos.  S.  Nye,  Mahlon  Chance,  H.  F. 
Waltman.  Membership,  Edward  S.  Wallace,  H.  H.  Brockway,  Theo.  Rick- 
secker,  J.  Q.  Mitchell,  R.  J.  Cliard,  T.  C.  Campbell,  Daniel  Pritchard,  C.  C. 
Shayne,  Frank  C.  Loveland,  Nathan  Guilford,  Quinton  Corwine,  Henry  De 
Mult,  Otis  Wilkinson,  John  F.  Rodamor.  Banquet,  W.  L.  Strong,  Wager 
Swayne,  L.  H.  Crall,  A.  G.  McCook,  Wm.  L.  Brown,  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  Wm. 
S.  Hawk,  John  D.  Archbold,  Mahlon  Chance,  Homer  Lee,  Thomas  Ewing, 
Samuel  Thomas,  J.  J.  McCook,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Warren  Higley,  Milton  I. 
Southard,  S.  S.  Packard,  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  George  Milmine,  E,  B.  Thomas. 

On  December  7,  1895,  D.  H.  Bates  was  re-elected  chairman  of  the  gov- 
erning committee,  and  Messrs.  Foye,  Follett  and  Peet  were  again  chosen  mem- 
bers of  the  house  committee.  The  first  gathering  of  1896  was  at  the  Windsor 
hotel,  on  January  13th,  a  dinner  being  served  and  a  number  of  ladies  being 
present.  Speeches  were  made  by  President  Burnett,  Mayor  Strong,  General 
Swayne,  Mr.  Packard  and  others. 

A  sad  and  memorable  gathering  was  the  special  meeting  called  for  Jan- 
uary 22,  1896,  to  take  action  upon  the  death  of  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  the  first 
president  of  the  Society,  one  of  its  most  energetic  friends  and  supporters  in 
the  formative  period;  a  man  who  had  won  fame  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War 
and  as  a  statesman  in  civic  affairs.  A  sad  accident  had  cut  him  off  in  his  days 
of  greatest  usefulness ;  and  while  the  Society  mourned  the  loss  of  its  first  pres- 
ident, each  individual  member  felt  that  he  had  lost  a  personal  friend. 

President  Burnett  called  the  meeting  to  order  and  in  a  few  heartfelt  and 
eloquent  words  referred  to  the  loss  that  had  befallen  them.  A.  J.  C.  Foye 
moved  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  draft  suitable  resolutions  and  report 
to  the  meeting  before  adjournment.  The  following  gentlemen  were  named  as 
that  committee:  Wager  Swayne,  chairman;  William  L.  Strong,  Milton  I. 
Southard,  S.  S.  Packard  and  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye.  The  committee  retired,  and 
after  a  time  returned  with  a  series  of  resolutions  that  were  unanimously 
adopted.  It  was  also  resolved  that  the  members  of  the  Society  attend  the 
funeral  as  a  body.  Eulogistic  speeches  were  made  by  Colonel  Strong,  Dr. 
Beckwith,  General  Swayne  and  others.     The  resolutions  follow: 

222 


At  -k 
g,l>ECIAL  MEETING 

OF  TH  iC 


^       OK         '^^ — ,„  4^       ^^^ 

HON.T^IOMAS  BWING 


First  President 


Tl),       That  THE  ACCIDENT  WHICH    HA5   RE- 
SULTED   IN    THE    DEATH  OF 

Hon.  Thomas  Ewing 

HAS  CLOSED  SUDDENLY  A  LIFE  OF  USEFULNESS  AND 
HONOR,  TO  THE  DEEP  REGRET  OF  A  MOST  OF  FRIENDS 
TO   THI5   SOCIETyiS  DETRIMENT  AND  SORROW,  AND  TO 
ni5    FAMIL.Y.5    IRREPARABLE  LOSS. 


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CHAPTER  XII 
1896—1897 

THE  tenth  annual  banquet*  of  the  Ohio  Society  was  given  at  Delmonico's 
on  the  evening  of  February  8,  1896.  It  was  in  charge  of  the  gentlemen 
who  have  been  already  named  as  a  committee  for  this  occasion.  At  the 
centre  of  the  speaker's  table,  just  beneath  the  shield  of  Ohio,  draped  with  the 
flag  of  the  Union,  sat  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  the  president  of  the  Society. 
Bishop  Henry  C.  Potter  sat  at  his  right,  while  Gov.  Asa  S.  Bushnell,  of  Ohio, 
occupied  the  seat  at  his  left.  Four  members  of  the  governor's  staff,  Adjutant- 
General  H.  H.  Axhne,  Col.  Henry  H.  Prettyman,  Col.  C.  B.  Wing  and  Col. 
C.  E.  Burke,  occupied  seats  at  the  head  table,  together  with  Joseph  H.  Choate, 
Judge  A.  C.  Coxe,  J.  M.  Richardson,  ex-Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Charles 
Foster,  Robert  E.  McKisson,  mayor  of  Cleveland;  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman, 
Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Wilson  M.  Day  and  Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt. 

At  six  long  tables  sat  more  than  two  hundred  members  of  the  Society, 
presided  over  by  G.  E.  Armstrong  and  Mahlon  Chance  at  table  A;  A.  J.  C. 
Foye  and  Col.  W.  L.  Brown  at  table  B ;  A,  D.  Juilliard  and  L.  H.  Crall  at 
table  C;  Mayor  Strong  and  Homer  Lee  at  table  D ;  S.  S.  Packard  and  E.  B. 
Thomas  at  table  E;  and  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard  and  Geo.  W.  Perkins  at 
table  F. 

Letters  of  regret  were  received  from  a  number  of  prominent  persons.  Ex- 
President  Harrison  wrote: 

"  Hon.  W.  L.  Strong,  New  York  City. 

"  My  Dear  Mr.  Mayor :  I  have  your  invitation  to  attend  the  annual  ban- 
quet of  the  Ohio  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  to  make  an  address.  I 
regret  to  say  that  it  will  not  be  possible  to  accept  this  kind  invitation.  Sin- 
cerely yours,  "  Benjamin  Harrison.'* 

From  ex-Gov.  William  McKinley  came  the  following  telegram: 

"Hon.  W.  L.  Strong,  New  York  city. 

"  My  Dear  Mr.  Mayor :  I  would  be  delighted  to  be  with  the  members  of 
the  Ohio  Society  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  inst.,  but  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 


*  It  will  be  noted  that  the  dinner  and  reception  in  honor  of  the  ladies  in  1895  was  not 
counted  among  the  annual  banquets. 

231 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

do  so.  I  beg  that  you  extend  my  grateful  acknowledgments  to  the  officers  of 
the  Society  for  their  invitation,  and  I  trust  that  the  anniversary  will  be  the 
most  successful  in  the  history  of  the  Society.    Very  sincerely, 

"  William  McKinley." 
Ex-Gov.  J.  B.  Foraker  expressed  his  regrets  thus : 

"  Hon.  W.  L.  Strong,  New  York  city. 

"  My  Dear  Sir :  My  other  engagements  are  so  numerous  and  so  exacting 
that  I  find  it  impossible  for  me  to  go  to  New  York  on  the  8th  inst.,  and  for 
that  reason  I  regretfully  conclude  that  I  must  forego  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
with  the  Ohio  Society  until  some  future  occasion.  Sincerely  wishing  you  a 
successful  and  enjoyable  time,  I  remain,  very  truly  yours,  etc., 

"  J.  B.  Foraker." 
United  States  Senator  William  B.  Allison,  of  Iowa,  wrote  as  follows : 

"  Washington,  D.  C,  Feb.  T,  1896. 
"Hon.  W.  L.  Strong,  New  York. 

"  Thanks  for  your  friendly  letter.  I  wish  I  could  meet  and  greet  you 
and  other  friends  at  the  banquet  to-morrow  night.  An  important  engagement 
makes  it  impossible  for  me  to  have  the  pleasure.  W.  B.  Allison.  " 

Letters  of  congratulations  were  also  received  from  ex-Gov.  James  E. 
Campbell,  Attorney-General  Judson  Harmon,  United  States  Senator  G'corge 
F.  Hoar,  George  C.  Tichenor,  and  others. 

Each  member  of  the  banquet  committee  wore  the  colors  of  the  buckeye. 
Each  member  of  the  city  government  present  received  a  present  of  a  fancy 
napkin  inscribed  with  some  appropriate  sentiment.  The  author  of  these 
"  poems  "  was  unduly  modest  and  insisted  upon  remaining  anonymous.  One 
of  the  ditties  referred  to  Theodore  Roosevelt,  police  commissioner,  and  the  first 
four  lines  of  it  ran  thus : 

"  Hist !  Hist !  Hist !  Here  is  the  bogy  man. 
Be  careful  how  you  drink  with  him ;  he'll  catch  you  if  he  can. 
His  smile  is  frank  and  open  as  the  side  doors  used  to  be ; 
He  wears  plain  clothes  on  duty — ^he's  on  it  now,  you  see." 

All  the  sentiments  were  in  the  same  playful  vein,  evidently  intended  to 
help  "  digestion  wait  on  appetite." 

The  president,  in  rising  to  offer  the  usual  words  of  welcome  to  the  mem- 
bers and  guests,  was  received  with  applause.  Regarding  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York,  the  president  was  glad  to  tell  them,  he  said,  that  the  association 

232 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

financially  and  in  members  was  sound  and  strong.  Whether  or  not  General 
Burnett  in  thus  emphasizing  the  state  of  the  society  as  strong  meant  any 
allusion  to  the  mayor  was  not  apparent,  but  whatever  his  intention,  the 
members  of  the  Society  alighted  on  the  word  instantly,  and  finding  a  refer- 
ence in  it  to  Mayor  Strong,  rose  in  a  body  and  chorused  three  cheers  for  the 
mayor,  wliich  the  latter  was  forced  to  acknowledge.  Proceeding,  General 
Burnett  said  that  every  man  of  Ohio  was  imbued  deeply  with  love  of  his 
state  and  love  of  his  nation,  and  filled  with  honest  fellowship  of  man  to  man. 
He  believed  that  the  Society  and  its  sentiments  would  continue  to  grow.  Con- 
tinuing, he  said : 

"  This  banquet  of  to-night,  held  on  the  8th  day  of  February,  is  the 
seventy-sixth  anniversary  of  the  day  of  the  birth  of  one  of  Ohio's  greatest 
sons.  General  Sherman,  and  it  is  only  right  that  we,  the  children  of  Ohio, 
should  do  honor  to  him  because  no  American  has  done  greater  service  for  his 
country  than  General  Sherman.  Of  all  the  great  heroes  of  the  civil  war  he 
was  second  to  none  in  strategic  ability,  in  fighting  qualities  and  in  victorious 
achievement.  (Renewed  applause.)  In  individual  character  of  life  he  was 
pure  and  noble,  and  as  was  said  of  an  exalted  one  of  the  older  time,  he  was  of 
'  passing  stout  courage  and  of  invincible  fortitude.'  " 

General  Burnett  then  proposed  the  toast  of  General  Sherman,  which 
was  drunk  by  all  present  standing  and  in  respectful  silence. 

Governor  Bushnell,  who  was  introduced  with  graceful  words  by  the 
president,  spoke  next.  After  the  applause,  which  had  greeted  the  mention  of 
his  name,  had  subsided,  he  opened  with  a  sly  allusion  to  the  necessity  of  cur- 
taihng  his  remarks,  because  of  the  strictness  with  which  the  12  o'clock  closing 
rule  was  enforced,  and  then  proceeded  to  instance  the  phenomenal  growth 
of  the  state  of  Ohio  in  ninety-three  years,  from  a  small  colony  of  only  forty- 
eight  people  to  a  vast,  populated  state  of  no  fewer  than  four  millions  of 
people.  Its  influence,  and  its  people,  as  well,  were,  moreover,  not  confined 
to  the  state  of  Ohio,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in  almost  every  large 
city  of  the  Union  were  to  be  found  enough  sons  of  the  state  to  form  a  sub- 
stantial and  numerically  large  Ohio  Society.  Speaking  of  the  achievements 
of  his  state.  Governor  Bushnell  said  that  when  a  call  was  made  for  soldiers  to 
defend  the  honor  of  the  flag,  Ohio  gave  to  the  service  of  the  country  310,000 
men,  and  although  New  York,  in  proportion  to  population,  gave  as  large  a 
contribution,  he  trusted  his  hearers  would  agree  with  him  when  he  maintained 
that  the  loyalty  of  Ohio  gained  the  admiration  of  the  whole  people  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  needless  to  state  that  this  contention  was  received  with 
unbounded  enthusiasm,  which  burst  forth  again  and  again  as  Ohio's  gov- 
ernor, in  enumerating  the  celebrated  soldiers  and  statesmen  of  Ohio  birth, 
mentioned  the  names  of  Hayes,  Garfield,  Waite,  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan. 

233 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Nor  was  the  volume  of  enthusiasm  diminished  when  the  governor  came 
by  easy  stages  to  describe  the  quahties  of  the  living  lights  of  his  state.  In 
rapid  sequence  he  cited  name  after  name  of  well-known  public  men  from 
Ohio,  and  came  eventually  to  the  name  of  McKinley.  For  a  few  moments  fol- 
lowing the  sons  of  Ohio,  not  content  with  giving  full  vent  to  lung  power, 
jumped  on  their  chairs,  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  and  in  many  other  ways 
vented  their  feelings,  until  a  climax  was  reached  by  Col.  Charles  B.  Wing,  of 
the  governor's  staif,  who  sat  at  the  end  of  the  platform,  precipitating  him- 
self and  his  chair  from  the  raised  dais  to  the  floor  of  the  dining-hall,  two  or 
three  feet  below.  Many  friends  rushed  to  the  assistance  of  the  embarrassed 
colonel,  whose  enthusiasm  succumbed  to  the  force  of  gravity,  and  in  the 
general  laughter  that  ensued  the  McKinley  cheers  were  allowed  to  die  away. 
The  governor  had  little  to  add  to  the  words  which  led  up  to  so  great  an  ex- 
uberance of  the  feelings  of  the  sons  of  Ohio,  but  he  continued  long  enough  to 
pay  an  earnest  rebuke  to  the  man  in  the  senate  who  recently  spoke  in  such  dis- 
respectful terms  of  the  highest  officers  in  the  nation.  "  If  such  a  man,"  he 
said,  "  has  no  respect  for  the  chief  magistrate,  let  him  at  least  have  some  re- 
spect for  the  highest  office  of  the  land." 

In  terms  of  high  tribute  the  president  next  introduced  Hon.  Joseph 
H.  Choate.  The  cordial  reception  which  was  accorded  to  Mr.  Choate  was  fully 
as  unanimous  as  in  the  case  of  the  previous  speakers.  At  the  outset  he 
hastened  to  inform  the  Society  that  he  was  not  familiar  with  the  sons  of  Ohio, 
and  he  felt  himself  obliged  to  confess  that  there  was  only  one  of  this  band 
whose  course  he  had  watched  with  anything  approaching  earnest  solicitude 
and  anxious  prayer.  It  was  unnecessary  for  Mr.  Choate  to  tell  his  hearers 
that  Mayor  Strong  was  the  object  of  his  remark.  The  laughter  of  the 
members  forestalled  him.  "  I  never  understood,"  said  Mr.  Choate,  "  how 
in  the  face  of  adverse  circumstances  our  mayor  always  sustained  undoubted 
courage.  No  matter  what  happens  nothing  can  disturb  his  serenity.  And  no 
matter  how  his  chosen  servants  may  fail  to  achieve  success  and  triumph  in  the 
popular  mind.  Mayor  Strong  continues  unmoved.  But  when  I  look  at  the 
motto  upon  this  menu,  which  is  signed  by  George  Washington,  and  also,  I 
notice.  Mayor  Strong,  I  am  shown  why  he  always  keeps  up  such  an  undoubted 
courage.  The  motto  says,  '  If  we  are  overpowered  we  will  retire  to  the  fold 
of  Ohio,  and  there  we  will  be  free.'  So,  gentlemen,  we  see  by  the  direct 
application  of  the  motto  the  reason  for  his  display  of  such  continuous 
courage." 

This  sally  was  received  with  unbounded  laughter,  in  which  the  mayor 
himself  joined.  Leaving  the  facetious  strain,  Mr.  Choate  proceeded  to  speak 
of  the  advance  of  Ohio  in  the  last  few  years,  and  said  it  could  no  longer  be 
looked  upon  as  a  Western  state,  but  must  be  identified  with  New  York  and 

234 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

New  England.  In  the  near  future,  he  said,  the  great  Eastern  states  would 
not  be  able  to  command  the  influence  they  had  hitherto  exerted  by  force  of 
numbers.  Whatever  influence  it  would  be  left  to  their  province  to  put  for- 
ward, he  premised,  would  be  that  of  force  of  character  alone.  From  this  senti- 
ment Mr.  Choate  went  on  to  draw  deductions  from  the  lives  of  Sherman  and 
Grant,  and,  speaking  of  the  direction  in  which  the  personal  feelings  of  these 
two  men  tended,  he  said  they  were  ever  advocates  of  peace.  He  closed  as 
follows : 

"  They  sleep  in  their  last  resting  places,  one  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
and  the  other  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  knowing,  as  I  am  persuaded 
they  do,  that,  as  they  look  down  upon  us  to-day,  there  is  nothing  that  could 
excite  more  opposition  or  more  condemnation  on  their  part  than  the  attempt 
of  any  party  or  of  any  men  to  excite  an  unjust  and  unnecessary  quarrel  with 
our  sister-nation  of  England." 

Mayor  Strong,  James  H.  Hoyt  and  other  guests  also  spoke. 

At  a  meeting  held  at  about  this  time  Hon.  Asa  L.  Bushnell,  governor  of 
Ohio,  was  elected  an  honorary  member,  and  acknowledged  the  honor  in  the 
following  words: 

"  Office  of  the  Governor,  Columbus,  O.,  May  29,  1896. 
"  Noah  H.  Swayne,  Recording  Secretary,  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  My  Dear  Mr.  Swayne :  It  gives  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  acknowl- 
edge receipt  of  your  valued  communication  of  May  27th,  informing  me  that 
at  the  last  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York  I  was  accorded  the  distinguished  honor  of  being  elected  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Society. 

"  You  are  probably  aware  of  how  greatly  I  appreciate  the  action  of  the 
committee.  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  always  commanded  my  entire 
admiration  and  respect,  and  since  the  meeting  in  February,  at  which  I  had 
the  privilege  of  being  a  guest,  it  has  enlisted  my  love.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  pleasant  greeting  then  accorded  me,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  the  re- 
newed honor  you  have  paid  me  will  always  be  most  higlily  esteemed.  Will 
you  please  advise  me  whether  there  are  any  formalities  with  which  I  have  to 
comply.?  It  will  give  me  sincere  pleasure  to  qualify  in  any  way  that  you  may 
suggest,  and  I  beg  that  you  will  notify  me,  so  that  I  will  not  appear  un- 
mindful of  my  duty.  Hoping  that  you  are  very  well  and  asking  you  to  con- 
vey my  respects  to  your  associates  of  the  Society,  I  am 

"  Very  cordially  yours, 

"  Asa  S.  Bushnell." 

235 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  following  gentlemen  were  named,  on  October  12th,  as  a  committee 
to  present  nominations  for  officers  for  the  ensuing  year :  W.  H.  Eckert,  Ralph 
W.  Carroll,  George  B.  Hibbard,  R.  J.  Chard,  D.  H.  Bates,  Franklin  Tuttle 
and  Charles  W.  Morris.  This  committee,  at  the  informal  meeting  held  at 
Morelli's  on  November  9th,  reported  through  Mr.  Chard  the  following  nomi- 
nations :  President,  Henry  L.  Burnett ;  vice-presidents,  S.  S.  Packard,  Andrew 
J.  C.  Fbye,  Milton  I.  Southard,  George  E.  Armstrong,  A.  D.  Juilliard ;  sec- 
retary, Evarts  L.  Prentiss;  recording  secretary,  Noah  H.  Swayne,  2d;  treas- 
urer, Leander  H.  Crall;  trustees,  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Anson  G. 
McCook. 

Henry  B.  Wilson  announced  a  gift  from  the  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid  of 
handsomely  bound  volumes  of  the  donor's  interesting  work,  "  Ohio  in  the 
War."     Resolutions  of  thanks  were  adopted  as  follows: 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  resolution  be  sent  to  the  Hon.  Whitelaw 
Reid  with  the  compliments  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  its  best  wishes  for  the 
long  continuance  of  a  life  uniformly  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  our  com- 
mon country,  so  illustriously  exemplified  in  the  fields  of  journalism  and  na- 
tional diplomacy." 

General  Wager  Swayne  announced  that  he  would  speak  at  length  to  the 
Society  in  regard  to  several  matters.  He  voiced  the  affection  of  the  members 
of  the  Society  for  Mr.  Crall,  its  treasurer,  and  their  sympathy  toward  him 
in  his  recent  affliction,  and,  at  the  speaker's  suggestion,  silent  expression  of 
that  sympathy  was  given  by  those  present  rising  in  their  places. 

General  Swayne  paid  appropriate  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  ex- 
Governor  James  M.  Ashley,  calling  especial  attention  to  his  labors  in  the 
passage  of  the  constitutional  amendment,  which  forever  excluded  slavery 
from  the  United  States,  and  to  the  very  able  address  by  the  governor  before 
the  Society  upon  the  history  of  that  amendment.  At  the  conclusion  of  Gen- 
eral Swayne's  address  a  series  of  resolutions  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  Gov- 
ernor Ashley  were  adopted. 

General  Swayne,  continuing,  spoke  of  the  recent  honor  that  the  Ohio 
Society  had  received  in  the  election  of  Major  William  McKinley  to  the  presi- 
dency, and  proposed  the  following  resolution  as  expressing  the  unpartisan 
sentiments  of  an  unpartisan  Society.  It  was  received  with  emphatic  applause, 
and  seconded  with  generous  approval  by  Mr.  Foye: 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  existing  for  the  purpose  of  maintain- 
ing kindly  memories  of  its  members,  individual  relations  to  the  state,  and  cher- 
ishing a  fellowship  inspired  by  those  relations,  enjoys  the  fact  that  once  more 
the  state  has  contributed  to  the  well-being  of  the  country  in  the  person  of 
William  McKinley,  a  citizen  to  whose  past  career  and  present  attitude  the 
people  of  the  United  States  have  given  their  own  majestic  verdict  of  approval. 

236 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

As  an  expression  of  this  feeling,  the  Society  extends  to  the  president-elect  its 
sincere  and  respectful  congratulations,  earnestly  wishing  him  great  success  in 
commanding  the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  country  in  the  discharge  of  the 
great  trust  to  which  he  has  been  called. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  to  the  presi- 
dent-elect." 

While  the  question  was  before  the  Society,  General  Swayne  took  occa- 
sion to  define  the  present  political  situation  in  the  United  States.  He  charac- 
terized the  socialistic  features  developed  in  the  recent  campaign  as  one  phase 
of  an  important  movement  in  society  all  over  the  world,  having  for  its  ulti- 
mate end  a  contraction  of  individual  liberty,  and  the  establishment  of  a  form 
of  goverament  in  which  the  powers  now  in  the  beneficiaries  of  government, 
that  is,  the  people,  were  to  be  turned  over  to  the  trustees,  that  is,  the  sovereign. 
In  closing,  he  pointed  out  as  the  true  remedy  for  such  conditions  the  im- 
provement of  the  trustee.  He  suggested  that  in  the  Ohio  Society  existed  a  nu- 
cleus for  effective  action  in  the  application  of  such  remedy,  and  maintained 
that  it  behooves  us  to  exercise  our  powers  to  that  end. 

The  president  called  attention  to  the  necessity  for  prompt  action  in  rela- 
tion to  the  next  annual  banquet,  and  urged  that  definite  plans  be  made  at  the 
next  meeting,  November  30th.  Professor  Roberts  gave  two  recitations  for  the 
entertainment  of  those  present.  Mahlon  Chance,  C.  C.  Shayne  and  President 
Burnett  recalled  some  interesting  experiences  and  anecdotes  of  the  recent 
political  campaign. 

The  annual  meeting  was  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society  on  November 
30th,  1896,  the  president  in  the  chair.  Mr.  Bates,  as  chairman  of  the  govern- 
ing committee,  reported  that  monthly  meetings  had  been  held  throughout  the 
year,  with  the  exception  of  the  summer  months ;  that  the  attendance  at  the 
meetings  had  been  regular,  and  that  the  members  had  acted  throughout  the 
year  in  perfect  harmony  and  accord.  Mr.  Bates  also  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  number  of  deaths  of  members  during  the  past  year  had  been 
eighteen,  as  against  forty-two  for  the  previous  nine  years  of  the  Society's  ex- 
istence, which  was  a  very  marked  increase  in  the  death  rate.  He  read  the  list 
of  those  who  had  died,  and  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  were  among 
the  number  United  States  senators,  congressmen  and  state  governors.  He 
stated  that  as  an  offset  to  the  large  number  of  deaths  the  Society  had  been  in- 
creased by  the  election  of  thirty-eight  new  members  during  the  year.  Mr. 
Prentiss,  the  secretary,  reported  as  follows : 

"  It  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  office  with  which  the  Society  has  honored 
me  to  keep  the  roll  of  its  membership.  That  roll  must  be  returned  at  the  end 
of  this  year,  bearing  the  erasure  of  many  names.  Some  of  them,  names  which 
have  been  identified  with  the  foundation  and  success  of  our  Society;  some  of 

237 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

them,  names  which  will  remain  always  impressed  upon  the  history  of  our  na- 
tive state,  as  well  as  upon  the  history  of  our  country.  Scarcely  a  meeting  has 
been  held  since  the  new  year  at  which  the  death  of  one  or  more  of  our  mem- 
bers has  not  been  announced.  The  records  of  the  Society,  while  they  bear 
tribute,  in  graceful  phrases,  to  our  formal  appreciation  of  their  friendship 
and  worth,  must  also  emphasize  in  our  hearts  the  regret  that  more  of  our 
words  of  praise  had  not  been  said  to  our  friends  while  they  were  living  rather 
than  in  their  memory. 

"  Our  Society  has  been  characterized  as  an  organization  having  for  its 
purpose  the  praising  of  Ohio  men  and  their  deeds.  If  that  is  true,  I  believe 
we  make  no  mistake.  The  fulfillment  of  such  a  purpose  may  make  Ohio  men 
more  happy,  it  cannot  make  them  less  worthy  or  less  loyal. 

"  The  report  of  the  chairman  of  the  governing  committee  presents  one 
view  of  our  membership  roll  which  is  most  hopeful.  The  fact  that  thirty- 
eight  new  names  have  been  proposed  for  enrollment  and  that  twenty-five  dif- 
ferent members  appear  responsible  for  their  proposal  speaks  well  for  the 
efforts  of  those  members  and  for  the  future  of  the  Society.  These  additions 
to  our  membership  suggest,  too,  the  inquiry  whether  we  do  not  owe  it  to  those 
who  are  coming  in  with  us,  as  well  as  to  those  who  have  long  been  members, 
that  we  make  more  vigorous  efforts  toward  fulfilling  the  first  object  of  the 
Society  as  stated  in  its  constitution,  *  the  cultivation  of  social  intercourse 
among  its  members.' 

"  The  Society  not  being  conducted  as  a  club,  its  benefits  and  advantages 
are  comprised  for  the  most  part  in  its  meetings  and  social  functions.  It  is 
true  that  we  can,  and  do,  maintain  most  friendly  and  cordial  good  feeling 
when  we  assemble  merely  for  the  purposes  of  business,  but  a  considerable 
number  of  our  members  will  not  attend  a  simple  business  meeting.  In  order, 
then,  to  cultivate  social  intercourse  effectively  and  generally,  I  believe  we 
ought  to  come  together  more  frequently  for  that  purpose.  The  surplus  in 
our  treasury  shows  the  result  of  skilful  and  prudent  management.  It  also 
indicates  that  we  might  perhaps,  safely  and  wisely,  expend  a  larger  sum  each 
year  in  promoting  the  objects  of  the  Society,  and  for  the  benefit  and  pleasure 
of  those  who  maintain  it.  I  believe  that  if  we  had  more  frequent  gatherings 
of  a  social  nature,  we  would  add  attractions  to  membership  and  unity  and 
strength  to  the  Society. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  EvARTS  L.  Prentiss,  Secretary." 

The  treasurer,  L.  H.  Crall,  rendered  his  annual  report,  showing  the  bal- 
ance in  the  treasury.  C.  C.  Shayne,  chairman  of  the  library  committee,  re- 
ported the  addition  of  forty  volumes  during  the  year.    He  mentioned  as  con- 

238 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tributions  of  special  importance  certain  books  from  Senator  Harper,  of  Mt. 
Vernon,  Ohio ;  "  Men  of  Columbus  and  Familiar  Faces  of  Ohio,"  from  Governor 
Asa  L.  Bushnell;  twelve  volumes  of  the  work  of  Thomas  Hardy,  from  the 
publisher,  Peter  F.  Collier ;  "  Ohio  in  the  War,"  from  the  author,  Hon.  White- 
law  Reid,  and  several  volumes  on  various  subjects  from  Dr.  E.  B.  Foote. 

Under  the  head  of  miscellaneous  business.  General  Swayne  called  par- 
ticular attention  to  that  part  of  the  report  of  the  secretary  which  recom- 
mended more  earnest  cultivation  of  social  intercourse  among  its  members,  and 
moved  that  $25,  in  addition  to  the  usual  sum,  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
entertainment  committee  for  use  at  future  meetings  of  the  Society.  Carried. 
The  election  of  officers  being  next  in  order,  General  Burnett  called  upon 
General  Swayne  to  take  the  chair.  In  taking  the  chair.  General  Swayne  re- 
marked that  General  Burnett's  unwillingness  to  preside  over  an  election  in 
which  he  was  a  candidate  was  another  of  the  frequent  instances  of  "  the  in- 
ordinate modesty  of  the  Ohio  man,"  C.  C.  Shayne  moved  that  the  recording 
secretary  cast  the  ballot  of  the  Society  for  the  candidates  presented  by  the 
nominating  committee.  Carried.  The  secretary  reported  the  unanimous  elec- 
tion of  the  gentlemen  who  had  been  named.  The  chairman  said  that  the 
scarcity  of  candidates  must  be  regarded  as  still  another  instance  of  the  mod- 
esty of  the  Ohio  man.  General  Burnett  was  recalled  to  the  chair.  He  called 
upon  the  mayor  for  a  report  as  to  the  condition  of  the  city  of  New  York. 

Colonel  Strong  reported  that  since  the  Ohio  Society  had  assumed  the 
government  of  the  city  the  laws  on  the  statute  books  had  been  rigidly  en- 
forced ;  that  the  streets  had  been  kept  thoroughly  clean,  and  that  the  city  was 
in  a  better  sanitary  condition  than  ever  before;  that  during  the  life  of  the 
Society  the  death  rate  had  been  reduced  one-half,  and  that  since  the  election 
of  an  Ohio  man  to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States,  the  death  rate  of  this 
city  had  been  reduced  to  the  lowest  figure  in  its  history.  The  mayor  reported 
further  that  during  the  life  of  the  Ohio  Society  the  number  of  arrests  had  been 
reduced  forty-six  per  cent.,  and  that  the  decorum  of  the  city  had  materially 
improved  during  the  last  year.  He  stated  that  although  there  had  been  a 
nominal  increase  of  drinking  places  under  the  Raines  law,  nevertheless,  it  was 
one  of  the  best  laws  ever  passed,  although  it  needed  certain  amendments. 
He  expressed  his  firm  conviction  that  all  of  the  city  departments  were  doing 
their  best  to  get  one  hundred  cents  in  value  for  the  city  for  every  dollar  ex- 
pended. He  closed  by  expressing  his  intention  to  be  present  at  every  meeting 
of  the  Society  which  it  was  possible  for  him  to  attend.  The  president  stated 
that  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  say  to  the  mayor  that  the  people  of  the  city  of  New 
York  felt  for  the  first  time  that  they  had  a  clean,  honest  and  efficient  govern- 
ment. He  congratulated  the  city  and  country  in  having  Ohio  men  as  chief 
magistrates. 

239 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

When  the  new  governing  committee  convened,  Lowell  M.  Palmer  was 
elected  chairman  and  Messrs.  Foye  chairman  and  B.  H.  Wilson  and  Franklin 
Tuttle  members  of  the  house  committee.  Some  days  later  Mr.  Palmer  notified 
the  committee  of  his  inability  to  serve  as  chairman,  and  Richard  J.  Chard 
was  unanimously  chosen  in  his  stead.  At  the  meeting  of  December  14th  the 
president  announced  the  following  committees:  Entertainment,  Warren  Hig- 
ley,  chairman;  Colgate  Hoyt,  Mahlon  Chance,  Putnam  Bradlee  Strong,  D. 
H.  Bates,  Jr. ;  library,  Henry  H.  Vail,  chairman;  Rush  Taggart,  S.  S.  Pack- 
ard, William  Collett  Carr,  D.  F.  Harbaugh;  art  and  literature.  Homer  Lee, 
chairman;  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  D.  C.  Beard,  Franklin  Tuttle,  H.  F.  Waltman; 
auditing,  H.  A.  Glassford,  chairman ;  F.  C.  Loveland,  Cary  W.  Moore,  J.  Q. 
Mitchell,  E.  A.  Follett;  banquet,  Anson  G.  McCook,  chairman;  Henry  L. 
Burnett,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  William  L.  Strong,  Wager  Swayne,  Samuel 
Thomas,  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Murat  Halstead,  A.  D.  Juilliard,  Colgate 
Hoyt,  E.  B.  Thomas,  Samuel  McMillan,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Peter  F.  Collier,  Mil- 
ton I.  Southard,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  T.  H.  Wheeler,  William  L.  Brown, 
Homer  Lee,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye. 

The  president  read  a  letter  from  President-elect  McKinley  in  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  congratulatory  resolutions  passed  by  the  members  of  the 
Society. 

The  Society  was  entertained,  on  January  11,  1897,  with  singing  and 
recitations  by  Miss  Clara  A.  Stutsman  and  ^Irs.  Harriet  Webb.  General 
Swayne  and  General  Burnett  spoke  upon  topics  of  general  interest,  and  a 
collation  was  served. 

The  eleventh  annual  banquet  was  given  at  Delmonico's  on  Saturday 
evening,  January  16,  1897.  As  there  had  been  some  changes  in  the  com- 
mittee responsible  for  the  event  from  that  announced  above,  the  names  of  those 
who  ser\'ed  in  that  capacity  are  here  given:  Anson  G.  McCook,  chairman; 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  William  L.  Strong,  Wager  Swayne,  Calvin  S.  Brice, 
Samuel  Thomas,  S.  S.  Packard,  Colgate  Hoji:,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Peter  F. 
Collier,  T.  H.  Wheeler,  William  L.  Brown,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Murat  Hal- 
stead.  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Homer  Lee,  secretary.  The  reception  committee: 
Warren  Higley,  George  P.  Tangeman,  W.  H.  Caldwell,  Quinton  Coi-wine,  H. 
T.  Ambrose,  P.  S.  Jennings,  D.  H.  Bates,  Samuel  McMillan,  Rush  W.  Tag- 
gart, John  A.  Fordyce,  Charles  A.  Clegg,  Frank  C.  Loveland.  The  members  of 
the  banquet  committee  wore  a  buckej'^e  brown  badge,  and  those  of  the  recep- 
tion committeee  a  blue  badge. 

It  was  an  occasion  of  rare  interest.  Said  the  New  York  Tribune  on  the 
morning  following :  "  The  annual  dinner  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has 
ever  been  a  joyous  occasion  since  the  first  one  was  held  ten  years  ago.  Since 
then  the  Society  has  added  greatly  to  its  strength  and  numbers,  but  its  charac- 

240 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ter  remains  unchanged.  Now  as  then,  the  annual  dinner  is  a  jovial  and  cheery 
gathering  of  the  New  York  men  who  were  once  Ohio  boys.  Now,  as  then,  the 
chief  employment  of  the  diners  is  to  sound  the  praises  and  compare  the  rela- 
tive merits  of  the  only  two  states  on  earth.  Delmonico's  could  not  comfortably 
have  held  more  of  the  children  of  Ohio  than  were  gathered  there  last  evening ; 
nor  could  it  have  sheltered  a  more  congenial  company.  Men  of  all  political 
stripes  discarded  their  political  animosities  and  the  lion  and  the  lamb  sat 
down  together." 

The  president  of  the  Society,  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  sat  beneath  the 
shield  of  Ohio  and  presided  over  this  love  feast.  Upon  his  right  sat  the  gov- 
ernor of  Ohio,  Asa  S.  Bushnell,  who  had  come  with  his  staff  in  order  to  be 
present,  and  who  announced  that  he  would  travel  a  thousand  miles  any  time 
to  repeat  the  performance.  United  States  Senator  Joseph  R.  Hawley  sat  upon 
the  president's  left,  and  his  remarks  gave  rise  to  the  most  interesting  demon- 
stration of  the  evening.  The  Senator  had  just  finished  begging  his  hearers 
to  give  Congress  more  credit  for  disinterested  motives,  when  he  added  that  his 
heart  was  full  just  then  of  other  national  matters  that  he  would  love  to  talk 
about.  This  assurance  evoked  plenty  of  enthusiastic  requests  that  the  senator 
should  unburden  his  mind,  and  this  he  proceeded  to  do.  He  mentioned  the 
arbitration  treaty  just  signed  by  Secretary  Olney  and  the  British  ambassador, 
and  added  that  he  had  about  made  up  his  mind  to  vote  for  it.  This  statement 
brought  out  such  a  roar  of  cheers  as  left  no  doubt  of  what  the  Ohio  Society 
thought  of  the  matter. 

"  I'm  naturally  glad  you  approve  of  my  intentions,"  said  the  senator, 
"  but  I  should  hate  to  put  it  to  a  vote." 

"  Vote !  vote !  "  cried  half  a  hundred  voices  at  once. 

"  All  those  who  favor  the  treaty,"  said  the  senator,  "  will  please  rise." 
Not  more  than  a  dozen  men  kept  their  seats,  and  there  was  another  storm  of 
cheers. 

"  Those  who  are  opposed,"  went  on  Senator  Hawley,  "  or  who  do  not  want 
to  rise  can  keep  their  seats." 

General  Horace  Porter  sat  by  Senator  Hawley,  and  there  were  also  at  the 
guest  table  Senator  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Congressman  Charles  H.  Grosvenor, 
James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland;  George  R.  Blanchard,  John  W.  Vrooman,  rep- 
resenting the  Holland  Society;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Eliot,  Hon.  R.  W. 
Tayler,  and  eight  members  of  Governor  Bushnell's  staff,  namely,  General  H. 
H.  Axline,  General  W.  P.  Orr,  Col.  H.  H.  Prettyman,  Col.  C.  E.  Burke,  Col. 
H.  L.  Kingsley,  Col.  R.  C.  McKinney,  Col.  Alexander  Gordon  and  Captain 
R.  E.  Burdick. 

The  members  who  sat  at  the  head  and  foot  of  each  of  the  other  tables 
were  as  follows;  A,  A.  D.  Juilliard  and  George  Milmine;  B,  Andrew  J.  C. 

241 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Foye  and  William  L.  Brown;  C,  S.  S.  Packard  and  Homer  Lee;  D,  W.  L. 
Strong  and  Anson  G.  McCook ;  E,  Milton  I.  Southard  and  Samuel  Thomas ; 
F,  George  E.  Armstrong  and  C.  N.  Hoagland. 

The  menu  made  a  charming  souvenir  of  the  occasion,  faced  as  it  was 
with  the  brown  of  Ohio  and  the  seal  of  the  state  pictured  at  the  top.  The  bal- 
cony sent  down  sweet  sounds  of  instrumental  harmony  during  the  progress  of 
the  dinner,  and  afterward  it  contained  a  number  of  the  wives  of  the  diners. 
Among  them  were  Mrs.  W.  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Mrs.  Homer 
Lee,  Mrs.  S.  S.  Packard,  Mrs.  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Mrs.  Colgate  Hoyt,  Mrs.  James 
H.  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Anson  G.  McCook  and  Mrs.  Sanford. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Eliot  said  grace  before  the  guests  sat  down  and  the  brevity 
of  his  prayer  was  startling  in  the  extreme.  "  As  God  was  with  the  fathers,  so 
may  He  be  with  the  sons.  Amen,"  said  he.  In  astonishment  the  company 
broke  into  applause. 

General  Burnett,  in  calling  the  guests  to  order,  referred  to  the  gathering 
as  an  expression  of  love  toward  their  native  state.  "  But  the  love  of  our  native 
state,"  he  said,  "  does  not  lessen  our  loyalty  to  the  state  of  our  adoption.  We 
are  proud  of  her  greatness  and  her  imperial  position  among  the  states  of  the 
land."  General  Burnett  then  called  for  the  company  to  drink  to  the  president 
of  the  United  States  and  to  the  flag.  The  toast  was  drunk  standing.  At  once 
the  band  began  to  play  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  and  all  of  the  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  guests  took  up  the  song,  accompanying  their  vocal  efforts  with 
the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  napkins. 

In  introducing  Governor  Bushnell,  General  Burnett  referred  to  him  as  an 
anomaly  in  that,  although  he  was  a  native  of  New  York,  he  was  governor  of 
Ohio.  The  governor  of  Ohio  got  an  extremely  hearty  reception  as  he  rose  to 
speak.  "  From  the  cordiality  of  my  reception,"  said  he,  "  I  can  see  that  we 
are  all  friends.  You  see  I  take  you  into  partnership  and  say  '  we.'  Sometimes 
it  is  more  difficult  to  form  partnerships.  There  was  once  a  young  fellow  who 
worked  in  a  country  clothing  store.  One  morning  he  got  to  the  store  early 
and  as  he  was  washing  the  windows  his  employer  came  up.  '  I  guess  we  shall 
have  rain  to-day,'  said  the  boy.  His  employer  looked  at  him  with  a  scowl. 
*  Since  when  did  you  get  into  the  firm.'' '  said  he.  New  York  and  Ohio  are  still 
neck  and  neck,  for  while  you  have  given  the  country  a  president  for  four 
years,  we  shall  give  it  one  for  the  four  years  to  come.  (Applause.)  In  still 
another  thing  honors  are  even.  The  chief  executive  of  Ohio  is  a  New  Yorker, 
but  the  chief  executive  of  New  York  is  an  Ohioan." 

(Here  Mayor  Strong  tried  to  look  as  if  he  were  deaf.) 

Governor  Bushnell  went  on  to  name  some  of  the  great  men  of  Ohio  and 
New  York  and  to  glorify  them  in  the  true  spirit.     He  finished  by  saying  that 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  Oliio  Society  could  have  him  at  its  dinner  any  time  it  would  let  him  know 
when  the  dinner  was  to  take  place. 

Senator  Hawley,  who  was  well  received,  after  referring  to  the  names  of 
many  prominent  men  of  Connecticut  who  had  served  their  country  well  in  the 
national  legislature,  went  on  to  ask  that  a  more  charitable  spirit  should  be  ob- 
served by  the  American  people  toward  Congress  and  the  government.  For 
twenty-two  years,  he  said,  he  had  been  in  the  halls  of  legislation,  and  he  could 
bear  testimony  that  not  in  the  world  was  there  a  more  faithful,  steady  or  honest 
body  of  legislators  than  the  men  who  composed  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States.  He  challenged  his  hearers  also  to  point  out  any  instance  during  the  last 
hundred  years  where  any  foreign  rulers  had  shown  more  honor,  patriotism  and 
efficient  administration  than  the  presidents  of  the  United  States. 

By  gradual  stages  Senator  Hawley  found  his  way  to  the  subj  ect  of  the  arbi- 
tration treaty.  Its  first  mention  was  greeted  with  loud  cheers,  which  drew 
from  the  senator  this  remark :  "  I  think  I  could  get  a  vote  here  on  this  question, 
but  I  doubt  if  two-thirds  would  vote  "  The  remainder  of  Senator  Hawley's 
sentence  was  lost  in  cries  of  "  Vote,  vote !  "  which  was  so  prolonged  that  at  last 
he  shouted :  "  Well,  I  will  take  a  vote :  those  in  favor  of  arbitration  will  please 
stand  up."    Then  occurred  the  incident  already  described. 

"  I  should  vote  for  the  ratification  of  the  treaty,"  continued  Mr.  Hawley, 
"  largely  because  I  don't  think  there  can  be  any  harm  in  it.  But  I  am  free  to 
confess  that  I  should  like  to  have  precede  it  a  declaration  on  the  part  of  Great 
Britain  that  she  will  cease  that  doctrine  of  extension,  seizure  of  land  and  rob- 
bery of  territory  that  she  has  avowedly  pursued  for  many  generations.  If  you 
read  Prof.  Seely's  work  on  the  expansion" — Senator  Hawley  got  no  further 
with  his  sentence.  His  mention  of  a  name  that  has  been  on  the  lips  of  New 
Yorkers  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks  (the  Seeley  dinner  of  not  pleasant  fame) 
seemed  to  strike  his  auditors  with  a  particularly  humorous  force.  And  when  he 
described  the  guests  as  "  irreverent  and  unappreciative  of  the  subject  at  issue," 
the  laughter  broke  out  afresh.  Continuing  at  length,  he  said:  "  Arbitration! 
Why  is  it  ever  necessary  to  coax  the  United  States  to  arbitration?  We  are 
always  ready  for  arbitration.  But  I  would  ask  you  to  pause  and  consider  those 
words  of  Lord  Chief  Justice  Russell,  who,  when  speaking  during  his  recent  visit 
at  Saratoga,  stated  there  were  questions  that  no  self-respecting  nation  could 
arbitrate.  It  is  almost  comical  that  in  this  very  treaty  there  is  left  out  one  of 
the  most  serious  questions  that  should  claim  our  attention,  and  that  is  the 
boundary  of  Alaska.  After  all,  this  treaty  is  only  for  five  years,  but  I  warn 
you  that  if  any  wrong  arises,  or  if  any  serious  insult  is  given  to  the  American 
people,  they  will  fight  to  the  death." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Eliot  spoke  next,  and  in  part  he  said : 

"  Ere  yet  the  Empire  state  yields  the  sceptre  to  her  Western  sister,  let  this 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

be  said,  that  if  the  new  administration  finds  the  country  at  peace  with  foreign 
nations ;  with  a  substantial  gold  reserve  in  the  treasury,  and  a  reformed  civil 
service,  it  will  owe  that  advantage  chiefly  to  the  steady  will  and  sound  sense  of 
a  son  of  New  York.  If  the  incoming  president  finds  the  executive  chair  securely 
based,  it  will  be  because  it  has  been  held  down  by  an  outgoing  president  whose 
moral  courage  and  imperturbable  Americanism  have  stood  the  test  of  hostile 
abuse  and  partisan  spite.  If  William  McKinley  finds  us  a  state  worth  govern- 
ing it  is  chiefly  due  to  the  downright  honesty  of  purpose,  the  clear  grit  of 
Grover  Cleveland.  He  has  enjoyed  the  beatitude  of  malediction — an  honor 
gained  only  by  men  who  refuse  to  answer  the  multitude  according  to  their  idols. 
Let  it  not  be  said  that  American  citizens,  of  whatever  party  allegiance,  fail  to 
do  justice  to  the  immovable  purpose  and  the  iron  nerve  that  have  preserved 
our  financial  integrity  and  maintained  the  true  dignity  of  our  national  honor. 

"  Gentlemen,  the  incoming  president  will  need,  as  seldom  man  has  done, 
the  hearty  support  of  all  intelligent  and  well-disposed  citizens.  The  new  admin- 
istration will,  in  deed,  be  confronted  by  momentous  problems.  In  the  support 
of  the  great  principle  of  business  integrity  in  the  financial  operations  of  the 
government,  we  are  all  one.  Against  the  extravagant  wastefulness  of  our  con- 
gressional log-rolling,  and  all  demoralizing  jobbery,  let  us  oppose  a  protest  of 
simple  lives  and  thrifty  habits.  Against  the  greed  of  selfish  monopolies,  seek- 
ing to  fatten  on  the  unnecessary  taxation  of  the  many  for  the  benefit  of  the 
few,  to  enrich  one  producer  at  the  expense  of  a  thousand  consumers,  let  us  op- 
pose the  irrefutable  logic  not  only  of  justice,  but  of  clear  political  expediency." 

When  Dr.  Eliot  resumed  his  seat.  Senator  Hawley  arose,  and,  alluding  to 
that  part  of  the  former's  remarks  about  opposition  to  the  arbitration  treaty  as 
being  due  to  personal  spite  on  the  part  of  some  senators,  protested  against  the 
use  of  the  term.  "  I  represent  here  to-night,"  Senator  Hawley  said,  "  the  sen- 
ate and  my  brother  senators,  and  can  say  that  no  question  of  spite  enters  into 
our  deliberations.  I  hope  our  friend.  Dr.  Ehot,  does  not  attribute  spite  either 
to  myself  or  other  senators.  We  are  sent  there  for  the  express  purpose  of  keep- 
ing cool,  weighing  everything  calmly,  and  to  wait  to  see  what  the  other  side 
does." 

Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt  was  introduced  with  encomiums  by  the  president, 
and  he  was  warmly  received.     In  the  course  of  his  address  he  said: 

"  Our  next  President,  with  all  the  power  of  his  office,  and  with  all  his 
shining  qualifications  of  mind  and  heart,  cannot  accomplish  much  without 
the  support  of  the  people  of  the  United  States.  This  is  a  critical  period  in 
American  history.  Sometimes  we  may  well  doubt  whether  our  government  has 
passed  beyond  the  experimental  stage.  Free  institutions  are  on  trial.  The 
next  four  years  must  necessarily  be  eventful,  history-making  years.  I  do  not 
speak  of  causes,  but  of  facts.    Our  revenues  are  insufficient ;  our  monetary  sys- 

m4i 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tern  is  defective;  our  poor  are  too  envious  of  the  rich,  and  our  rich  are  too 
unmindful  of  the  poor.  Combinations,  both  of  labor  and  of  capital,  threaten 
the  peace  of  the  republic.  Our  civilization  is  splendid,  but  it  is  selfish.  Our 
business  interests  langush;  our  laborers  are  unemployed;  we  are  threatened 
with  serious  complications  not  only  at  home,  but  abroad.  Our  people  are  dis- 
contented and  unhappy.  Our  next  President  is  confronted  with  towering  dif- 
ficulties. It  remains  to  be  seen  whether,  in  this  crisis  of  the  republic,  the 
American  people,  as  they  have  been  in  other  crises,  will  be  unselfishly  patriotic. 
If  they  are,  our  next  President  can  accomplish  much ;  if  they  are  not,  he  can 
do  nothing.  We  need  his  leadership,  but,  above  all,  he  needs  our  help.  Let 
us  forget  private  interest  and  think  only  of  public  interests.  Let  us  forget 
self  and  remember  the  State." 

Among  the  other  speakers  were  Gen.  Horace  Porter,  Hon.  Charles  H. 
Grosvenor,  Judge  Charles  H.  Truax  and  Hon.  R.  W.  Tayler. 

Before  the  governing  committee,  on  February  8th,  Homer  Lee,  on  behalf 
of  the  art  committee,  suggested  that  the  rooms  of  the  Society  be  fitted  up  for 
an  art  exhibition.  After  some  discussion  Gen.  Burnett  moved  that  the  art 
committee  be  empowered  to  prepare  the  rooms  as  desired,  provided  that  the 
money  therefor  be  raised  by  private  subscription,  and  that  the  Society  be  not 
called  upon  to  bear  any  share  of  the  expense ;  and,  further,  that  the  art  com- 
mittee be  authorized  to  anange  for  three  evening  entertainments,  to  be  held 
under  the  management  and  direction  of  the  entertainment  committee ;  the  sole 
expense  to  be  not  more  than  fifty  dollars  for  each  of  these  evening  entertain- 
ments. The  motion  was  carried.  Mr.  Lee,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on 
the  same  night,  reported  this  action  and  explained  that  it  was  proposed  to 
have  one  smoker  and  two  nights  of  receptions  to  the  ladies.  The  exhibition 
was  held  in  acordance  with  these  arrangements. 

The  meeting  of  April  12th  took  the  form  of  a  dinner  at  Morelli's. 
Judge  Higley  reported  for  the  entertainment  committee  that  a  ladies'  recep- 
tion and  dance  would  be  held  at  the  Waldorf  on  the  evening  of  April  22d. 
The  price  of  tickets  for  members  and  their  guests  was  fixed  at  $2.50,  which 
would  cover  the  charges  of  the  Hotel  Waldorf,  and  that  the  Society  would 
bear  the  expense  of  music  and  printing. 

After  business  was  over  the  president  called  upon  ex-Mayor  Otis,  of 
Cleveland,  for  a  speech.  Mr.  Otis  delegated  that  duty  to  Col.  William  L. 
Brown,  who  responded  in  a  very  happy  speech,  the  burden  of  which  was  that 
he  owed  no  man  anything  except  good  will.  General  Swayne  was  called  upon 
and  dwelt  with  emphasis  upon  the  duty  of  the  members  of  the  Society  to 
participate  in  the  movement  looking  to  the  purchase  of  the  house  of  Rufus 
Putnam,  and  setting  it  apart  as  a  memorial  of  the  Ohio  Company,  which 
started  from  the  house  to  found  the  new  state  in  1788. 

245 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  ladles'  reception  was  pronounced  a  success,  in  the  report  made  by 
the  entertainment  committee  to  the  Society  on  May  10th,  here  quoted: 

"Gentlemen :  Your  entertainment  committee,  by  direction  of  the  Society, 
and  under  the  approval  of  the  governing  committee,  made  all  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  the  ladies'  reception  and  dance,  given  at  the  Waldorf  on 
Thursday  evening  of  Easter  week,  April  22,  1897. 

"  This  form  of  entertainment  was  decided  upon  after  careful  inquiry 
and  due  deliberation,  and  the  Waldorf  was  selected  as  being  the  most  desirable 
place  for  the  entertainment  to  be  given.  Arrangements  were  made  with  the 
Waldorf  for  the  use  of  the  large  ballroom  and  the  smaller  ballroom  for  that 
evening,  and  an  extensive  collation  to  be  served  at  small  tables,  beginning  at 
11  o'clock  and  continuing  through  the  dance,  for  $2.50  for  each  person,  un- 
der a  general  guarantee  that  there  should  not  be  less  than  150  attending. 

"  To  the  entertainment  committee  were  added  the  reception  and  the  floor 
committees,  and  to  these  two  committees  we  are  greatly  indebted  for  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  evening.  The  floor  committee  did  admirable  service  in  arranging 
the  most  excellent  and  attractive  order  of  dances,  giving  the  music  for  each 
and  in  managing  the  dances  to  the  delight  of  all  who  took  part. 

"  The  reception  was  held  in  the  large  ballroom  from  9  to  10 :30,  where 
members  of  the  Society  and  their  guests  were  cordially  received  by  the  host- 
esses of  the  evening — Mrs.  Henry  L.  Burnett  and  Mrs.  William  L.  Strong. 
Mrs.  Calvin  S.  Brice  was  expecting  to  be  present  and  assist,  but  owing  to 
sudden  illness  was  prevented  from  doing  so,  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  that 
the  active  interest  manifested  by  Mrs.  Burnett  and  Mrs.  Strong  contributed 
largely  to  the  success  of  this  entertainment,  and  the  thanks  of  the  Society  are 
due  to  them  for  their  good  offices  in  this  behalf. 

"  There  were  something  over  200  who  attended  this  reception  and  dance. 
I  think  the  facts  will  bear  out  the  assertion  that  the  entertainment  was  from 
every  standpoint  an  eminent  success. 

"  The  lateness  of  the  season  militated  against  a  larger  attendance.  Some 
of  the  members  had  already  gone  to  Europe  who  would  otherwise  have  been 
present;  others  had  gone  to  the  country,  and  then  the  winter  had  been  filled 
with  various  entertainments  until  the  people  had  in  many  instances  become 
satiated.  Still  the  attendance  was  good,  being  over  200,  and  the  entertain- 
ment was  up  to  the  Ohio  standard. 

"  Should  the  Society  decide  to  give  similar  entertainments  in  the  future, 
the  committee  strongly  recommends  that  they  be  given  before  the  Lenten  sea- 
son, when,  with  the  same  preparations  and  eff'oi'ts  made  and  put  forth  in  this 
last  entertainment,  we  could  well  look  for  the  number  of  500.  The  Society 
has  never  made  a  mistake  in  the  ladies'  receptions  and  entertainments  it  has 

246 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

thus   far  given.      They  have  always  been   dehghtful  to   the  ladies   and   the 
gentlemen  alike. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  Warren  Higley,  Chairman  Ent.  Com." 

The  committee  referred  to  in  this  report  were  constituted  as  follows: 
Entertainment  committee,  Warren  Higley,  chairman ;  Colgate  Hoyt,  P.  Brad- 
lee  Strong,  Mahlon  Chance,  David  Homer  Bates,  Jr.  Reception  committee, 
William  L.  Strong,  chairman ;  Wager  Swayne,  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Wallace  C. 
Andrews,  William  L.  Brown,  Samuel  Thomas,  John  D.  Archbold,  Frank  C. 
Loveland,  Wan-en  F.  Leland,  David  H.  Bates,  Henry  Hobart  Vail,  George 
P.  Tangeman,  Emerson  McMillan,  L.  C.  Hopkins,  Frederick  C.  Train,  D.  F. 
Harbaugh,  Wilham  S.  Hawk,  with  the  officers  and  governing  committee. 
Floor  committee,  David  Homer  Bates,  Jr.,  chairman ;  Andrew  Ernest  Foye, 
P.  Bradlee  Strong,  James  Alfred  Chard,  Charles  F.  Bostwick,  Allison  R. 
Hopkins,  Emmet  B.  Wheeler,  William  H.  Caldwell,  Henry  B.  C.  Plimpton, 
Peter  H.  Burnett. 

The  following  was  the  concert  program: 

Overture — ^Lustspiel,  Kela  Bela. 

Selection — ^Wizard  of  the  Nile,  Herbert. 

Concert  Gavotte — Hearts  and  Flowers,  Tobani. 

Selection — Rob  Roy,  De  Koven. 

Cavalleria  Rusticana — Intennezzo,  Mascagni. 

Selection — ^Lady  Slavey,  Kerker. 

Steps  were  taken  in  the  early  summer  of  this  year  (1897)  by  the  gov- 
erning committee  looking  to  a  more  desirable  home  for  the  Society.  On  June 
23d  it  was  ordered  that  a  committee  to  consist  of  Henry  B.  Wilson,  T.  H, 
Wheeler  and  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye  be  appointed  to  examine  rooms  at  the  new 
Astoria  Hotel*  for  the  use  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  report  to  the  governing 
committee.  At  the  meeting  of  October  11th  Mr.  Foye  made  a  preliminary 
report  for  the  committee,  and  stated  that  they  had  negotiated  a  lease  for  a 
suite  on  the  fourteenth  floor  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria  hotel,  with  service,  light 
and  heat,  and  with  the  privileges  of  the  hotel  generally ;  and,  particularly  of 
the  billiard  room,  restaurant  and  roof  garden,  with  easy  access  to  the  rooms, 
at  an  annual  rental  of  $2,600.  He  stated  that  the  lease  would  begin  May  1, 
1898.  Tlie  report  was  approved,  and  the  president  was  authorized  and  in- 
structed to  sign  the  lease. 

Judge  Higley  presented  a  photograph  of  Gov.  Asa  L.  Bushnell  and  his 

staff,  and  offered  the  following  resolution: 

*Tr  wall  be  recalled  that  the  Hotel  Waldorf  was  first  constructed  and  opened,  and  that 
the  "Astoria"  end  of  the  house  was  an  after  consideration. 

247 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  accept  with  thanks  the 
large  and  beautiful  photograph  of  Gov.  Asa  L.  Bushnell  and  his  staff,  with 
the  assurance  that  it  will  ever  after  hang  upon  our  walls  as  a  pleasant  re- 
minder of  our  noted  banquets  of  the  years  of  1896  and  1897,  and  of  the 
distinguished  honor  they  conferred  on  us  by  coming  all  the  way  from  Ohio 
to  be  our  guests  and  to  enjoy  with  us  those  happy  occasions. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  recording  secretary  be  instructed  to  forward  a 
copy  of  this  resolution  to  Gov.  Asa  L.  Bushnell  and  to  Colonel  Burke  of  his 
staff." 

The  following  response  was  received  from  Governor  Bushnell: 

"  Office  of  the  Governor,  Columbus,  O.,  Nov.  12,  1897. 
"  Noah  H.  Swayne,  Recording  Secretary  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  esteemed  favor 
of  November  8th,  in  which  you  communicate  the  resolution  adopted  by  the 
Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  relating  to  the  photograph  of  the  staff  and  my- 
self. Permit  me  to  offer  my  thanks  to  the  Society  and  yourself  for  the  honor 
thus  accorded  and  to  say  that  we  retain  the  most  pleasant  recollections  of  the 
hospitality  shown  us  by  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  Trusting  that  at 
some  time  in  the  future  I  may  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  yourself  and  your 
associates,  I  am,  "  Very  cordially  yours, 

"  Asa  S.  Bushnell." 

The  following  gentlemen  served  as  the  nominating  committee  selected  this 
year:  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  R.  J.  Chard,  E.  A.  Follett,  W.  H.  Eckert,  D.  H. 
Bates,  A.  D.  Houston,  Ralph  W.  Carroll.  At  the  meeting  of  November  8th 
Mr.  Chard  reported  that  they  had  prepared  the  following  ticket:  President, 
Henry  L.  Burnett;  vice-presidents,  S.  S.  Packard,  Milton  I.  Southard,  An- 
drew J.  C.  Foye,  George  E.  Armstrong,  A.  D.  Juilliard ;  secretary,  Evarts  L. 
Prentiss ;  recording  secretary,  Noah  H.  Swayne  2d ;  for  treasurer,  Leander  H. 
Crall;  trustees,  Thomas  Ewing,  Samuel  McMillan,  J.  C.  Hoagland. 

The  president  announced  that  the  annual  meeting  would  be  held  at  Mo- 
relli's  on  November  29th,  and  that  a  dinner  complimentary  to  the  members 
would  be  furnished  at  that  time. 

The  president  then  called  upon  Prof.  Packard  to  take  the  chair,  and 
then  referred  to  Mayor  Strong's  remarks  at  the  dinner  given  in  his  honor 
three  years  ago,  to  the  effect  that  "  My  own  impression  is  that  in  about  three 
years  from  now  you  gentlemen  will  be  mighty  sorry  that  you  gave  me  this 
dinner,"  and  proposed  that  the  next  annual  dinner  be  a  testimonial  for  Colonel 
Strong.  This  proposition  was  enthusiastically  received,  and  the  president 
announced  that  he  would  advise  that  the  dinner  be  held  as  soon  after  January 
1st  as  possible. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  held  on  the  date  above  named,  Mr.  Chard,  as 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  presented  the  annual  report  to  the  ef- 
fect that  twenty-five  resident  and  ten  non-resident  members  had  been  elected 
and  had  qualified  during  tlie  year.  Mr.  Crall  presented  his  annual  report  as 
treasurer.     The  report  of  the  secretary  was  as  follows : 

"  To  the  president  and  members  of  the  Oliio  Society  of  New  York,  the 
secretary  has  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report:  The  by-laws  pre- 
scribe that  the  secretary  shall  conduct  the  correspondence  of  the  Society,  issue 
notices  of  all  meetings,  keep  the  roll  of  members,  furnish  information  on  call 
of  any  of  the  committees,  and  discharge  such  other  duties  as  may  be  assigned 
to  him  by  the  Society  or  the  president.  Pursuant  to  such  regulations,  notices 
have  been  issued  announcing  eleven  meetings  or  entertainments  since  the  last 
annual  election.  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  recite  rapidly  the  occasions  of 
our  coming  together.  The  first  meeting  was  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society 
on  December  14,  1896,  when  the  committees  were  announced  and  arrange- 
ments made  for  the  annual  banquet.  This  meeting  was  followed  by  a  ladies' 
night  on  January  11th.  On  the  16th  of  the  same  month  the  members  of  the 
Society  and  their  guests  gathered  about  Delmonico's  tables  at  the  eleventh 
annual  banquet  and  our  last  feast  in  that  old  place  of  entertainment.  A 
musicale  given  by  the  College  Alumni  Quartette  at  the  Society's  quarters  dis- 
tinguished our  gathering  on  the  second  Monday  of  February.  From  the  26th 
of  February  to  the  8th  of  March  a  notable  collection  of  pictures  by  American 
artists  was  on  exhibition  at  our  rooms  and  was  viewed  by  a  large  number  of 
members  and  their  friends.  We  assembled  for  an  informal  dinner  at  this 
place  (Morelli's)  on  the  12th  of  April,  and  on  April  22d  the  entertainment 
season  of  the  Society  ended  with  a  reception  and  dance  at  the  Waldorf.  We 
last  convened  before  the  summer  on  the  10th  of  May  at  our  rooms.  The  first 
meetings  of  the  present  season  were  held  at  236  Fifth  avenue  on  the  second 
Mondays  of  October  and  November.  The  entertainments  of  the  Society  dur- 
ing the  past  season,  by  reason  of  their  variety  and  character,  gave  unusual 
pleasure  to  all  who  participated  in  them  and  were  creditable  to  the  organiza- 
tion and  to  the  committees  having  them  in  charge. 

"  Announcements  of  the  meetings  and  entertainments  enumerated  have 
been  given  through  the  mails  to  the  members  at  the  addresses  furnished  by 
them.  The  practice  has  been  to  post  the  notices  so  that  a  member  living  so 
far  distant  as  Chicago  might  receive  word  in  season  to  attend  the  meeting 
which  they  announced.  Observation  of  the  workings  of  the  city  mail  ser\'ice 
has  discovered  the  fact  that  we  erred  in  our  calculations.  A  notice  mailed  at 
the  Madison  Square  branch  on  the  4th  of  October  arrived  at  its  destination 
in  Wall  street  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  afterward,  about  the  time 
required  to  travel  leisurely  from  New  York  to  Chicago  and  back  again.  A 
notice  mailed  November  1,  1897,  arrived  at  the  same  destination  on  the  4th 

249     . 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  November.  After  further  observation  and  experiment  the  facts  were  called 
to  the  attention  of  the  postmaster,  who  has  investigated  the  matter,  and  we 
are  promised  more  satisfactory  service  in  the  future. 

"  The  membership  roll  has  shown  a  steady  and  encouraging  growth  in 
the  past  two  years.  Thirty-eight  candidates  were  proposed  for  membership 
during  the  year  ending  November  29,  1896,  and  41  proposals  were  received 
during  the  year  just  past.  The  proposals  during  1897  were  made  by  19 
different  members.  Since  the  last  annual  meeting  three  of  our  number  have 
been  called  away.  We  have  on  our  membership  roll  at  the  present  time  278 
resident  members,  88  non-resident  and  4  honorary  members,  making  in  all  370 
against  337  in  1895. 

"  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  through  the  efficient  management  of  the 
house  committee  and  of  our  custodian,  the  rooms  of  the  Society  and  the 
collections  they  contain  have  presented  always  a  most  pleasing  and  orderly 
appearance.  Thirty-five  portraits  of  members  and  of  distinguished  Ohioans 
have  been  obtained  during  the  year  through  the  efforts  of  the  custodian  and 
added  to  the  large  number  already  collected  by  him  and  arranged  upon  the 
walls.  Through  Judge  Higley  a  finely  executed  photograph  of  Gov.  Asa  S. 
Bushnell  and  his  staff  was  presented  to  the  Society. 

"  The  record  of  visitors  has  been  carefully  kept  by  the  custodian  and 
shows  that  during  the  year  over  eighteen  hundred  visits  have  been  paid  at  the 
rooms  by  members,  their  friends  and  Ohioans  sojourning  in  the  city.  This  is 
about  four  times  the  number  received  during  the  year  preceding.  In  addition 
to  this  number  eight  hundred  and  more  persons  were  received  during  the  art 
exhibition.  These  figures  and  facts  seem  to  show  a  wider  interest  in  the  So- 
ciety and  greater  attractions  in  its  abiding  place. 

"  The  outlook  seems  auspicious.  Probably  before  the  next  annual  meet- 
ing the  Society  will  be  situated  in  its  new  home  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria.  More 
pretentious  quarters  and  an  environment  most  convenient  and  superb  can 
scarcely  fail  to  invite  a  better  and  more  regular  attendance  of  members  to 
our  rooms  and  make  membership  in  the  Ohio  Society  of  larger  advantage  and 
value  than  it  has  ever  been. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  EvARTS  L.  Prentiss,  Secretary." 

The  election  of  officers  being  called  for,  the  secretary  was  unanimously 
instructed  to  cast  one  ballot  for  the  gentlemen  proposed  by  the  nominating 
committee.  The  Society  was  entertained  by  remarks  by  Gren.  J.  Warren 
Keifer,  ex-speaker  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives,  and  by  Mr. 
Chance  and  Mr.  Southard.  Mr.  Crall  moved  that  the  secretary  be  instructed 
to  send  the  cordial  greetings  of  this  Society  to  the  Ohio  Society  of  California 

250 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  the  Ohio  Society  of  St.  Louis.  Carried.  The  president  announced  the 
following  banquet  committee,  with  the  statement  that  he  had  not  included  in 
it  any  of  the  beneficiaries  of  the  mayor:  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Whitelaw  Reid, 
George  Hoadly,  Jno.  J.  JMcCook,  Wager  Swayne,  Abner  McKinley,  J.  Q.  A. 
Ward,  E.  B.  Thomas,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Geo.  E.  Arm- 
strong, A.  D.  Juilliard,  Colgate  Hoyt,  S.  S.  Packard,  Milton  I.  Southard, 
Wm.  L.  Brown,  Warren  Higley,  D.  H.  Bates,  Mahlon  Chance,  Emerson  Mc- 
Millan, P.  F.  Collier,  W.  S.  Hawk.  Mr.  Hawk  resigned  later,  and  Mr.  Pren- 
tiss was  selected  by  the  committee  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

At  the  meeting  of  December  13th  Mr.  Chard  moved  that  a  resolution  of 
condolence  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  upon  the  death  of  his  mother 
be  adopted  by  the  Society.  The  chair  appointed  Messrs.  Chard,  Higley  and 
Wilson,  who  later  in  the  evening  presented  the  following: 

^^  Whereas,  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  learned  with  the  deepest 
regret  of  the  passing  away  of  the  aged  and  revered  mother  of  an  honored 
member  of  our  Society,  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  therefore, 

^^Resolved,  That  this  Society  extends  to  President  McKinley  the  expres- 
sion of  its  sincerest  sympathy  and  condolence  in  this  hour  of  his  great  be- 
reavement." 

The  report  was  adopted,  and  the  secretary  was  instructed  to  forward  a 
copy  of  the  resolutions  to  the  President.  The  president  announced  the  stand- 
ing committees  as  follows:  Literature  and  art.  Homer  Lee,  H.  T.  Waltman, 
J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Wm.  S.  Hawk,  Geo.  W.  Perkins.  Entertainment,  Warren 
Higley,  P.  Bradlee  Strong,  David  H.  Bates,  Jr.,  Noah  H.  Swayne  2d,  Wm. 
H.  Caldwell.  Library,  P.  F.  Collier,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Abner  McKinley,  Daniel 
Pritchard,  Jno.  D.  Archbold.  Auditing,  Henry  A.  Glassford,  L.  C.  Hopkins, 
F.  C.  Loveland,  H.  H.  Brockway,  J.  Stedman  Converse. 

The  following  acknowledgment  of  the  above  resolutions  of  sympathy  was 
received  at  a  later  date : 

"  Executive  Mansion,  Washington,   Dec.   28,   1897. 

"  My  Dear  Sir:  At  the  request  of  the  President  and  in  his  behalf  I  beg 
leave  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  note  of  the  21st  instant,  transmitting 
a  copy  of  the  preamble  and  resolutions  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  in 
regard  to  the  death  of  the  President's  mother.  The  President  wishes  me  to 
assure  you,  and  through  you  the  Society,  that  the  words  of  tender  sympathy 
contained  in  these  resolutions  are  gratefully  appreciated  by  him  and  will  be 
lastingly  remembered.  "  Very  sincerely  yours, 

"  John  Addison  Porter,  Secretary  to  the  President. 
"  Mr.  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  Secretary  Ohio  Society  of  New  York." 


251 


CHAPTER  XIII 
1898 

THE  twelfth  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  was  given,  as  has  been 
already  indicated,  in  honor  of  Hon.  Wm.  L.  Strong,  who  had  recently 
retired  from  the  office  of  mayor  of  New  York.  It  was  the  first  one  given 
by  the  Society  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria.  The  date  was  Saturday,  January  8, 
1898.  The  dinner  was  held  in  the  beautiful  Astor  Gallery,  one  of  the  show 
rooms  of  the  big  hotel,  and  was  attended  by  about  two  hundred  members  of 
the  Society  and  a  number  of  their  guests.  The  numerous  small  tables  at 
which  the  guests  sat  were  luxuriantly  decorated  with  roses  and  green  things 
of  various  sorts,  most  of  which  eventually  found  their  way  into  the  galleries 
where  sat  many  of  the  wives  and  sisters  of  the  Ohioans,  to  view  the  festivities 
below.  ' 

Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  president  of  the  Society,  sat  in  the  centre  of 
the  guests'  table,  and  at  his  right  sat  Colonel  Strong,  the  guest  of  honor.  At 
his  left  sat  Bishop  Potter.  Others  at  the  table  were  ex- Attorney-General  Jud- 
son  Harmon ;  James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland ;  ex-Senator  Calvin  S.  Brice,  John 
W.  Vrooman,  E.  M.  Harmon,  Charles  W.  Mackey,  Edward  S.  Wilson,  Wil- 
liam Lyall,  General  Wager  Swayne  and  Chancellor  MacCracken.  Among 
those  present  in  the  gallery  were  Mrs.  W.  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Burnett, 
Mrs.  Homer  Lee,  Mrs.  S.  S.  Packard,  Miss  Packard,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Shattuck, 
Miss  Abom,  Mrs.  E.  S.  Wallace,  Mrs.  T.  H.  Wheeler,  Mrs.  Bealle,  Mrs.  An- 
drew J.  C.  Foye,  Mrs.  Southard,  Mrs.  Bates,  Mrs.  Freeman  Ward,  Mrs.  Pen- 
field  and  Mrs.  McMillan. 

The  menu  cards  were  singularly  artistic  and  appropriate.  Upon  the 
face  of  the  document  was  the  buckeye  in  fac-simile,  and  beneath  it  were  the 
lines: 

The  friendly  buckeye  leaves  expand, 

Five-fingered,  like  an  open  hand 

Of  trust  and  brotherhood  the  sign — 

Be  welcome!  What  is  mine  is  thine. 

Inside  the  leaves  was  an  excellent  portrait  of  Colonel  Strong  done  in 
half-tone.  The  menu  card  was  so  popular  that  the  supply  was  not  equal  to  the 
demand. 

252 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  members  of  the  Society  and  their  guests  began  to  find  their  way  to 
the  Astor  Gallery  at  6.30  o'clock.  They  were  greeted  by  the  reception  com- 
mittee, which  consisted  of  the  following  gentlemen:  William  Ford  Upson, 
chairman ;  George  P.  Tangeman,  Edward  S.  Wallace,  H.  H.  Waltman,  Quin- 
ton  Corwine,  W.  H.  Caldwell,  H.  R.  De  Milt,  Homer  Lee,  Paul  D.  Cravath, 
Charles  F.  Dean,  James  G.  Newcomb,  Samuel  McMillan,  Edgar  A.  Follett, 
Henry  B.  Wilson,  Frank  Brainerd. 

An  inforaial  reception  was  held  in  the  spacious  ante-chamber,  and  soon 
after  7  o'clock  the  guests  sat  down  to  dinner.  From  that  time  on  the  succes- 
sion of  good  things  was  incessant  and  jollity  and  good  feeling  ran  high.  The 
band  in  the  gallery  varied  its  "  all  the  popular  tunes  of  the  day"  with  an  oc- 
casional old-fashioned  or  patriotic  song,  in  which  the  guests  joined  heartily, 
being  assisted  oftentimes  by  the  soprano  voices  in  the  gallery.  The  ladies, 
while  spectators,  were  by  no  means  neglected,  and  there  was  an  almost  con- 
stant procession  of  the  diners  from  the  floor  to  the  galleries,  where  a  second 
informal  reception  was  in  progress. 

The  Ohioans  never  do  things  in  a  half-hearted  fashion,  and,  having  de- 
termined to  show  their  appreciation  of  the  manner  in  which  their  fellow- 
member,  Colonel  Strong,  guarded  the  tremendous  trust  imposed  upon  him 
by  the  citizens  of  the  city  of  New  York,  they  did  it  in  their  characteristically 
thorough  fashion. 

Colonel  Strong  was  besieged  during  the  course  of  the  dinner  by  friends, 
who  wished  to  grasp  his  hand,  and  all  the  speakers,  higlily  eulogistic  as  they 
were,  only  voiced  the  sentiments  of  the  guests  who  loudly  applauded  their 
words. 

G^eneral  Burnett  set  the  keynote  of  the  dinner  when  he  said,  in  calling 
the  guests  to  order :  "  We  come  here  to-night  to  say  to  our  comrade  and  com- 
panion who  has  served  for  three  years  as  mayor  of  New  York:  'You  have 
done  well,  you  have  faithfully  discharged  your  duties  and  you  have  laid  aside 
the  robes  of  office  upon  which  there  is  neither  spot  nor  soil.'  " 

Secretary  Sherman,  Senator  Allison  and  Abram  S.  Hewitt  were  at  first 
expected  to  be  present,  but  were  unavoidably  detained.  The  speakers  who 
were  present,  however,  including  Bishop  Potter,  James  H.  Hoyt,  ex- Attorney- 
General  Harmon,  General  Burnett  and  others,  expressed  the  esteem  in  which 
the  Society  held  its  guests  in  graceful  and  clever  after-dinner  fashion. 

Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett  called  the  guests  to  order  at  9.30  o'clock,  and  in 
opening  the  after-dinner  exercises  spoke  as  follows : 

"  Fellow  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  and  their  guests :  To  the  guests 
we  give  greeting  and  welcome,  and  we  will  not  forget  the  ladies.  We  welcome 
you  to  this,  our  twelfth  annual  banquet,  and  permit  me  to  say  to  the  mem- 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

bers  of  the  Ohio  Society  that  the  last  year  has  been  the  most  prosperous  finan- 
cially   and  in  increase  of  numbers  of  any  year  of  our  existence. 

"  We  are  strong,  loyal  to  each  other,  prosperous  in  all  material  respects 
and  look  forward  to  a  prosperous,  happy  and  loving  future.  We  found  our 
quarters  on  Fifth  Avenue  small  for  our  numbers,  and  as  you  see  we  had  these 
buildings  erected  for  us.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  We  had  them  reason- 
ably and  artistically  decorated  and  furnished.  These  are  now  our  headquar- 
ters, where  we  receive  and  welcome  all  of  our  Ohio  friends  without  money  and 
without  price.  Others  may  come  who  are  not  so  fortunate  as  to  be  members 
or  bom  in  Ohio  and  pay  the  price. 

"  Our  friend  and  manager,  our  steward,  Mr.  Boldt,  takes  charge  of  these 
quarters  for  us  and  we  are  reasonably  well  satisfied  with  his  management. 
Mr.  Boldt  intended  to  be  bom  in  Ohio.  He  started  from  Belgium  or  Germany, 
his  parents  did,  but  by  some  little  mistake  in  the  date  he  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  did  not  reach  Ohio.  He  has  spread,  as  you  see,  throughout  the 
various  rooms  some  plants  that  he  thought  were  buckeyes.  They  are  not; 
they  are  palms.  But  when  you  assemble  here  again  all  these  rooms  now  called 
palm  rooms  will  be  filled  with  buckeye  trees  and  you  will  feel  quite  at  home. 

"  Now,  my  friends,  in  assembling  here  to-night,  at  this,  our  twelfth  an- 
nual banquet,  let  us  commence  our  exercises  seriously  by  sending  to  our  com- 
rade, companion  in  this  order,  the  man,  William  McKinley,  our  sympathy 
and  greeting  over  his  late  bereavement.  Our  hearts  go  out  to  him  in  deep 
love  and  sympathy  in  that  greatest  trial  any  human  soul  ever  knows,  the  sev- 
erence  of  that  tenderest  and  purest  relation  that  exists  on  earth,  the  love  of 
mother  and  son.    To  him  we  send  our  love  and  sympathy. 

*'  And  now,  friends,  to  your  feet,  and  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  to  the  flag  of  our  country  we  give  our  first  toast.  (Cheers  and  ap- 
plause; "America"  sung.) 

"  Before  passing  from  the  question  of  our  Society  I  desire  to  say  that 
our  example  here,  to  our  comrades,  has  been  followed  by  sister  societies  having 
been  formed  in  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco.  The  youngest  of  the 
sisterhood  is  the  San  Francisco  Society,  and  from  them  I  have  a  little  mes- 
sage that  I  desire  to  read :  '  On  behalf  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  Cahf omia  I 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  cordial  greetings  and  thank  you.  We  know 
of  no  way  to  give  expression  of  our  good  will  better  than  to  wish  you  the 
perpetuation  of  your  past.  The  advice  of  Emerson  to  hitch  your  wagon  to 
a  star  we  have  adopted.  Our  star  is  your  Society.'  (Cries  of  "Good"  and 
applause. ) 

"  Three  years  ago  and  a  little  more,  when  our  president  was  about  laying 
down  or  ending  his  term  of  office,  Colonel  Strong  (much  applause),  there  was 
a  general  expression  on  the  part  of  the  members  to  have  an  opportunity  to 

254 


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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

meet  him  and  to  express  to  him  their  esteem  and  their  love  for  him  as  a  man, 
to  take  him  by  the  hand  as  he  was  about  to  enter  upon  the  new  office  to  which 
he  had  just  been  elected,  mayor  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  to  say  to  him, 
*  Godspeed,'  '  God  be  with  you,'  and  to  express  to  the  people  of  New  York 
our  confidence  that  they  had  elected  a  man  who  would  honestly,  fearlessly, 
cleanly  administer  the  affairs  of  this  great  city;  that  he  was  of  that  stuff  of 
which  good  officers  are  made,  and  therefore  and  then  we  gave  him  a  banquet 
and  sent  him  on  his  new  way  with  our  blessing  and  with  expressions  of  our  con- 
fidence. On  that  occasion  Colonel  Strong  took  occasion  to  say,  '  This  banquet 
is  well  enough,  but  perhaps  at  the  end  of  my  official  career  you  will  not  be 
quite  so  free  and  willing  to  give  me  a  banquet.'  To  that  doubt  of  his  this 
night  is  the  response.     (Applause.) 

"  We  come  here  to-night  to  say  to  our  companion  and  comrade  of  this 
order,  to  the  man  who  has  sei-ved  three  years  as  mayor  of  New  York,  elected 
by  its  people,  '  You  have  done  well,'  '  You  have  faithfully  discharged  your 
duties,'  '  You  have  laid  off  the  robes  of  office  upon  which  there  is  neither  spot 
nor  soilure.'  '  You  have  administered  your  trust  faithfully  in  the  interests  of 
the  people,  the  citizenship  of  New  York,  and  we  welcome  you  back  into  our 
ranks  with  outstretched  hands  and  with  warm  hearts.' 

"  I  cannot  detain  you  because  it  is  not  the  province  of  the  toastmaister 
to  take  the  time  of  the  guests  and  of  the  members.  Colonel  Strong,  perhaps 
by  reason  of  his  native  modesty  and  his  not  being  used  to  much  public  speak- 
ing, would  not  like  to  immediately  respond  to  this  toast,  and  therefore  to 
Mayor  Strong's  administration  and  Mayor  Strong  as  our  guest  to-night  I 
bid  you  all  rise  and  drink.     (Much  applause.     All  present  arose  and  drank.) 

"  Now,  I  do  not  propose  to  ask  Colonel  Strong  immediately  while  the 
blushes  are  still  suffusing  his  face,  to  respond  to  this  toast,  and  in  place  of 
Colonel  Strong  I  call  upon  one  whom  I  fancy  there  is  no  man  who  observes 
the  physical  life  of  New  York,  its  material  prosperity  with  closer,  keener  eye, 
and  no  man  who  has  in  his  heart  the  welfare,  spiritual  and  moral,  the  uplifting 
of  the  better  part  of  all  the  life  of  New  York,  than  the  man  whom  I  now  pre- 
sent, Bishop  Potter  of  New  York." 

Bishop  Potter  said :  "  According  to  the  instructions,  gentlemen,  which 
I  have  received  from  the  chairman  I  am  to  make  Colonel  Strong's  speech. 
There  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  discharge  of  that  task,  for  the  Colonel 
has  a  facility  in  the  use  of  emphatic  language  (laughter),  which  if  I  were 
to  indulge  would  hardly  be  regarded  as  canonical.  When  he  began  his  task, 
knowing  his  characteristics  in  that  direction,  I  assured  him  privately  that  I 
would  issue  to  him  a  license  for  what  was  called  the  power  of  anathema  within 
discreet  limits.  I  am  not  sure  that  he  has  always  confined  himself  to  these 
limits,  and  I  am  quite  free  to  say,  now  that  I  am  permitted  to  address  him 

255 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

unofficially,  that  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  if  I  had  been  in  his  place  I  should 
have  done  any  better. 

"  On  one  occasion,  in  the  house  of  bishops  of  which  I  am  a  member,  a 
very  brilliant  man,  known,  I  fancy,  to  a  good  many  in  this  room  should  I 
mention  his  name,  and  who  has  now  gone  to  his  rest,  had  the  misfortune,  which 
is  quite  possible,  let  me  say,  to  bishops  as  well  as  other  men,  to  lose  his  temper 
and  indulge  in  language  which  was  not  altogether  parliamentary,  and  for 
which  the  next  morning  he  felt  constrained,  when  the  house  of  bishops  as- 
sembled, to  apologize.  He  did  so  in  a  most  noble  and  manly  way.  But  then 
he  added :  '  I  feel  constrained  to  say  that  in  view  of  the  irritations  to  which 
one  is  subjected  who  has  a  seat  in  this  body,  that  I  think  that  this  Right  Rev- 
erend House  should  set  forth  a  form  of  words  to  be  used  by  a  Christian  man 
under  circumstances  of  great  provocation.'  It  was  in  accordance  with  the 
spirit  of  that  protest  and  entreaty  that  I  gave  to  my  friend  the  Colonel  the 
license  to  which  I  have  referred. 

"  I  am  extremely  glad  to  be  permitted  in  any  sense  to  reply  for  him 
to-day.  I  have  a  relation  to  Ohio,  though  I  was  not  born  in  it,  or,  as  some- 
body who  has  spelled  the  word  '  bom '  with  the  addition  of  a  letter  '  e,'  borne 
from  it,  for  in  my  early  ministry  I  was  honored  with  an  invitation  to  become 
the  president  of  Kenyon  College.  I  was  not  able  to  accept  it,  but  somebody 
said  to  me  many  years  afterward :  '  What  is  the  reason  that  you  always 
speak  of  Kenyon  College  in  such  an  extremely  tender  manner?'  'Well,'  I 
said,  '  I  suppose  my  attitude  toward  Kenyon  College  and  Ohio  is  very  much 
that  of  the  young  woman  who  has  received  an  offer  of  marriage.  She  may 
have  felt  constrained  to  decline  it,  but  she  always  entertains  a  great  admira- 
tion of  the  good  taste  of  the  man  who  made  it.'  I  think  you  will  see,  gentle- 
men, that  I  have  ^  very  personal  reason  for  loving  Ohio,  and  if  I  had  not  I 
confess  I  love  it  for  what  Ohio  has  given  to  New  York.  As  one  looks  over 
this  room  to-night  he  must  be  impressed  as  I  have  been,  and  as  I  said  to  my 
friend  on  the  left,  with  the  physical  qualities  of  the  men  who  are  made  in 
Oliio.  They  build  you  large  there,  gentlemen.  I  do  not  mean  Hoyt  par- 
ticularly, except  at  this  end  (pointing  to  the  head)  ;  it  is  as  Mr.  Hoyt  said, 
the  contrast  between  the  physical  aspect  of  a  body  of  men  at  the  New  Eng- 
land dinner  and  at  this  dinner  is  significant,  and  that  Mr.  Boldt  under  these 
conditions  should  have  met  your  expectations,  gentlemen,  does  him  great 
honor. 

"  But  there  is  still  another  reason  why  I  am  glad  to  come  here  to-night 
and  express  my  gratitude  to  Ohio.  Ohio  gave  us,  gentlemen,  our  most  dis- 
tinguished guest  of  this  evening,  and  in  his  lineage  there  has  been  mixed  two 
strains  which  I  think  have  had  a  pre-eminent  value  in  the  building  of  the 
civilization  of  the  land  of  which  you  and  I  are  citizens.     I  have  been  cate- 

256 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

chising  the  Colonel  as  to  his  ancestry  to-night,  for  he  is  under  my  spiritual 
jurisdiction,  and  he  tells  me  that  his  father  was  bom  in  Connecticut,  and  that 
the  mother  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  was  Holland  Dutch.  There  are 
two  of  the  three  strains  that  have  made  our  civilization  from  its  early  history. 
They  were  Huguenot,  they  were  Dutch,  they  were  Enghsh.  The  land  that 
gave  us  our  language,  the  people  who  settled  in  Connecticut,  and  the  land 
that  gave  to  Colonal  Strong  his  mother  gave  to  us  the  men  who  have  laid  the 
foundation  of  New  Amsterdam,  and  out  of  these  two  strains,  pre-eminently,  I 
venture  to  say,  have  come  a  great  deal  that  is  best  and  noblest  in  our  American 
civilization.  We  are  glad  that  it  has  given  us  the  man  who  sits  here  to-night, 
who,  I  think,  illustrates  some  of  the  best  and  finest  qualities  of  that  civilization. 

"  Mayor  Strong  has  his  infirmities.  One  of  them  I  have  already  alluded 
to.  (Laughter.)  The  other  I  should  be  disposed  to  say  was  his  weakness 
for  tea  (laughter),  but  if  you  will  observe  closely,  gentlemen,  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  place  at  which  he  sits  to-night  there  is  no  tea  there.  When 
it  comes  to  dining  with  a  body  of  Ohio  men  he  don't  want  it.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  remember  to-night,  and  I  venture  to  say  that  I  speak  for  the  intel- 
ligence and  character  and  substance  of  the  city  of  which  I  am  proud  to  be  a 
citizen  to-night,  we  remember  those  distinguished  virtues  which  have  adorned 
his  official  career,  and  which,  I  think,  crown  it  with  a  distinct  and  exceptional 
lustre. 

"  A  Celtic  gentleman  speaking  of  a  fellow  countryman  who  had  been  an 
alderman  in  the  town  in  which  they  both  lived,  said  of  his  predatory  habits : 
'  Bedad,  sor,  if  he  should  land  on  an  uninhabited  island  and  be  met  on  landing 
by  a  tribe  of  naked  savages,  he  would  have  his  hand  in  the  pocket  of  every 
one  of  them  before  sundown.'     (Laughter.) 

"  I  wonder  if  it  has  ever  struck  you  as  it  has  struck  me  that  from  the 
beginning  to  the  close  of  his  stainless  administration,  nobody  has  ever  dared 
to  insinuate  that  the  man  who  has  held  for  the  last  three  years  the  office  of  the 
mayor  of  the  city  of  New  York  was  going  out  one  single  copper  richer  for  it. 
(Great  applause.)  No  most  audacious  or  unscrupulous  foe  has  ever  for  one 
instant  ventured  to  suggest  it.  What  a  tribute  to  the  quality  of  the  man ! 
To  his  absolute  singleness  of  purpose,  to  his  entire  consecration  of  himself  and 
his  best  gifts  to  a  great  public.  With  what  patience  he  has  administered  that 
office,  with  what  singular  and  scrupulous  courtesy  he  has  received  everybody 
who  has  come  to  him — I  hope  tradition  and  courtesy  will  not  vanish  from  that 
office — ^with  what  invariable  gentleness  he  has  listened  to  every  one! 

"  My  wife  said  to  me  once :  '  How  much  happier  we  would  all  be  if  you 
had  a  temper  like  Colonel  Strong.'  (Laughter.)  I  have  no  doubt  that  Mrs. 
Strong  knows  the  difference.  We  cannot  all  have  tempers  like  Colonel  Strong, 
but  I  venture  to  think  that  we  may  aspire  to  have  an  integrity  as  fine  and 

257 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

as  high  as  his  is,  to  give  to  a  great  office  our  best  gifts  with  constant  unfal- 
tering devotion ;  to  let  no  gout — I  wonder  where  he  got  it  with  that  ancestry  ? 
— to  let  no  twinge  of  the  gout  ruffle  liis  temper  or  impede  his  faithfulness  to 
public  duty,  and  to  sit  here  as  he  has  done  to-night  with  the  consciousness  of 
whatever  may  be  the  future  of  New  York.  God  bless  it,  say  we  all;  he  has 
given  the  service  of  a  clear,  vigorous  mind  and  of  trained  powers,  and  of  a 
high  order  of  intelligence  to  advancing  its  best  interests,  and  absolute  and 
utter  unselfishness.  Now  what  is  the  one  conviction  which  the  experience  of 
such  an  office  has  taught  him?  I  confess  for  myself  that  among  the  things 
I  admire  and  love  there  are  few  that  I  admire  more  than  the  quality  in  him 
of  being  taught  by  great  place  and  recognizing  the  significance  in  its  highest 
aspects  of  the  responsibilities  of  public  office.  I  do  not  forget  that  he  is  a 
Republican.  So  am  I,  my  dear  mayor.  I  do  not  think  you  have  always  beheved 
it.  I  do  not  forget  that  he  has  striven  to  be  loyal  to  the  party  of  which  he 
has  always  been  an  honored  member.  But  I  was  profoundly  impressed  the 
other  day  in  reading  an  interview  in  which  he  said  that  the  conviction  with 
which  he  was  going  out  of  office,  as  to  that  office  itself,  was  that  it  was  a 
position  which  required  business  ability  and  that  the  business  of  being  a  good 
mayor  was  substantially  the  business  quality  of  being  a  good  man  of  business 
anywhere.  In  other  words,  that  the  public  had  a  right  to  look  for  honesty, 
fidelity,  capacity  in  great  public  officers.  When  you  have  said  these  three 
things,  you  have  stated  the  qualities  of  a  gi'eat  public  officer,  and  when  the 
city  and  state  and  the  nation  have  gotten  hold  of  those  three  principles 
they  are  precisely  the  same  qualities  that  we  have  come  here  to-night  to  honor 
and  rejoice  in. 

"  I  notice,  gentlemen,  and  I  call  the  attention  of  the  angels  who  grace 
the  upper  airs  (laughter  and  applause  at  the  reference  to  the  ladies  in  the 
balcony),  who  have  been  looking  down  upon  us  to-night,  to  the  fact  that  a 
few  moments  ago  they  apparently  have  removed  them  largely,  the  tables 
other  than  this  one  were  adorned  with  red  roses,  but  when  it  came  to  the  table 
at  which  our  guest  was  seated,  my  dear  and  honored  friend  on  the  right,  the 
rose  which  was  placed  at  his  plate  and  which  appropriately  he  wears  at  this 
moment  upon  his  breast,  was  a  white  rose,  true  symbol  of  his  stainless  integ- 
rity and  his  pure  and  noble  record." 

President  Burnett  said :  "  At  our  former  banquet,  to  which  I  alluded, 
we  had  present  with  us  the  governor  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  who  had  known  Colo- 
nel Strong  long  and  well,  and  he  had  this  to  say  in  a  brief  speech  which  he 
gave  us  that  evening.  The  words  seem  to  me  especially  fitting  to  what  Bishop 
Potter  has  just  said:  '  I  counted  myself  fortunate  to  be  in  the  city  on  this 
occasion  when  my  kinsmen  from  the  state  of  Ohio,  represented  in  this  asso- 
ciation were  assembled  to  do  honor  to  their  old  president  and  to  the  mayor- 

258 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

elect  of  the  city  of  New  York.  I  come  to  join  with  them  my  tribute  and 
respect  to  one  whom  I  have  known  long  and  have  long  honored  and  esteemed 
as  one  of  my  old  and  time-honored  and  much  beloved  friends.  You  have 
selected  him  as  the  mayor  of  this  great  city,  not  because  he  is  from  the  state 
of  Ohio ;  you  have  selected  him  for  what  he  is,  for  what  he  represents,  for  what 
he  stands  for.  He  represents  in  a  long  business  life  honest,  clean,  manly 
methods,  and  I  am  quite  sure  to  the  administration  of  the  great  office  to  which 
he  has  been  so  recently  chosen  he  will  bring  the  same  clean  business,  manly 
methods  that  have  characterized  every  business  connection  of  his  life.  I  want 
to  assure  my  associates  of  the  Ohio  Society  that  Ohio  is  justly  proud  of  the 
distinction  which  has  been  given  to  one  of  her  early  citizens.  Colonel  Strong, 
and  I  wish  for  him  as  every  Ohioan  does,  no  matter  what  his  political  asso- 
ciations may  be,  a  successful  administration  of  the  municipal  government  of 
the  greatest  city  of  the  greatest  state  of  the  greatest  nation  under  the  sun.* 
Those  were  the  words  of  the  then  governor,  now  our  great  President,  William 
McKinley.  (Applause.)  I  think  the  spiritual  strength  which  Colonel  Strong 
has  now  received  both  from  the  bishop  and  otherwise  will  enable  to  respond 
to  the  toast  of  our  guest  of  the  evening.  Colonel  Strong."  (Cheers  and  ap- 
plause as  Colonel  Strong  arose.) 

Colonel  Strong  said:  "Mr.  President,  our  guests,  ladies  and  fellow- 
members  of  the  Ohio  Society:  I  think  I  ought  not  to  say  anything  to  you 
boys  to-night.  The  bishop  has  given  me  all  the  absolution  necessary  for  one 
evening,  and  it  does  not  seem  fitting  hardly  for  me  to  make  any  comment 
further,  but  I  want  to  say  one  thing  to  the  boys  here,  that  I  was  quite  sur- 
prised when  I  was  informed  by  the  president  of  your  Society  that  they  in- 
tended to  pay  me  this  compliment.  They  came  to  see  me  some  five  or  six 
weeks  ago,  and  I  felt  then  singularly  queer  that  the  Ohio  Society  should  think 
of  paying  this  compliment  to  me.  Three  years  ago,  on  a  similar  occasion,  if 
the  banquet  given  then  to  me  had  been  at  the  close  of  my  official  career,  I 
should  have  felt  that  what  I  had  done  in  the  city  of  New  York  would  have 
been  endorsed  thoroughly  by  this  Society,  and  I  would  have  then  rejoiced  that 
you  intended  to  give  me  this  banquet.  Now  that  I  have  become  a  private  citi- 
zen, and  this  Society  asks  me  for  the  second  time  to  be  its  guest,  fills  my  heart 
and  soul  with  that  thankfulness  that  words  cannot  express — a  deep  feehng  of 
gratitude  that  I  shall  always  feel  towards  each  member  of  this  Society.  There 
are  occasions  when  the  heart  is  too  full  for  utterance,  and  this  is  one  of  them, 
notwithstanding  the  suiToundings  are  so  delightful.  There  are  friends  to 
the  right  of  me,  friends  to  the  left  of  me,  and  hosts  of  them  in  front  of  me, 
all  joyous  and  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  this  delicious  dinner,  served  so 
bountifully  by  this,  the  grandest  hostelry  in  the  world,  the  pride  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  which  is  to-day  the  second  city  in  population  on  the  globe,  and  the 

259 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

peer  of  London  in  Its  educational  advantages,  and  general  care  of  its  citizens, 
whether  rich  or  poor.  The  position  which  I  have  held  for  three  years  has 
brought  me  in  close  touch  with  the  great  charitable  institutions  in  the  city, 
as  well  as  the  city's  care  of  its  own  poor,  and,  notwithstanding  the  large  num- 
ber of  people  that  have  been  out  of  employment  during  the  last  three  or  four 
years  in  this  city,  necessitating  additional  expenditures  of  money  by  the  au- 
thorities, as  well  as  additional  drafts  on  the  open-handed  charities  of  this  city, 
yet  when  we  compare  the  results  with  London  and  other  large  cities  of  the 
world,  there  is  no  citizen  of  New  York  but  who  can  feel  proud  of  the  work 
done.     (  Applause. ) 

"  The  distribution  of  money  by  the  different  departments  of  the  city  of 
New  York  to  the  public  contractors  and  for  their  own  work  during  the  last 
year  has  averaged  about  $50,000  per  working  day,  and  that  has  all  gone  to 
the  laboring  classes  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  it  will  ever  be  a  living  monu- 
ment to  the  different  departments  of  the  city  government,  in  my  opinion. 
My  own  duties  in  the  mayor's  office  I  shall  not  speak  of,  only  to  call  your 
attention  to  the  good  work  done  by  the  heads  of  departments  in  reducing  the 
death  rate  in  the  last  four  years  a  little  over  five  points.  To  the  improvements 
in  the  Correction  Department,  particularly  in  tearing  down  the  old  Tombs, 
which  has  been  a  menace  to  the  city  of  New  York  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve 
years,  and  which  has  been  presented  by  every  grand  jury  that  has  met  once 
a  year  in  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years.  To  the  changes  in  the  Charities  De- 
partment, making  changes  in  all  the  buildings  on  the  island  used  for  charita- 
ble purposes,  and  re-creating,  nominally,  Bellevue  Hospital.  To  the  Park 
Department,  for  the  increase  in  the  number  of  parks  in  the  congested  parts 
of  the  city,  both  on  the  East  and  West  sides,  and  the  great  increase  in  the 
public  school  buildings,  sufficient  to  give  every  child  in  the  boroughs  of  Man- 
hattan and  the  Bronx  a  seat.  To  the  Public  Works  Department,  for  the 
additional  asphalt  pavement  in  the  avenues  and  side  streets,  and  especially  for 
laying  two  forty-eight-inch  water  mains  from  the  Central  Park  reservoir  to 
the  lower  end  of  the  city,  which  will  ever  be  a  crowning  work  of  this  adminis- 
tration, furnishing  from  ten  to  fifteen  millions  of  gallons  of  water  per  day 
below  Canal  street.  To  the  Dock  Department,  for  the  magnificent  work 
started  in  building  piers  sufficiently  large  to  take  in  the  largest  steamships 
that  float  on  the  Atlantic,  and  giving  us  four  or  five  recreation  piers  on  the 
water  fronts,  which  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  boons  to  those  who  are  com- 
pelled to  reside  in  this  city  during  the  hot  months  of  summer.  To  the  good 
work  of  the  Fire  Department,  and  last,  but  not  least,  for  the  condition  of  our 
streets  on  the  1st  of  January,  1898,  as  compared  with  their  condition  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1895  (applause),  and  many  other  extensive  enterprises  that 
have  been  started,  such  as  the  new  East  River  bridge  and  the  location  of  the 
public  library  on  Reservoir  square. 

260 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  I  am  not  going  to  say  anything  about  the  Pohce  Department,  because 
that  speaks  for  itself,  and  has  been  speaking  for  the  last  three  years.  We 
have  had  a  jolly  time  with  them,  and  for  the  first  time  I  beheve  in  the  history 
of  New  York  city  you  have  had  a  quiet  time  for  the  last  three  or  four  months. 
You  have  had  a  chief  that  even  the  present  administration  has  selected  to  con- 
tinue as  chief,  and  with  five  thousand  pohce  officers  belonging  to  the  borough 
of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx,  and  two  thousand  in  the  other  boroughs,  a 
force  of  seven  thousand  men,  I  believe  there  is  no  such  pohce  force  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  All  of  these  different  enterprises  must  be  criticised  by  others. 
There  are  some  pleasant  duties,  however,  that  I  have  been  called  upon  to  in- 
dulge in,  the  visiting  of  our  public  schools  in  their  hours  of  study,  and  to  see 
the  interest  the  principals  and  their  lady  teachers  take  in  their  work,  interest- 
ing each  scholar  in  his  or  her  duty  to  the  city,  state  and  nation,  and  engender- 
ing a  spirit  of  patriotism  in  the  young  minds  which  will  probably  continue 
with  them  through  their  lives,  and  I  fully  believe  that  the  condition  of  our 
public  schools  to-day  in  the  city  of  New  York  has  no  superior  in  any  city  of 
the  world.  A  visit  to  our  many  charitable  institutions  will  amply  repay  any 
of  you  who  has  not  had  that  pleasure,  and  see  for  yourselves  the  manner  in 
which  the  money  that  is  appropriated  to  these  different  institutions  is  ac- 
counted for  by  them,  and  among  the  regrets  that  I  shall  carry  with  me  into  my 
private  life  was  the  inability  to  satisfy  all  the  demands  made  upon  me  by 
those  who  had  seen  better  times  and  had  become  impoverished  by  misfortune 
and  nominally  without  friends  to  help  them. 

"  Then  again  the  dark  clouds  would  roll  away,  and  a  gallant  young 
couple  appear  at  the  desk,  anxious  to  have  the  marriage  ceremony  per- 
formed, and  that,  the  bishop  has  said  to  me,  was  where  I  interfered  with  him, 
and  my  reward  for  the  service  would  be  a  sweet  kiss  from  the  bride.  (I.augh- 
ter.)  And  then  quite  often  a  few  of  the  good  ladies  of  New  York  would 
honor  me  with  a  visit  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  or  half-past  4,  when 
we  would  take  a  cup  of  tea.  Some  of  these  young  ladies  would  look  up  with 
their  bright  and  smiling  faces  and  say,  '  Mr.  Mayor,  this  is  really  tea  and 
nothing  else.'     (Great  laughter.) 

"  Now,  one  word  about  the  election  of  1894.  The  platform  was  busi- 
ness, not  politics.  I  have  endeavored  to  adhere  to  that  pledge.  I  have  not 
injected  politics  into  any  act  of  mine.  I  selected  gentlemen  from  all  avoca- 
tions and  parties  that  were  in  favor  of  a  business  administration,  and  in  doing 
so  was  quite  sure  that  the  real  politicians  would  be  dissatisfied  with  that  course, 
but  to  me  it  seemed  that  I  was  pledged  to  just  that  very  thing,  and  it  was  a 
pleasure  to  me  to  carry  out  that  pledge.  The  result  of  the  work  is  before  you, 
and  having  retired  from  the  office,  and  commenced  picking  up  the  threads  of 
business  again,  I  take  additional  pleasure  in  joining  my  old  friends  in  the 

261 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Ohio  Society  in  promoting  its  interests  and  its  pleasures."      (Great  applause.) 

President  Burnett  said :  "  I  do  not  know  that  there  can  be  better  testi- 
mony given  to  the  administration  of  Mayor  Strong  than  that  of  his  predeces- 
sor in  that  office — a  very  able  man  and  a  Democrat — ^Abram  S.  Hewitt. 
We  expected  him  to  be  with  us  to-night  and  he  confidently  counted  on  being 
here,  but  his  health  did  not  permit,  and  he  sends  this  message :  '  I  can  assure 
you  that  I  am  very  grateful  to  the  Ohio  Society  for  the  privilege  of  testifying 
my  respect  to  my  friend,  ex-Mayor  Strong,  whose  administration  will  always 
be  regarded,  I  think,  as  the  culmination  of  the  effort  of  many  men  to  introduce 
better  methods  into  the  municipal  government  of  this  city.  The  work  actually 
accomplished  is  stupendous.  The  mayor  was  fortunate  in  having  not  only  the 
opportunity  but  the  power  to  carry  his  ideas  into  effect,  and  his  memory  will 
always  be  identified  with  the  improvements  in  the  streets,  the  docks,  the 
schools  and  the  charities  for  which  good  citizens  had  long  prayed  in  vain.' 

"  Companions,  we  have  with  us  to-night  one  of  Ohio's  greatest  living  sons, 
the  recent  attorney-general,  Mr.  Harmon,  and  its  gives  me  peculiar  pleasure  to 
present  him  to  you." 

Judge  Harmon  said :  "  Mr.  President  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  When 
a  Buckeye  from  home  is  invited  to  address  Buckeyes  who  have  been  trans- 
planted— Buckeyes  abroad,  as  it  were — he  is  usually  expected,  I  suppose,  to 
talk  about  Ohio.  Her  origin  and  history  do  afford  many  tempting  themes. 
So  do  the  union  in  her  people  of  the  best  strains  of  the  human  race  and  her 
position  at  the  centre  of  this  great  commonwealth  of  states,  allied  by  blood 
and  interest  with  all  sections,  but  belonging  to  none.  But  I  have  noticed 
that  those  are  most  given  to  talking  about  themselves  who  feel  more  certain 
about  the  past  and  the  future  than  they  do  about  the  present.  We  can  afford 
to  be  silent  about  Ohio.  Besides,  when  fitness  compels  us  to  break  this  silence 
now  and  then,  though  we  merely  mention  a  few  well-known  facts,  we  are  ac- 
cused of  boasting.  I  have,  therefore,  chosen  another  subject.  It  is  historic, 
but  it  is  not  confined  between  the  river  and  the  lake.  It  may  be  called  pre- 
historic as  to  Ohio." 

Judge  Harmon's  address  was  replete  with  historic  information,  regard- 
ing the  growth  of  Ohio  and  the  nation,  and  of  the  ideas  out  of  which  they 
grew. 

President  Burnett  said :  "  There  is  a  message  and  a  thought  for  the  sons 
of  Ohio  in  New  York  that  they  may  well  ponder  and  patriotically  work  out. 
It  seems  to  me  a  great  thought.  At  our  former  banquets  there  appeared  from 
Ohio  one  who  gave  us  peculiar  pleasure,  and  when  this  banquet  was  first  sug- 
gested, almost  unanimously  you  petitioned  your  president  and  the  chairman 
of  your  banquet  committee.  Senator  Brice,  that  he  should  not  be  omitted.  He 
had  touched  our  hearts ;  had  aroused  our  enthusiasm  to  a  pitch  seldom  reached 

262 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

bj  any  speaker.  Tliat  man  is  with  us  again  to-night  out  of  his  grace  and  mag- 
nanimity, and  I  present  to  you  one  of  Ohio's  most  briUiant  sons  in  that  of  James 
H.  Hoyt." 

Mr.  Hoyt  said:  "  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  confess  my  sur- 
prise when  Hstening  to  the  very  eloquent  address  of  the  bishop  of  this  diocese, 
who  is  admired  for  his  eloquence,  beloved  for  his  tolerance,  and  also  very  highly 
esteemed  because  he  is  able  to  keep  up  with  the  times,  that  when  he  was  dis- 
charging his  vicarious  functions  so  gracefully  and  beautifully  he  expressed 
himself  as  unable  to  discover  where  it  was  that  our  very  esteemed  friend,  Mr. 
Strong,  got  the  germs  from  which  the  bodily  ailment  to  which  he  referred 
came.  (Laughter.)  I  am  surprised  at  this  statement  on  the  part  of  the 
bishop,  and  regret  that  he  should  have  so  publicly  admitted  that  he  is  not  quite 
abreast  with  the  science  of  the  day  because,  having  known  that  Mr.  Strong 
was  interfering  with  him  in  his  matrimonial  business,  and  competing  with  him, 
as  he  has  publicly  announced  to-night,  by  simply  kissing  the  bride,  the  bishop 
should  have  known  that  science  tells  us  that  there  is  very  great  danger  of  the 
worst  germs  being  transmitted  to  us  by  the  most  platonic  osculations. 

"  I  sympathize  greatly  with  Mayor  Strong  to-night.  The  bishop,  when 
he  referred  to  his  vivid  English  and  picturesque  vocabulary,  put  him  under  a 
disadvantage.  He  is  on  his  good  behavior  to-night.  He  is  somewhat  in  the 
situation  of  the  Irish  lady  who  went  to  the  confessional.  She  went  on  a  Satur- 
day, and  having  told  the  father  confessor  of  some  few  things  that  she  was 
ready  to  admit,  and  concealed  from  him  others  which  it  was  perhaps  better 
that  she  should  confine  to  herself,  and  having  been  put  to  a  state  of  grace  by  the 
confessor  until  the  following  Tuesday,  who  informed  her  that  any  dereliction 
from  duty  would  make  his  absolution,  for  which  she  had  paid  a  handsome  price, 
worthless.  As  she  came  out  of  the  box  she  was  met  by  Bridget,  with  whom  she 
had  had  considerable  trouble  in  the  past.  She  said  to  her :  '  Mary  Maloney,  if  I 
had  known  it  was  you  there,  being  a  hard  working  girl,  I  would  have  brought 
my  work,  because  I  cannot  waste  the  whole  day  sitting  around  here  while  you 
are  concealing  from  the  father  what  you  have  done  and  confessing  only  a  por- 
tion of  your  crimes.'     Mary  was  completely  overcome,  and  replied :  '  Bridget, 

you  know  I  can't  talk  back  to  you,  for  I  am  in  a  state  of  grace,  but  d you, 

wait  till  Tuesday  next  and  then  I  will  talk  to  you.'     (Much  laughter.) 

"  If  I  may  be  permitted  a  paradox,  there  are  present  here  to-night  some 
sturdy  Buckeyes  whose  roots  are  still  firmly  embedded  in  the  fertile  soil  of  that 
favored  region  in  which  a  bountiful  and  all-wise  Providence  first  planted  the 
fruitful  seed  from  which  we  have  sprung.  We  have  hitherto  resisted  all  at- 
tempts to  transplant  us.  Those  of  you  who  at  one  time  grew  alongside  us  and 
mingled  your  brilliant  foliage  with  our  own,  but  are  now,  moved  by  philan- 
thropic motives,  of  course,  affording  grateful  shade  in  other  sections,  or  orna- 

S63 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

meriting  other  landscapes,  know  how  eager  and  insistent  the  efforts  to  uproot 
us  must  have  been  and  are ;  for  the  Msculus  glabra,  that  is,  the  fetid,  or  Ohio, 
buckeye,  is  a  tree  which  no  community  seems  well  able  to  get  along  without. 
But  we  have  loyally  remained  where  God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  originally 
planted  us,  and  where,  it  is  safe  to  assume,  he  intended  us  to  stay,  since  he  made 
us  indigenous  to  the  soil.  Our  tap-roots  still  suck  refreshment  from  the  sleep- 
ing waters  of  the  great  lake,  and  of  the  rolling  Ohio,  and  of  the  beautiful 
Muskingum,  to  say  nothing  of  the  rich  and  varied  nutriment  they  derive  from 
the  glacier-like  Cuyahoga.  To  such  Buckeyes  the  occasion  we  are  here  cele- 
brating is  not  one  of  unmixed  joy.  To  adapt  the  words  of  the  old  song,  our 
spirits  have  only  been  kept  up  by  pouring  spirits  down.  Your  applause  and 
laughter  seem  to  us  somewhat  incongruous,  if  not  wholly  out  of  place. 

"  There  are  two  reasons  for  our  melancholy.  In  the  first  place,  you  may 
have  heard  that  there  is  a  very  high  wind  prevailing  in  Ohio  just  now,  and  we 
much  fear  that  some  of  our  most  imposing  Buckeyes  will  be  uprooted  and  others 
somewhat  disfigured  by  it.  We  have  withstood  stiff  gales  before,  but  this  is 
assuming  cyclonic  proportions,  and  I  regret  very  much  to  say  that  there  are 
no  present  signs  of  its  decreasing  in  violence,  either.  We  are  told  that  cyclones 
clear  the  atmosphere  and  blow  away  mists ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  clear  the 
earth  also,  and  blow  away  more  substantial  things  quite  as  completely.  It  is 
not  much  consolation  to  a  man  who  stands  among  the  ruins  of  his  home,  with 
crops  destroyed,  and  buildings  demolished,  and  with  fences  blown  down  and 
John  Sherman  not  by  to  fix  them,  to  find  the  sky  clear  above  his  head.  (Ap- 
plause. )  He  would  naturally  prefer  to  be  covered  by  his  roof,  however  humble, 
rather  than  by  the  vaulted  heavens,  however  cerulean.  He  cannot  help  regret- 
ting that  his  habitation  was  in  the  track  of  the  storm  at  all.  He  cannot  help 
wishing  that  the  cyclone  had  stayed  out  in  Kansas,  or  Illinois,  or  in  Missouri, 
where  they  have  cyclone  cellars  and  hardier  stock,  and  are  better  prepared  to 
endure  such  violent  atmospheric  disturbances. 

"  You  perhaps  remember  the  story  of  the  Missouri  mule,  which  was  bodily 
carried  by  a  cyclone  from  one  county  to  another.  When  the  storm  struck  him 
he  was  quietly  grazing  in  one  river  bottom,  and  when  he  was  found  he  was 
quietly  grazing  in  another.  It  turned  out  that  he  had  been  carried  sidewise ;  and 
the  editor  of  the  local  paper  triumphantly  announced  that  '  Even  a  cyclone 
knew  better  than  to  fool  around  the  hind  legs  of  a  Missouri  mule.'  (Laughter. )  • 
We  are  very  much  afraid  that  Ohio  will  not  be  quite  as  desirable  a  place  of  resi- 
dence in  the  immediate  future  as  it  has  been  in  the  past,  for  cyclones  have  an 
uncomfortable  habit  of  sometimes  recurring,  and,  besides,  Ohio  is  so  important 
a  part  of  the  United  States,  and  her  interests  are  so  interwoven  with  the  inter- 
ests of  other  localities,  that  it  makes  all  apprehensive  that  the  catastrophe  which 
has  smitten  us  may  result  in  damage  to  other  portions  of  the  country.  There  is 

264 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  force  or  influence,  derived  from  prior  character  or  deeds  and  an  expectation 
of  future  accomplishments,  based  on  past  achievements,  and  they  both  make  up 
a  definition  of  what  men  call  prestige.  We  are  not  carrying  about  as  much  pres- 
tige with  us  this  year  as  we  did  last.  We  are  just  a  little  shy  of  it.  Our  prior 
deeds  are  all  right;  but  our  expectations  of  what  our  future  accomplishments 
will  be  are  not  quite  as  dazzling  as  they  have  been,  and  so  to-night  it  is  a  Httle 
difficult  for  us  to 

"  'Awake  the  pert  and  nimble  spirit  of  mirth.' 

"  But  that  is  not  all  that  troubles  us  to-night.  To  put  it  mildly,  we  are 
regretfully  sui-prised  that  the  citizens  of  this  metropolis,  rich  in  art,  in  accumu- 
lated capital,  in  tall  buildings,  in  refinement  and  in  intercepted,  not  intercept- 
ing, sewers,  are  apparently  utterly  unable  to  appreciate  and  hold  on  to  a  really 
good  thing  when  they  have  once  grasped  it.  When  you  have  had  for  your  chief 
executive  an  Ohioan,  and  especially  such  an  able,  broad-minded,  patriotic,  ob- 
stinate, or,  rather,  I  should  say,  determined,  and  non-partisan  an  Ohioan  as  the 
appropriately  named  Mr.  Strong,  the  fact  that  you  have  not  seen  fit  to  continue 
to  avail  yourselves  of  his  conspicuous  services,  when  you  could  have  retained 
them,  undoubtedly  for  a  very  inadequate  sum,  fills  us  with  a  sorrowful  chagrin. 
(Great  applause.)    Your  substitution  of  the  Tulip  for  the  Buckeye  startles  us. 

"  As  I  have  said,  under  all  circumstances,  this  occasion  is  not  one  of  un- 
mixed joy  to  us  Ohioans,  and  it  reminds  me  of  a  story  of  a  German  gentleman 
who  had  the  good  sense  to  leave  his  native  Hanover  and  settle,  not  only  in 
Ohio,  but  in  the  northern  part  of  it.  He  did  this  some  years  ago,  however.  A 
few  months  ago  his  first  wife  died,  and  within  three  days  from  the  time  when  he 
had  planted  her  remains  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  had  thus  tearfully 
and  sorrowfully  done  his  best  to  put  her  in  the  way  of  a  glorified  resurrection, 
he  married  again.  His  friends  and  neighbors,  in  order  delicately,  but  unequiv- 
ocally, to  convey  to  him  a  distinct  impression  that  his  second  plunge  into  the 
troubled  waters  of  matrimony  had  been,  in  their  judgment,  a  trifle  premature, 
surrounded  his  dwelling  on  the  evening  of  his  wedding  day  and  made  the  cir- 
cumambient ether  eloquent  with  emphatic  but  rather  unmusical  sounds.  The 
widowed  bridegroom,  not  panoplied  for  war,  rushed  from  the  nuptial  chamber 
out  upon  the  porch  and  thus  addressed  them :  '  These noises  is  shame- 
ful. You  don't  got  any  manners  at  all.  You  forgot  gombletely  that  it  ain't 
a  week  since  in  this  house  some  one  has  already  died! '     (Laughter.) 

"  Up  to  three  years  ago  I  spent  the  major  portion  of  my  leisure  time  in  a 
diligent  but  ineff'ectual  search  of  historic  records  in  order  to  discover  the  pre- 
cise language  which  General  Washington  used  when  he  rebuked  Lee  on  the 
battlefield  of  Monmouth.  There  had  been  sudden  and  critical  emergencies  in 
my  experience  when  I  sadly  felt  the  need  of  a  richer,  more  vigorous  and  more 

265 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

sonorous  vocabulary  than  a  Christian  training  had  permitted  me  to  acquire.  I 
had  often  found  myself  in  the  condition  of  the  Maine  farmer,  the  tailboard  of 
whose  cart  had  been  pushed  upward  by  a  bad  boy  at  the  bottom  of  a  long  hill, 
and  who  found,  when  he  an'ived  at  the  top,  that  although  he  still  had  his 
wagon  with  him,  his  load  of  potatoes  had  not  accompanied  him  up  the  incline. 
When  asked  by  a  friend  who  happened  to  come  along  that  way  why  he  did 
not  relieve  his  pent-up  feelings  by  profanity,  he  replied,  '  My  eddication's  been 
so  durned  limited  that  I  don't  know  a  single  cuss  word  that'll  do  this  here  land- 
slide justice.'  (Laughter.)  I  therefore  endeavored  to  find  out  the  exact 
phraseology  which  Washington  used  on  that  historic  occasion,  so  that  I  should 
not  in  future  be  hampered  by  the  lack  of  expressions  sufficiently  lurid  to  ade- 
quately express  my  meaning  and  relieve  my  feelings  when  occasion  arose,  and 
yet,  at  the  same  time,  silence  the  reproaches  of  those  near  and  dear  to  me  by 
being  able  to  assure  them  that  I  was  exactly,  not  only  in  spirit,  but  in  word, 
following  the  illustrious  example  of  the  Father  of  my  Country.  All  my  efforts 
to  thus  improve  myself  were,  however,  unavailing.  But,  thanks  to  the  honored 
guest  of  this  evening,  this  limitation  has  been  entirely  removed  during  the  last 
three  years,  for  whenever  I  found  it  needful  or  soothing  to  ornament  my  speech 
by  the  use  of  virile  adjectives  I  have  been  able  to  do  so  with  perfect  impunity 
and  satisfaction,  and  have  at  once  disarmed  all  hostile  criticism  by  the  mere 
statement,  when  I  have  been  brought  to  book,  that  I  was  only  quoting  the 
words  of  so  eminent  and  worthy  an  authority  as  the  great  and  good  Mayor 
Strong.  I  feel  sure  that  Mr.  Horr  had  his  honor  in  mind  when  he  said  that 
'  swearing  is  the  unnecessary  use  of  profanity.'  I  am  sure,  at  any  rate,  that 
if  his  honor,  worn  out  by  the  importunity  of  some  unworthy  office-seeker,  or  ex- 
asperated by  the  incompetence  of  some  public  official,  has  ever,  as  has  been  re- 
ported, let  fall  a  good  mouth-filling  oath,  in  his  case,  as  in  the  case  of  Uncle 
Toby,  '  The  accusing  angel,  which  flew  up  to  heaven's  chancery  with  tlie  oath, 
blushed  as  he  gave  it  in ;  and  the  recording  angel,  as  he  wrote  it  down,  dropped 
a  tear  on  the  word  and  blotted  it  out  forever.'  Mr.  Strong  no  longer  occupies 
his  official  position,  but  he  will  nevertheless  not  only  be  still  addressed,  but  al- 
ways considered  by  good  citizens  everywhere,  as  'His  Honor.'  (Cries  of 
"Good.")  His  administration  in  one  sense  is  over,  but  in  another  very  real 
sense  he  will  still  continue  to  execute  the  will  of  the  patriotic  people  of  New 
York.  The  appointments  not  only  of  his  immediate  but  of  his  remote  successors 
will  be  better  because  his  in  the  main  have  been  so  good.  They  will  be  more  effi- 
cient in  the  public  service  because  he  was  so  zealous  and  earnest.  His  example 
will  be  not  only  a  stimulus  but  a  goad.  The  fumes  of  his  historic  teapot  no 
longer  cut  the  close  atmosphere  of  the  mayor's  office  with  their  pungent  fra- 
grance (laughter),  but  the  simple  hospitality  he  so  graciousl}^  dispensed,  which 
strengthened  his  supporters  and  revived  even  the  di'ooping  spirits  of  unsuc- 

266 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ccssful  applicants  for  his  favor,  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  The  curtain  has 
indeed  been  rung  down  on  the  drama,  but  the  recollection  of  how  well  the  lead- 
ing actor  did  his  part  will  be  long  fresh  in  the  minds  of  his  audience.  He  has 
stood  for  that  which  is  best  in  American  citizenship,  for  firmness,  not  for  arro- 
gance ;  for  good  business,  not  for  mere  partisanship ;  for  an  energetic  and  prac- 
tical honest}',  not  for  sanctimonious  pretence ;  for  efficiency,  not  for  glitter,  and 
for  the  people,  not  for  himself.  He  has  dropped  a  very  large  pebble  into  the 
ocean  of  public  opinion,  and  the  wave  it  has  made  will  beat  upon  far-distant 
shores."     (Great  applause.) 

President  Burnett  said :  "  We  who  live  in  New  York  feel  the  force  of  what 
has  just  been  said.  Colonel  Strong  has  '  paced  '  the  machine  that  is  to  follow, 
and  the  speed  must  be  kept  up  or  that  machine  will  fall  out  of  the  race.  Those 
we  have  known  best,  the  citizens  of  New  York,  will  not  be  content  with  what  is 
less,  that  which  is  not  so  good,  and  if  that  high  administration,  that  pure  and 
just  government  he  has  given  us,  is  not  still  with  us,  then  will  be  aroused*  in  this 
city  and  throughout  the  land  a  public  opinion  that  will  sweep  any  administra- 
tion that  undertakes  to  administer  the  laws  of  this  great  city  out  of  power. 
Tallyrand  once  said  to  Napoleon  when  boasting  how  strongly  he  was  enthroned, 
'  There  is  a  power  in  France  more  omnipotent  than  you  and  all  your  soldiers, 
and  that  is  the  power  of  public  opinion.'  That  power  is  always  at  work,  always 
thinking,  always  testing,  and  unless  the  measure  that  Colonel  Strong  gave  us  of 
good  government  is  not  maintained,  that  omnipotent  power  will  sweep  any 
administration  into  oblivion.  In  our  Ohio  Society  we  have  had  a  teacher. 
He  has  undertaken  to  teach  Ohio's  sons  how  to  make  speeches.  He  has  been 
at  Avork  on  our  Brother  Foye  for  a  year  or  two,  and  he  has  brought  him  up  to  a 
facility  where  Bourke  Cockran  and  others  of  our  eloquent  speakers  grow  pale 
with  envy  when  they  hear  him.  Now  he  has  also  been  training  others,  and  I 
want  him  to  tell  our  friends  here,  especially  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society, 
how  he  has  done  it.    We  want  to  hear  a  word  from  Brother  Packard." 

Mr.  S.  S.  Packard  said :  "  Mr.  President,  do  I  understand  that  you  wish 
me  to  claim  the  credit  of  our  friend's  great  achievements  as  a  public  speaker? 
I  would  dislike  to  do  it  before  this  audience.  I  am  a  modest  man,  and  while 
I  confess  to  have  had  something  to  do  in  the  matter,  I  think  it  would  be  better 
to  make  my  claim  in  private.  One  thing  we  will  all  assent  to,  viz. :  that  while 
our  friend  was  simply  President  of  the  Ohio  Society  we  did  not  know  the  ex- 
tent of  his  oratorical  gift.  We  simply  had  not  drawn  it  out.  But  no  sooner 
had  he  become  mayor  than  we  began  to  know  him  better ;  and  I  state  no  secret 
when  I  say  that  during  the  past  three  years  he  has  attained  to  great  dis- 
tinction, and  is  now  reckoned  among  the  great  orators  of  the  country.  So  far 
as  my  own  connection  with  the  matter  is  concerned  I  will  only  say  that  directly 
after  his  nomination  I  took  him  in  hand.     I  gave  him  his  first  hearing  before 

267 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  West  Side  Club,  and  in  a  year  thereafter  he  appeared  before  the  same  club. 
On  the  first  occasion  he  foreshadowed  his  administration,  and  on  the  second  he 
gave  a  wonderfully  concise  and  comprehensive  account  of  his  stewardship. 
Meantime  he  lost  no  opportunity  to  practice  his  growing  gift,  at  dinners  and 
on  public  occasions." 

Mr.  Packard  followed  at  some  length,  in  his  usual  happy  vein. 

President  Burnett  said :  "  Now  that  our  banquet  may  be  brought  to  a  fit- 
ting close,  we  of  this  Society  and  our  friends  will  be  glad  to  hear  a  word  from 
an  old  president,  whose  public  spirit  has  made  him  in  quick  sympathy  with 
all  things  that  make  for  the  better  order  and  higher  civilization  of  our  city, 
and  that  is  our  former  president.  General  Swayne."     (Applause.) 

General  Swayne  said:  "Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen:  I  am  reminded 
by  this  occasion  of  a  very  great  service  which  your  now  president  rendered  to 
the  Ohio  Society.  On  the  first  occasion  when  it  was  my  duty  to  preside  over 
one  of 'your  annual  banquets,  when  the  hour  of  eleven  came  and  we  were  hav- 
ing such  a  good  time  that  we  were  insensible  of  the  flight  of  time,  a  little  note 
from  Gen.  Burnett  was  laid  at  my  plate,  saying,  '  Now  is  the  time  to  close.' 
One  good  turn  deserves  another,  and  he  will  permit  me  now  at  this  time  and 
on  this  occasion  to  return  the  compliment  in  the  same  words.     (Laughter.) 

"  The  only  thing  with  which  I  will  detain  you  with  reference  to  the  hon- 
ored guest  whom  it  is  our  privilege  this  night  to  cherish,  is  to  recall  to  mind 
what  has  occurred  to  me  as  I  sat  at  that  table  and  looked  into  your  faces,  and 
as  I  stand  now  and  contemplate  you  individually,  and  that  is,  what  does  it 
mean  that  this  company  of  old  friends  and  neighbors,  this  company  of  men 
who  are  assembled  here  to  keep  alive  not  simply  the  memory  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  but  to  keep  alive  in  our  hearts  and  in  our  lives  and  in  this  community, 
the  place  which  the  state  ought  to  have;  any  state  in  which  a  man  lives  and 
the  state  in  wliich  any  man  was  bom  ought  to  have  a  place  in  every  man's 
heart,  if  he  is  to  render  back  any  adequate  return  in  his  own  life  for  the  bless- 
ings which  the  state  has  showered  upon  him. 

"  This  gentlemen,  has  always  been  the  underlying  idea  of  this  Ohio  So- 
ciety. We  have  been  chaffed  a  good  deal  for  the  pleasant  things  we  have  said 
here  in  these  meetings  about  our  state.  They  have  seemed  to  other  people 
sometimes  boastful,  even  windy,  but  these  people  have  forgotten  that  we  have 
not  meant  to  institute  a  comparison.  A  man  does  not  need  to  challenge  a 
comparison  between  his  own  mother  and  the  mother  of  another  man,  because 
whatever  his  own  mother  may  be  or  may  have  been,  beyond  all  peradventure, 
she  has  been  to  him  the  best  mother  in  the  world.  Now  we  are  gathered  here 
to-night  to  celebrate  the  services  rendered  to  this  state  in  its  chief  city  by  a  na- 
tive of  our  state,  and  they  who  think  that  meaning  inconsiderable  had  better 
follow  that  excellent  custom  of  sometimes  bringing  one's  own  mind  up  to  the 

268 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

discipline  of  finding  out  what  words  mean,  by  going  back  to  find  out  what 
was  in  the  minds  of  those  men,  what  those  men  were  trying  to  express  who  first 
brought  into  use  the  words,  '  Our  native  state.'  Think  of  nature !  Think  of 
nativity!  Think  of  nations!  Think  of  all  those  things  and  the  difference 
they  make  in  the  lives  of  men.  I  think  it  is  appropriately  laid  down  in  the 
Scriptures  that  the  Lord  shall  judge  the  nations  and  govern  the  peoples  of 
the  earth. 

"Now  we  are  here  a  Society,  organized  to  keep  alive  in  our  own  hearts 
and  in  our  minds  the  meaning  and  the  blessing  of  statehood,  the  fellowship 
which  is  due  from  one  to  another  by  reason  of  that  idea,  and  to  celebrate  in 
the  person  of  our  own  ex-president  the  blessings  which  his  own  administration 
has  met  with  upon  the  state.  In  the  exercise  of  that  duty,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  that  pleasure,  in  the  halo  of  that  honor,  we  have  gathered  to  cherish  and 
to  honor  him,  and  now  this  night,  in  the  fullness  of  all  that  has  been  done, 
celebrating  the  career  that  he  has  closed  and  welcoming  him  back  to  private 
life,  and  as  you  and  I  trust  for  many  and  many  a  year  of  increasing  honor 
and  enjoyment,  we  say  to  him  literally  and  from  our  hearts,  '  Godspeed.'  " 
(Applause.) 

The  entertainment  committee  in  reporting,  at  a  later  date,  upon  this  ban- 
quet to  the  Society,  said: 

"  Gentlemen:  It  was  a  fortunate  circumstance  for  the  Society  (although 
a  great  misfortune  to  Greater  New  York)  that  we  were  enabled  this  year  to 
make  our  annual  banquet  complimentary  to  our  honored  fellow-member,  ex- 
Mayor  Strong,  When  the  city  of  New  York,  three  years  ago,  honored  him 
with  an  election  to  its  mayoralty,  the  Society  bade  him  godspeed  in  a  most 
enthusiastic  banquet;  and  having  discharged  the  duties  of  his  great  office 
with  that  ability,  integrity  and  fidelity,  which  command  the  respect  of  every 
good  citizen,  our  Society  honored  itself  by  honoring  him,  at  the  close  of  his 
majority,  as  at  its  beginning. 

"  This  banquet  was  an  eminent  success  from  every  point  of  view.  Tlie 
Ajstor  Gallery  was  never  more  beautiful  or  artistic  in  the  arrangement  of  its 
tables,  in  its  floral  decorations,  and  the  picture  here  made  complete  when  the 
sons  of  Ohio  and  their  guests  were  seated  at  small  tables  to  the  number  of 
about  225.  The  souvenir  especially  designed  and  gotten  up  for  this  occasion 
is  a  work  of  high  art  and  justly  called  forth  enthusiastic  commendation.  Tlic 
tinted  cover  embossed  with  a  branch  of  the  buckeye  tree  showing  the  ripened 
nut  in  natural  colors;  the  frontispiece  with  buckeye  branches  showing  leaf, 
and  flower,  and  fruit  so  arranged  as  to  enwreath  the  centre  of  our  beautiful 
state  seal;  the  full  page,  half-tone  portrait  of  our  honored  guest,  ex-Ma3'or 
Strong,  taken  from  a  photograph  for  which  he  had  sat  for  our  use,  and  the 
best  picture  yet  taken  of  him;  and  the  menu  to  satisfy  the  taste  of  the  con- 

269 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

noisseur,  with  its  historic  teapot  illustration  thrown  in  for  the  benefit  of  Colo- 
nel Strong,  together  formed  a  unique  and  interesting  keepsake.  The  com- 
mittee had  an  extra  number  of  copies  struck  off,  and  sent  one  to  each  of  the 
non-resident  members  and  resident  members  who  were  not  at  the  banquet,  and 
also  to  the  principal  papers  of  Ohio.  The  numerous  responses  confirmed  the 
wisdom  of  the  committee  in  thus  distributing  these  souvenirs.  The  speaking 
was  of  a  high  order  and  well  up  to  the  Ohio  standard.  Colonel  Strong, 
Bishop  Potter,  ex-Attorney-General  Judson  Harmon  of  Cincinnati  and  Hon. 
James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland,  were  the  principal  speakers,  and  their  oratory 
held  the  close  attention  of  their  audience.  General  Burnett  presided  with  his 
usual  grace  and  most  happily  introduced  the  various  speakers.  The  evidence 
of  good  fellowship  among  all  the  members  and  guests  was  never  more  ap- 
parent, and  it  is  very  safe  to  report  that  every  one  present  spent  a  most  en- 
joyable and  charming  evening. 

"  Great  credit  is  due  to  the  special  committee  charged  with  the  duty  of 
arranging  the  details  of  the  banquet,  attending  to  the  printing,  sending  out 
the  invitations,  circulars,  etc.,  and  collecting  the  money  for  the  tickets,  and 
settling  all  bills.  The  financial  result  proved  quite  satisfactory,  since  the  com- 
mittee were  enabled  to  turn  into  the  treasury  of  the  Society  after  all  bills  had 
been  paid,  the  handsome  sum  of  $319.14.  In  conclusion  it  may  well  be  said 
that  this  last  banquet  of  our  Society,  taken  all  in  all,  ranks  among  the  most 
noted  banquets  given  since  the  organization.  On  behalf  of  the  banquet  com- 
mittee. "  Warren  Higley." 

The  meeting  of  February  14th  was  held  at  Morelli's.  Professor  Packard 
opened  the  social  part  of  the  entertainment  with  a  short  address,  in  which  he 
asserted  that  it  was  a  characteristic  desire  of  Ohio  men  always  to  do  the  duty 
which  the  occasion  demanded,  and  that  while  we  might  miss  from  our  meet- 
ings some  of  those  choice  spirits,  whose  presence  and  voices  usually  animated 
our  proceedings,  we  should  feel  that  they  were  still  with  us  in  spirit,  and  under 
their  inpiration  we  should  each  perform  this  duty.  He  then  announced  that 
the  duty  and  the  pleasure  which  would  fall  to  the  lot  of  each  diner  would 
be  to  make  a  short  speech,  and  supplemented  this  announcement  by  the  state- 
ment that  he  had  obtained  the  names  of  each  one  present,  and  that  he  had 
directed  the  doors  to  be  barred  and  no  guilty  man  would  escape. 

The  presiding  officer  at  this  point  called  upon  Leander  H.  Crall  to  present 
a  matter  in  which  all  the  members  were  certain  to  take  more  than  a  passing 
interest.  One  of  the  members  of  the  Society  had  been  called  to  a  high  position 
of  honor  under  the  government,  and  it  was  thought  fitting  that  the  Society 
should  take  notice  of  the  fact. 

Mr.  Crall  then  read  a  series  of  resolutions  prepared  by  Gen.  Wager 
Swayne,  which  were  adopted  as  follows : 

270 


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^-■^c^:^^ 


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RGCOGM ITION 


^  — •■ „ ^ _ . 

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cDcii;     kcxvT     tHjs^ 

aF  mc  clc:5c  oj-  )r\zc  Iciha 
zzicir  zticiB  ctzuctracS  K? 
Itinr  tri,  ex  cc>inints^ioii^ 
c;ii*cix    in   cxprce^  tccckv 

MEIRITORIOUS   AND 

DISTINCUISHEID        ^^> 

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/T 


f 


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.^  1861  TO  1865.     ^'    C-f 

-, ^ — . —     .^     ^^^ 


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Htc  men  I'  cj*     Wis 
c<?ixFrittth<?ix     )rc 


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tulxick  Hxi^  £>ocicfc^ 
nxaiixFjmx£i, 

BT  THE  ABII^ITV 
WITH  WHICH  ITS 
PURPOSE    HAS 


BEEN  SERVEO, 


CX1X 


i.   Fk 


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( 


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k 


^     \Yb 


CORDIAL.  AI>I>I^F^:CIAri()N 


Vice-  Presidents. 

c^co.  (?.  Urnv,^^rc>na , 

Trustees. 

cj.  C.  cHoct<;^larLa , 

c^ltcrrtct>   C>ruin.a. 

Ovarl'sp  Lincoln  cJrcixhss, 


c'ecx-etart 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

After  the  adoption  of  the  above  resolution  the  Hon.  Mahlon  Chance 
was  called  upon  and  responded  in  a  hvely  vein  of  reminiscences  which  ehcited 
much  applause  from  those  present.  A  number  of  other  interesting  speeches 
were  then  made.  When  the  Society  convened  on  April  11th  Colonel  Strong 
moved  that  the  following  telegram  be  transmitted  by  the  Society  to  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  Executive  Mansion,  Washington :  "  The  Ohio 
Society  of  New  York,  at  a  regular  meeting  now  in  session,  unanimously  en- 
dorses and  heartily  approves  your  noble  and  patriotic  message  sent  to  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  this  day."  The  Society  adjourned  to  enjoy  an 
entertainment  provided  by  the  entertainment  conmiittee,  by  the  College  Grad- 
uates' Glee  Club. 


279 


CHAPTER  XIV 

1898-1899 

A  LADIES'  reception  and  dance  was  given  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
on  the  evening  of  April  20th.  It  was  in  charge  of  the  following 
gentlemen  and  ladies :  Entertainment  committee,  Warren  Higley, 
chairman ;  David  Homer  Bates,  Jr.,  P.  Bradlee  Strong,  William  H.  Caldwell, 
Noah  H.  Swayne  2d.  Reception  committee,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  chairman; 
Henry  B.  Wilson,  George  E.  Armstrong,  Frank  C.  Loveland,  Cary  W.  Moore, 
Mahlon  Chance,  Wilham  Ford  Upson,  Harry  C.  Grant,  R.  C.  Penfield,  Wil- 
liam H.  Brown,  David  H.  Bates,  Samuel  Thomas,  De  Frees  Critten,  P.  F. 
Collier,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  James  G.  Newcomb,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Arthur  S. 
Hayes,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye.  Floor  committee,  Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  chair- 
man; David  Homer  Bates,  Stewart  M.  Brice,  Emmett  B.  Wheeler,  Howard 
Elmer  Crall,  Peter  H.  Burnett,  P.  Bradlee  Strong,  Henry  B.  C.  PHmpton,  Eli- 
jah G.  Boardman.  The  following  ladies  served  as  hostesses:  Mrs.  Henry 
L.  Burnett,  Mrs.  William  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Calvin  S.  Brice,  Mrs.  Silas  S. 
Packard,  Mrs.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Mrs.  Thomas  Ewing,  Mrs.  Wager 
Swayne,  Mrs.  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  Mrs.  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Mrs.  Algernon 
S.  Sullivan,  Mrs.  Bernard  Peters.  There  was  a  large  attendance  and  the 
evening  was  a  great  success. 

At  the  meeting  of  May  9th  a  report  was  received  from  the  house  com- 
mittee as  to  the  progress  made  in  furnishing  and  fitting  up  the  new  rooms  at 
the  Waldorf-Astoria.  In  answer  to  a  question.  Judge  Higley  made  a  state- 
ment as  to  the  privileges  of  the  members  in  the  hotel. 

Tlie  meeting  of  the  Society  on  June  13th,  was  the  first  held  in  the  new 
quarters  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria.  The  president  appointed  the  following- 
named  gentlemen  as  a  committee  to  consider  changes  in  the  constitution, 
respecting  membership,  pursuant  to  action  taken  by  the  Society  at  the  last 
meeting:  Wager  Swayne,  Willam  L.  Strong,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Andrew 
J.   C.  Foye,  Milton  I.   Southard. 

The  formal  business  having  been  disposed  of,  the  president  expressed 
the  pleasure  of  the  Society  on  account  of  the  presence  at  the  meeting  of  an 
esteemed  ex-president.  General  Wager  Swayne,  and  invited  that  gentleman  to 
address  the  meeting.  General  Swayne  responded  in  an  entertaining  and  en- 
lightening  address,   in   which   he   declared   the   true   object   of   the   Society 

280 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  be,  not  the  glorification  of  the  achievements  of  its  distinguished  citizens,  but 
rather  the  perpetuation  of  the  idea  of  the  state  and  the  fostering  of  those 
principles  upon  which  the  state  had  been  founded,  and  which  had  guided  and 
characterized  the  conduct  of  the  state  in  national  crises.  After  General  Swayne 
had  spoken,  the  chairman  of  the  entertainment  committee,  Judge  Higley,  an- 
nounced that  a  collation  would  be  served  at  the  roof  garden  of  the  building, 
and  the  Society  thereupon  adjourned  to  that  place. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Ohio  Society  was  Held  at  the  office  of  the  pres- 
ident, on  October  28,  1898,  to  take  action  on  the  death  of  Vice-President  Silas 
S.  Packard,  who  had  died  on  the  previous  day.  A  committee  were  appointed 
to  prepare  resolutions  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Packard,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  influential  members  of  the  organization.  At  the  annual  meeting,  on 
November  29th,  this  committee  presented  a  report  which  was  read  by  General 
Swayne,  as  follows: 

"  Silas  S.  Packard  was  one  of  the  earlier  members  of  this  Society.  From 
the  beginning  of  his  membersliip  to  the  end  of  his  life  the  Society  enjoyed  his 
constant  interest  and  held  high  place  in  his  affection.  How  much  that  means 
is  best  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  manifold  objects  of  its  interests  and  affection 
which  claimed  him  as  their  own;  his  family,  rejoicing  in  his  loving  heart  and 
true  and  tender  life;  his  friends,  who  found  their  own  place  second  only  to 
his  family's  in  his  heart  and  life;  his  church  and  his  pastor,  in  whom  he 
found  good  anchorage  for  his  hope  for  this  life  and  for  the  glory  yet  to  be 
revealed;  his  pupils,  who  found  in  him  teaching  that  instructed  the  whole 
character  and  stimulated  in  them  every  aspect  of  a  valuable  life;  liis  alumni, 
who  found  in  after  years  that  to  formally  organize  and  cherish  a  Packard 
Alumni  Association  was  but  another  name  for  renewing  and  preserving  every- 
thing in  them  that  was  worth  keeping ;  his  city,  state  and  country,  each  in  its 
degree,  having  its  proper  exaltation  in  his  heart  and  life.  These  show  the 
man  who  has  been  one  of  us,  and  who  was  glad  and  proud  to  be  such,  and 
to  make  his  membership  a  real  one  to  such  an  extent  that  for  his  part  we 
were  members  each  of  one  another. 

"  Mention  of  all  these  discloses  not  merely  what  he  was  to  the  Society 
or  the  Society  to  him;  they  go  beyond  that  and  disclose  the  man.  He  began 
life  for  liimself,  seeking  for  light.  With  his  shoes  slung  across  his  shoulders 
he  trudged  his  way  barefoot  from  his  boyhood  home  to  the  Academy  at  Gran- 
ville, sparing  not  his  feet  if  only  he  might  when  among  men  be  decent  in  ap- 
pearance. 

"  His  first  choice  of  a  life  work  was  portrait  painting,  but  the  insight  that 
comes  of  a  sympathy  soon  taught  him  that  he  was  more  fit  to  mold  the  plastic 
lineaments  of  heart  and  life  in  youth  than  he  was  fit  for  copying  with  a  brush 
the  features  of  men's  faces. 

281. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Having  found  his  right  field,  he  labored  in  it  till  he  died.  It  was  not 
given  him  to  round  off  his  career ;  that  better  thing  was  given  him :  to  build  it 
up  with  full  dimensions  to  the  top.  He  died  in  the  performance  of  his  full 
day's  work.  If  the  diminished  strength  of  later  years  caused  anything  to  fall 
away,  it  was  only  as  leaves  may  fall  and  leave  the  trunk  and  branches  unim- 
paired. Nothing  was  lost,  for  the  result  was  that  on  meeting  him  and  look- 
ing up,  we  saw  not  foliage,  but  the  sky ;  he  became  more  and  more  not  merely 
useful,  but  also  an  inspiration. 

"  His  pupils  are  his  monument,  but  his  friends  as  a  wreath  carved  on  a 
monument,  may  add  what  serves  to  heighten  its  expression.  We  therefore 
join  with  his  family,  his  pupils,  and  his  friends  in  cutting  deep  this  epitaph: 
'  The  Teachers  Shall  Shine  as  the  Firmament ;  And  They  That  Turn  Many 
to  Righteousness,  as  the  Stars  Forever  and  Ever.* 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  minute  be  engrossed  and  sent  to  Mrs. 
Packard  with  the  Society's  expression  of  personal  regard." 

The  memorial  received  instant  and  emphatic  approval  and  a  motion  was 
made  by  Mr.  Chance  for  its  adoption  by  a  rising  vote.  The  motion  was  unan- 
imously carried. 

At  the  meeting  of  November  14th  the  nominating  committee,  chosen  in 
October  and  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen:  D.  H.  Bates,  L.  D.  Mor- 
rison, Colgate  Hoyt,  H.  B.  C.  Plimpton,  Chas.  W.  Morris,  Ralph  W.  Carroll, 
Noah  Swayne  2d,  reported  the  following  ticket  for  the  action  of  the  Society 
at  its  annual  meeting:  President,  INlilton  I.  Southard;  vice-presidents,  An- 
drew J.  C.  Foye,  Augustus  D.  Juilliard,  Geo.  E.  Armstrong,  Thomas  H. 
Wheeler,  Warren  Higley ;  secretary,  William  H.  Blymer ;  recording  secretary, 
Walter  S.  Sullivan ;  treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall ;  trustees,  Louis  D.  Clarke, 
Abner  McKinley,  Peter  F.  Collier. 

Mahlon  Chance  addressed  the  Society,  devoting  his  remarks  chiefly  to 
reminiscences  of  Mr.  Packard.  He  paid  an  eloquent  and  glowing  tribute  to 
the  love  he  bore  to  the  Society  and  to  his  high  character  and  worth. 

The  annual  meeting  was  held  at  Morelli's,  where  dinner  was  ser^'ed,  on 
November  29th.  Judge  Higley,  chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  pre- 
sented the  annual  report.  One  ballot  was  cast,  and  the  officers  proposed  at  the 
last  meeting  were  unanimously  elected.  General  Burnett  then  arose,  and  after 
expressing  his  high  appreciation  of  the  honors  he  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  the  Society,  and  promising  in  the  future  his  loyal  support  in  its  ranks, 
introduced  the  president-elect,  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  and  at  the  same 
time  transferred  to  him  the  badge  of  office.  Mr.  Southard  responded  with  a 
brief  address,  thanking  the  Society  for  the  honor  which  had  come  to  him,  un- 
expected and  unsought,  and  pledged  his  earnest  eff^orts  to  maintain  the  past 
high  record  of  the  organization. 

282 


Hon.    Milton   I.   Southard 
President  from  November  29,  1898,  to  November  29,  1901 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

A  letter  was  read  by  General  Burnett  from  Capt.  John  T.  Granger, 
presenting  to  the  Society  a  handsome  silk  banner,  a  souvenir  of  the  Harrison 
and  Tyler  hard-cider  campaign.  General  Swayne  exhibited  the  souvenir  to 
those  present  and  moved  its  acceptance  by  the  Society.  In  making  the  mo- 
tion he  gave  a  most  entertaining  description  of  the  campaign  of  1840  and  of 
the  origin  of  the  name  "  Buckeye  "  as  applied  to  residents  of  Ohio,  stating 
that  he  had  discovered  that  the  use  of  that  name  dated  from  the  hard-cider 
campaign  of  1840.  The  speaker,  proceeding,  declared  it  to  be  his  belief  that 
one  of  the  chief  purposes  of  the  Society  should  be  to  perpetuate  the  idea  of 
the  state,  not  of  our  state  in  particular,  but  of  The  State,  or  rather  the  prin- 
ciple and  origin  of  statehood. 

Upon  motion  of  Judge  Higley  the  thanks  of  the  Society  were  extended 
to  Capt.  Granger  for  the  unique  gift ;  and  Judge  Higley  further  moved  that 
the  governing  committee  have  the  banner  suitably  framed  and  hung  in  the 
rooms. 

A  call  was  made  for  a  speech  from  Mahlon  Chance,  and  that  gentleman 
responded  in  a  most  patriotic  and  eloquent  tribute  to  the  moral  virtues  and 
prowess  of  the  American  Eagle. 

In  December  Colgate  Hoyt  was  unanimously  elected  chairman  of  the 
governing  committee.  On  the  12th  of  the  month,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Society, 
President  Southard  named  the  following  committees,  to  serve  during  the  com- 
ing year:  Literature  and  art,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Frankhn  Tuttle,  Dan  C. 
Beard,  Louis  H.  Severance,  S.  H.  Parsons;  entertainment.  Warren  Higley, 
David  H.  Bates,  Jr.,  Peter  H.  Burnett,  Noah  H.  Swayne  2d,  Andrew  Ernest 
Foye;  library,  P.  F.  ColHer,  R.  J.  Chard,  Elijah  G.  Boardman,  W.  H.  Jen- 
nings, Hamilton  Busbey;  auditing,  H.  A.  Glassford,  Henry  L.  Carr,  J.  H. 
Hewson,  C.  C.  Shayne,  James  G.  Newcomb. 

Mr.  Crall  read  an  editorial  from  a  Cincinnati  paper,  dealing  with  the 
question  of  the  date  of  Ohio's  admission  to  the  Union.  An  interesting  discus- 
sion followed,  in  which  Mr,  Chance,  Mr.  Crall  and  President  Southard  took 
part.  The  Society  invited  Mr.  Chance  to  read  a  paper  at  the  next  meeting, 
setting  forth  the  arguments  in  favor  of  November  29,  1802,  as  the  date  of 
Ohio's  admission  to  the  Union.  Mr.  Chance  announced  that  a  Maryland  So- 
ciety was  being  formed  in  an  adjoining  room,  with  purposes  and  aims  similar 
to  those  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  suggested  the  appropriateness  of  the  Ohio 
Society  sending  greetings  and  good  wishes  for  the  prosperous  and  useful 
career  to  the  new  Society.  Mr.  Chance  was  appointed  by  the  chair  to  convey 
to  the  Maryland  Society  the  fraternal  greeting  and  good  wishes  of  the  Ohio 
Society. 

A  special  meeting  was  called  on  December  16th  at  the  office  of  General 

283 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Swayne,  to  take  action  relative  to  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Calvin  S.  Brice.  A 
committee  were  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions. 

Vice-President  Foye,  at  the  meeting  of  February  9,  1899,  made  a  report 
as  to  the  progress  of  the  banquet  committee,  expressing  the  hope  that  the  So- 
ciety would  have  the  President  of  the  United  States  present  as  its  guest,  at 
the  coming  annual  banquet,  and  stated  that  President  Southard  and  Colonel 
Strong  were  then  in  Washington  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  the  President's 
convenience  as  to  date,  etc.  At  this  point  President  Southard  appeared,  hav- 
ing just  arrived  from  Washington,  and  reported  the  regrettable  fact  that 
the  President,  on  account  of  the  approaching  close  of  Congress,  and  the  un- 
usual importance  of  the  measures  to  be  presented  to  him,  had  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  attend  the  banquet  this  year, 
but  that  another  year  he  hoped  to  have  the  pleasure  of  being  present  with 
the  Society. 

The  thirteenth  annual  banquet  of  the  Society  was  held  in  the  grand 
banquet  hall  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria  on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  February 
25,  1899.  The  gentlemen  here  named  served  as  the  banquet  committee: 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  William  L.  Strong,  WilHam  L.  Brown,  Samuel 
Thomas,  Abner  McKinley,  Leander  H.  Crall,  George  E.  Armstrong,  Warren 
Higley,  Louis  H.  Severance,  Peter  F.  Collier,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  H.  B.  Brun- 
drett,  Richard  J.  Chard,  Wager  Swayne,  Anson  G.  ]\IcCook,  Colgate  Hoyt, 
Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Tliomas  H.  Wheeler,  David  Homer  Bates,  John  J.  Mc- 
Cook,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  C.  C.  Shayne,  H.  B.  C.  Plimpton, 
Evarts  L.  Prentiss.  The  following  gentlemen  constituted  the  reception  com- 
mittee: Henry  B.  Wilson,  chairman;  William  S.  Hawk,  James  G.  Newcomb, 
Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Rollin  M.  Morgan,  Lowell  M.  Palmer,  Charles  F.  Dean, 
L.  A.  Williams,  L.  D.  Morrison,  George  P.  Tangeman,  William  Ford  Upson, 
Frank  D.  Pavey,  Frederick  C.  Train,  Francis  B.  Stedman,  David  Homer 
Bates,  Jr.,  Francis  B.  Swayne,  Homer  Lee,  H.  H.  Brockway,  Charles  A. 
Clegg,  Charles  S.  Hayes,  P.  S.  Jennings. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  William  R.  Day,  president  of  the  Peace  Commis- 
sion, and  Whitelaw  Reid,  a  member  of  the  commission,  were  Ohioans,  the  usual 
annual  dinner  was  turned  into  a  banquet  in  honor  of  the  American  Peace 
Commissioners.  It  was,  as  all  declared,  the  most  brilliant  event  in  the  history 
of  the  Society  up  to  that  date. 

Nearly  300  members  and  guests  met  in  the  banquet  hall.  National  colors 
decorated  the  walls  and  American  Beauty  roses  were  strewn  lavishly  over  all 
the  tables.  Two  of  the  peace  commissioners  and  the  commission's  secretary  sat 
at  the  head  table  with  Gen.  Wesley  ]\Ierritt.  The  governor  of  Ohio  was  also 
present;  his  military  aids,  glittering  in  gold  braid,  sat  b}'  the  side  of  the 
victor  in  the  Far  East.    In  the  galleries,  which  were  draped  in  evergreen  vines 

284 


we  \f)mi§ioi]er/ 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  roses,  sat  more  than  a  hundred  women,  who  added  brilliancy  to  the  scene 
and  sparkle  to  the  wit  of  the  speakers. 

But  the  distinctive  achievement  of  the  banquet  was  the  fact  that  the 
diplomatic  silence  which  has  sealed  the  lips  of  the  peace  commissioners  ever 
since  those  eventful  days  in  Paris  was  broken  and  the  position  assumed  by  the 
United  States  made  open  and  clear.  This  was  done  by  the  speeches  of  Sen- 
ator Gray  of  Delaware,  a  Democrat,  who  declared  that  in  this  juncture  "  we 
are  all  Republicans,"  and  of  Whitelaw  Reid,  who  was  equally  frank  in  his  ref- 
erences to  the  work  of  the  commission  and  its  results.  Tlie  straightforward 
declaration  of  Senator  Gray,  that  "  we  have  got  the  Phihppines,  and  have  got 
them  bad,"  was  vehemently  cheered  by  all  present. 

General  Merritt  was  conspicuous  in  his  civilian  dress.  Nothing  indicated 
his  high  military  rank,  which  was  accentuated,  however,  by  the  glare  and  ght- 
ter  of  gold  braid  all  about  him. 

The  banquet  was  a  little  late  in  starting.  It  was  nearly  8  o'clock  before 
the  members  and  their  guests  were  seated.  At  the  principal  table  sat  the 
president  of  the  Society,  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  and  the  following  guests: 
Senator  George  Gray,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Major  Gen.  Wesley  Merritt,  Gov.  Asa 
S.  Bushnell,  William  R.  Harper,  ex-Gov.  James  E.  Campbell,  John  B.  Moore, 
secretary  of  the  peace  commission ;  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Gen.  Wilham  P.  Orr, 
Gen.  J.  E.  Lowes,  Col.  Charles  B.  Wing,  Col.  Julius  Flischman,  Col.  W.  L. 
Holmes,  Col.  Robert  C.  McKinney,  Gen.  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  Col.  C.  E. 
Burke,  Gen.  J.  Kent  Hamilton,  Gen.  H.  B.  Kingsley,  Charles  F.  James,  and 
C.  L.  Kurtz. 

There  were  absent,  however,  several  prominent  men  whom  the  Society  was 
especially  desirous  of  having  at  this  banquet.  These  were  William  R.  Day, 
president  of  the  peace  commission ;  Senator  Frye,  a  member  of  the  commission, 
and  Senator  Marcus  A.  Hanna.  Not  one  of  these  could  be  present,  but  sent 
regrets. 

As  soon  as  the  dinner  was  over  President  Southard,  who  acted  as  toast- 
master,  made  the  introductory  address.  He  said : 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society :  This  is  our  thirteenth  annual  banquet, 
and  on  behalf  of  the  Society  I  bid  you  and  our  guests,  each  and  all,  a  sincere 
and  hearty  welcome.  I  salute  the  ladies  in  the  galleries  and  would  embrace 
them  also — in  my  welcome.  (Laughter,  in  which  the  ladies  heartily  joined.) 
Once  in  each  recurring  year  we  are  accustomed  to  meet  around  the  festal 
board,  to  interchange  personal  greetings,  to  '  eat,  drink  and  be  merry,'  and, 
last  but  not  least,  to  be  entertained  by  addresses  from  our  distinguished 
guests. 

"  Every  now  and  then  at  these  dinners  we  have  taken  it  into  our  heads 
to  suggest  an  available  candidate  for  president  or  vice-president  of  the  United 

£85 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

States,  and  the  suggestion  is  usually  equivalent  to  a  nomination  and  election. 
The  choice  is  apt  to  fee  of  a  native  or  citizen  of  Ohio,  and  if  the  candidate, 
like  McKinley,  happens  to  be  a  member  of  this  Society,  the  objection  is 
promptly  waived.  We  flatter  ourselves  that  McKinley  reached  the  chief  execu- 
tive chair  through  the  portals  of  this  Society.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  We  do  not  limit  the  choice,  however,  to  the  sons  of  Ohio.  We  are  too 
generous  for  that,  and  too  mindful  also  of  the  eminent  qualifications  of  the 
distinguished  sons  of  other  states.  What  we  wish  to  impress  and  make  clear 
is  this:  that  the  skies  of  our  banquet  are  surcharged  with  presidential  light- 
ning and  it  is  Kkely  to  strike  a  tall  statesman  at  any  time. 

"  Celebrated  as  Ohio's  sons  are  for  learning,  virtue  and  courage,  their 
chief  characteristic  is  yet  to  be  named.  It  is  meekness.  Mr.  McKelway,  the 
brilliant  editor  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle^  who  is  celebrated  for  his  far-reaching 
discernment,  divined  and  proclaimed  this  truth  a  few  years  ago  at  one  of  our 
banquets.  And  he  then  drew  some  deductions  from  this  rare  trait  of  char- 
acter, and  also  made  a  prophecy.  He  said :  '  The  meek  shall  inherit  the 
earth.'  And  behold,  straightway  McKinley  stepped  from  the  governorship 
of  Ohio  to  the  presidential  chair.  And  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army 
and  navy,  on  behalf  of  the  nation,  he  forthwith  took  possession  of  Cuba  and 
Porto  Rico,  the  fairest  flowers  of  the  Antilles,  and  the  far-off  Philippines, 
brightest  gems  of  the  Pacific.  One  more  stride  like  that  and  our  dominions 
will  encircle  the  globe  and  the  prophecy  be  fulfilled. 

"  But,  seriously,  the  achievements  of  the  last  year  read  more  like  dreams 
of  romance  than  the  chronicles  of  reality.  Who  could  have  foretold  the  wide 
eventuahties  of  the  Spanish- American  war.''  And  who  can  now  predict  the 
future  consequences  upon  the  nation  and  upon  the  world.''  A  year  ago,  in 
December,  friendly  interchanges  of  relations  took  place  between  Spain  and 
the  United  States,  but  the  cruel  war  in  Cuba  went  on ;  in  February  came  the 
destruction  of  the  Maine  and  the  loss  of  ^QQ  of  our  gallant  and  patriotic  sail- 
ors ;  a  few  weeks  of  self-restraint  and  suppressed  anger  and  then  the  declara- 
tion of  war.  Within  less  than  four  months  after,  the  military  and  naval  power 
of  Spain  had  been  hopelessly  crushed,  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  achievements 
of  our  army  and  navy  had  startled  the  nations  of  the  world  and  made  them 
realize  as  they  had  never  done  before  the  matchless  power  of  the  great  Re- 
public of  the  West.  Our  countrymen,  too,  were  filled  with  military  ardor  and 
high  civic  pride. 

"  But  a  new  duty  now  devolves  upon  the  nation,  a  duty  fraught  with 
many  difficulties.  Just  how  it  shall  best  be  discharged  is  yet  to  be  determined. 
The  obligation  to  make  provision  for  the  government  of  these  newly  acquired 
possessions  devolves  upon  Congress,  and  its  members  have  before  them  the 
great  charters  of  our  liberties  and  the  lessons  and  blessings  of  freedom  to 

9,m 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

guide  them.  Let  us  hope  and  trust  that  the  outcome  may  be  one  that  will 
redound  to  the  welfare  of  our  people  and  to  the  perpetuity  and  glory  of  the 
nation  as  the  world's  gi'eat  exemplar  of  freedom  and  right. 

"  On  the  signing  of  the  protocol  and  the  cessation  of  hostilities  the  work 
was  not  yet  done.  A  definitive  treaty  of  peace  must  be  concluded.  The  Pres- 
ident appointed  a  commission  of  five  eminent  statesmen  to  perform  that  diffi- 
cult and  delicate  task.  Their  labors  have  been  completed,  and  the  result 
ratified  by  the  Senate,  and,  no  doubt,  will  soon  meet  with  the  sanction  of  the 
Cortes,  and  thus  become  permanently  operative  upon  the  two  countries. 

"  Our  banquet  Is  given  in  honor  of  these  high  commissioners,  and  we 
hope  during  the  evening  to  hear  of  all  their  diplomatic  experiences.  Now 
that  the  Senate  has  acted  upon  the  treaty,  may  I  not  say  to  our  distinguished 
guests  as  did  the  ancient  Greek  to  the  Trojans:  '  Lawful  be  it  to  sparkle  in 
the  air  their  secrets  all.'  " 

When  Mr.  Southard  proposed  the  health  of  President  McKInley  it  was 
drunk  standing,  amid  cheers,  the  band  striking  up  "  The  Star  Spangled 
Banner." 

When  Mr.  Southard  introduced  Senator  Gray  the  first  great  outburst 
of  enthusiasm  took  place.  The  applause  did  not  subside  until  after  ex-Mayor 
Strong  had  proposed  three  cheers  for  the  senator  and  they  had  been  given 
with  a  will.  Senator  Gray  spoke  at  some  length  to  close  attention  and  fre- 
quent and  loud  applause.  His  statement  of  his  views  as  to  the  duty  of  the 
hour  In  the  PhlHppines  was  regarded  as  extremely  significant,  and  his  ut- 
terances were  warmly  welcomed.     He  said: 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society :  I  can  only  thank 
you  for  this  cordial  welcome,  and  say  how  hard  your  president  has  made  it 
for  me  to  speak,  after  his  compliment  so  undeserved  and  so  laudatory.  I 
could  best  attest  my  respect  for  the  Ohio  Society  In  New  York  and  my  eager 
desire  to  be  with  you  on  this  occasion  by  coming  at  some  Inconvenience  and  at 
some  threatened  neglect  of  public  duties,  somewhat  suddenly  and  on  some- 
what short  notice,  in  order  that  I  might  participate  with  j^ou  in  this  magnifi- 
cent banquet. 

"  Mr.  President,  you  ought  to  be  very  proud  of  their  Society,  citizens  by 
birth  of  Ohio,  here  on  the  seaboard,  and  in  this  great  metropolis  of  New  York, 
so  strong  In  numbers  and  In  Intellect  and  In  character.  We  feel — those  of  us 
who  have  not  that  privilege,  those  of  us  born  outside  the  sacred  pale  of  Ohio, 
that  it  Is  a  privilege  that  does  not  often  come,  and  that  must  be  appreciated 
when  It  does  come,  to  be  your  guests.  When  I  look  over  this  assembly  of 
Ohioans  and  recollect  the  history  of  that  great  central  state  of  our  Union,  I 
know  that  you  feel,  as  I  have  just  said,  a  just  pride  In  your  nativity  and  in 
the  state  to  which  you  all  owe  the  allegiance  of  birth. 

287 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  But  there  is  another  thought  that  comes  with  this,  that  while  you  are 
Ohioans  and  while  you  have  done  so  much  to  illustrate  all  that  is  best  in  Amer- 
ican liistory  and  in  American  statesmanship,  I  also  belong  to  your  company 
by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  I  and  you,  too,  are  American  citizens  (applause), 
and  by  that  high  title  I  claim  to  be  at  home  among  you  to-night.  There  is 
something  very  grateful  to  me  always  in  an  occasion  like  this  that  is  dis- 
tinctively one  springing  from  state  pride  and  from  that  love  of  self-govern- 
ment that  belongs  to  our  states,  something  that  illustrates  to  my  mind  the 
strength  of  our  institutions.  Stretcliing  from  ocean  to  ocean  as  a  nation,  we 
yet  preserve  our  loyalty  to  the  communities  that  we  govern  and  to  which  we 
belong,  and  that  must  preserve  in  the  future,  as  it  has  preserv^ed  in  the  past, 
the  true  glory  of  American  institutions.  I  am  always  thankful  that  the  map 
of  this  great  country  is  not  painted  over  with  one  color;  that  the  states  in 
every  map  appear  distinctively  as  self-governed  sovereign  states,  and  that 
from  them  up  to  the  pinnacle  of  national  greatness  come  the  springs  of  our 
greatness  and  the  source  of  all  that  we  hope  for  as  the  strength  of  our 
future. 

"  You  have  just  cause  to  be  proud,  my  fellow-citizens  from  Ohio,  in  the 
occasion  on  which  you  are  assembled  to-night,  and  I  can  speak  to-night  with- 
out any  suspicion  or  imputation  of  self-glorification,  because  it  is  for  me  to 
bear  witness  to  you  to  the  important  part  that  Ohio  has  performed  in  the 
great  concluding  act  of  this  drama  of  the  war  with  Spain.  It  is  a  very  great 
honor,  my  friends,  that  not  only  did  you  contribute  your  citizen  soldiery  to 
the  defense  of  our  great  Republic,  but  that  you  also  contributed  the  character 
and  the  statesmanship  and  that  broad-minded  judgment  in  the  persons  of  two 
who  on  that  peace  commission  appointed  by  the  President,  also  from  Ohio, 
have  brought  to  a  conclusion  the  war  with  Spain  by  a  definitive  treaty  of 
peace.  And  let  me  say — because  it  is  a  pleasure  for  me  to  say  it  in  his  ab- 
sence— that  no  state  in  this  Union  could  have  contributed  to  that  function, 
or  any  other  great  diplomatic  function  of  statecraft,  a  mind  and  a  character 
more  equipoised,  settled,  clear  and  strong  than  was  contributed  by  Ohio  when 
she  sent  that  quiet,  sensible,  strong  statesman,  William  R.  Day,  to  Paris  to 
conclude  the  treaty  of  peace.  Always  self-contained,  never  self-exploitative, 
always  self-suppressed,  yet  firm  and  courageous  in  the  perfonnance  of  duty 
as  he  saw  it,  he  has  illustrated  the  very  highest  traits  of  American  statesman- 
ship and  American  character  in  the  work  that  we  brought  home  with  us  from 
the  other  side  of  the  ocean. 

"  I  speak  of  him  first  because  he  was  the  president  of  the  commission 
appointed  by  the  President.  But  Ohio's  honors  did  not  cease  there.  He  was 
ably  seconded  by  another  son  of  Ohio,  who,  with  untiring  zeal  and  devotion 
to  his  country's  interests  as  he  saw  them,  with  the  patriotic  and  single  purpose 

288 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  achiieve  and  promote  the  glory  and  honor  and  safety  of  his  country — your 
distinguished  fellow-statesman,  the  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid,  who  sits  at  my  left 
— has  secured  for  himself  a  place  in  the  galaxy  of  American  statesmen  that 
must  ever  remain  an  honor  to  him  and  to  the  great  state  that  gave  him  birth. 

"  And  now,  my  friends,  your  president  has  said  that  he  hoped  to  hear 
all  the  diplomatic  secrets  with  which  we  were  supposed  to  be  surcharged,  and 
that  we  were  to  display  to-night  to  you  something  that  would  gratify  your 
curiosity  and  your  patriotism  by  telling  you  of  things  that  happened,  that 
you  have  a  right  to  know,  in  those  negotiations  which  we  considered  so  im- 
portant and  which  form  such  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  our  country.  Well, 
our  great  secret  is,  that  we  have  no  secret  to  disclose.  Our  conduct  there  was 
in  unison  and  in  line  with  American  traditions  of  diplomacy.  We  knew  noth- 
ing of  intrigue  or  finesse,  but  we  sought  to  meet  the  trained  diplomacy  of 
Europe  by  straightforward  and  direct  methods  of  American  statesmanship 
and  American  character.     ( Cries  of  '  You  did  it,  too ! ' ) 

"  We  were  far  away,  and  we  felt  that  we  five  men — felt  it  with  an  in- 
tensity that  I  cannot  describe  adequately — represented  our  country  and  its 
interests,  its  future,  and  in  a  measure  its  destiny,  and  whatever  differences 
we  had  in  our  own  council  chamber,  and  we  had  many,  there  was  but  a  solid 
and  single  commission  when  we  were  opposed  to  the  enemies  of  our  country. 
We  recollected  that  whatever  our  differences  of  opinion  might  be,  when  we 
came  to  deal  with  the  great  interests  of  the  United  States  as  opposed  to  those 
of  Spain,  that  political  opinion  sank  into  insignificance  before  the  great  par- 
amount consideration  that  we  were  Americans  charged  with  responsibility  for 
America,  charged  with  a  duty  to  our  country,  which  we  endeavored  humbly 
in  the  sight  of  God  to  perform. 

"  There  may  have  been  some  questions  as  to  the  policy  of  acquiring  the 
Philippines  at  all ;  there  may  have  been  grave  doubts  as  to  whether  we  should 
go  outside  of  the  declaration  with  which  the  war  was  commenced  and  confined, 
and  extend  our  view  outside  of  this  hemisphere  to  the  distant  Orient ;  but  there 
came  a  time  in  the  course  of  those  negotiations — and  this,  perhaps,  is  one  of 
the  secrets  to  which  your  president  alluded — when  after  four  or  five  weeks 
of  doubt  and  anxiety  it  became  apparent  that  these  negotiations  must  either 
be  broken  off  and  your  commissioners  return  without  a  treaty  at  all,  and  that 
we  would  be  relegated  to  the  necessity  of  taking  not  only  the  Philippines,  but 
Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  military  conquest,  or  by  some 
concessions  that  comported  with  the  magnanimity  and  greatness  and  char- 
acter of  this  country ;  gain  them  by  the  voluntary  cession  of  a  treaty  of  peace. 
And,  therefore,  we  believed  that  it  was  better  for  this  country,  strong  in  the 
hours  of  its  victories,great  in  the  hour  of  its  triumphs,that  it  should  to  a  beaten 
and  prostrate  foe  exhibit  that  magnanimity  of  which  I  spoke,  and  take  from 

289 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

them  by  voluntary  cession  and  by  purchase,  so  to  speak,  those  distant  islands 
rather  than  to  expose  ourselves  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  to  the  playing  of  a 
role  of  barbaric  conquest,  and  by  miHtary  power  treading  the  path  of  mediae- 
val rapine  and  warfare. 

"  I  speak  as  one,  as  my  friend  on  my  left  and  colleague  on  the  late  com- 
mission will  bear  me  witness,  who  was  reluctant  to  enter  this  role  that  we  are 
now  playing.  I  speak  as  one  who  shared  perhaps  the  most  conservative  views 
on  this  question  that  anywhere  are  expressed  in  this  broad  land  of  ours;  but 
when  I  find  that  those  who  now  are  or  lately  have  been  opposed  to  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  treaty  at  all,  all  with  one  voice  and  one  accord,  from  Senator  Hoar 
down  through  the  ranks  of  the  opposition,  declare  that  whatever  might  betide 
us,  we  must  drive  out  Spain  from  the  Philippine  Islands  and  keep  her  out, 
then  there  was  but  one  plain  path  of  duty  before  those  who  thought  as  I  did, 
and  I  could  form  no  other  opinion  then,  as  I  have  no  other  opinion  now,  than 
that  it  was  our  duty  to  take  those  islands  and  hold  them  in  trust  for  the  great 
purposes  of  American  freedom  and  American  liberty,  guided  by  all  of  our  his- 
tory that  lies  behind  us,  and  moving  forward  to  a  goal  that  must  bring  hap- 
piness, with  law  and  liberty,  to  peoples  who  never  before  had  known  what  they 
meant. 

"  How  idle,  in  view  of  the  opinion  thus  formed,  must  seem  the  criticisms 
of  those  who  are  invoking  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  time- 
honored  maxims  to  which  we  all  adhere,  that  all  just  government  rests  on  the 
consent  of  the  governed!  Why,  don't  we  know  that,  after  all,  the  achieve- 
ment of  liberty,  ordered  and  governed  by  law,  is  a  practical  thing  and  not  a 
thing  of  phrases?  Don't  we  know  that  it  would  be  absolutely  impossible  that 
those  people  who  for  400  years  had  known  no  government  but  that  of  Spain, 
who  had  no  realization  of  civilization  except  what  had  been  filtered  down 
through  the  oppressions  of  a  conquering  race?  Don't  we  know  that  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  conceive,  much  less  achieve,  the  notion  of  American 
liberty  until  the  strong  hand  of  American  power  had  established  the  law  and 
the  order  which  would  give  place  and  opportunity  for  the  blessings  that  are 
spoken  of  when  we  so  apostrophize  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  lib- 
erty ? 

"  Now,  another  thing  and  you  will  pardon  me,  because  this  Is  becoming 
a  very  practical  question,  and  fills  all  our  hearts  and  minds,  I  know,  with  anx- 
iety and  with  thoughtfulness  in  regard  to  the  future — we  are  thinking  about 
it,  and  talking  about  it  in  our  homes  and  in  our  offices  and  places  of  business — 
I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  this  fact  and  to  this  consideration :  After  the 
signing  of  the  protocol,  on  August  12  last,  by  which  an  armistice  and  truce 
were  brought  about  between  Spain  and  the  United  States,  Manila,  its  harbors 
and  bay,  were  occupied  by  the  forces  of  the  United  States,  and  General  Mer- 

290 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ritt,  commanding  the  force  and  gallant  army  then  in  those  waters,  landed  and 
proceeded  to  hold  in  strict  obedience  to  the  terms  of  that  protocol  that  city, 
with  his  colleague,  Admiral  Dewey. 

"  Spain's  power  had  been  broken ;  her  fleets  had  been  destroyed ;  her 
ai-my  had  been  surrendered,  and  there  we  stxDod,  the  guardians  of  those  people 
that  we  had  just  rescued  from  the  despotism  of  four  hundred  years.  There 
we  stood,  with  our  flag  and  our  soldiery  and  our  sailors,  as  the  guarantee  of 
American  honor  and  American  liberty  to  those  poor  people.  And  now  what 
was  to  happen?  And  what  has  occurred?  Before  the  armistice  is  over,  with- 
out a  single  departure  from  the  strict  obligation  imposed  upon  the  United 
States  and  its  armies  by  that  armistice,  before  the  treaty  of  peace  was  ratified, 
and  while  we  stood  there  with  arms  at  rest  guarding  those  people,  having 
driven  out  their  oppressors,  waiting  for  the  definitive  ratification  of  the  treaty 
with  their  enemy  and  ours,  they  exhibited  their  idea  of  Hberty,  their  idea  of 
obligation,  by  attacking  without  provocation  the  army  that  had  come  to  de- 
liver them  and  the  fleet  that  had  co-operated  with  it  and  brought  about  the 
conflict  which  is  now,  unhappily,  being  waged  in  those  distant  islands. 

"  What  have  we  got  to  say  about  the  Declaration  of  Independence?  Are 
we  to  stop  while  our  soldiers  are  being  shot  down  and  our  sailors  staining  the 
decks  of  American  men-of-war  with  their  blood,  and  preach  to  them  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  and  the  saying  of  Thomas  Jeff'erson,  that  all  just 
government  rests  on  the  consent  of  the  governed?  Let  us  have,  at  least,  op- 
portunity— and  we  say  it  in  the  presence  of  the  world  which  is  to  pass  upon 
our  conduct,  and  we  invoke  the  public  opinion  of  the  civilized  nations  of  the 
earth  as  to  the  justice  of  our  position — let  us  have  at  least  the  opportunity  to 
show  those  people  what  we  meant  and  what  we  intended,  before  we  commence 
to  talk  to  them  about  government  resting  upon  the  consent  of  the  governed. 

"  What  analogy  is  there  between  their  position  and  ours  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War?  I  have  heard  it  over  and  over  again  on  the  floor  of  Congress 
and  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  with  vociferous  iteration,  asserted  that 
they  had  as  much  justification  in  taking  up  arms  and  shooting  down  American 
citizens  and  American  soldiers  as  had  the  patriots  of  '76  in  resisting  the 
forces  of  King  George.  Why,  for  150  years  prior  to  the  Revolution  of  '76 
we  had  lived  under  English  government,  had  protested  against  its  injustice, 
had  formulated  our  grievances,  and  had  petitioned  for  their  rectification  and 
adjustment,  and  then  only  went  to  arms  when  all  others  means  failed.  Men 
of  their  own  race,  men  as  capable  of  self-government  as  the  governing  power 
itself.  And  here  are  a  people  who  never  knew  self-government,  who  have 
groaned  iiiider  Spanish  oppression  in  all  these  centuries ;  and  for  the  first  time 
in  all  their  history  they  have  had  a  gleam  of  light  brought  to  them  by  the 
flag  carried  by  Merritt  and  Dewey.     And  yet  they  are  compared  to  the  pa- 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

triots  who  in  '76  were  driven  to  arms  against  King  George  and  his  forces  on 
the  continent  of  America.  It  is  absurd,  and  it  is  stuff  and  nonsense  to  talk 
about  there  being  any  kind  of  comparison  between  the  two  historic  epochs.  I 
want,  as  much  as  any  one,  to  illustrate  American  character  and  American 
principles  wherever  the  American  flag  floats ;  but  give  us  the  opportunity, 
and  stop  shooting  American  soldiers  and  American  sailors,  and  we  will  tell  you 
then  what  we  will  do. 

"  Then  what  are  we  to  do  now.'^  To-night,  in  the  face  of  this  great 
crisis,  for  such  it  is,  we  are  all  Democrats  and  we  are  all  Republicans,  and, 
more  than  all,  we  are  all  Americans.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  what  we  have  un- 
dertaken in  the  sight  of  the  world  is  carried  out,  and  let  us  not  turn  our  backs 
upon  a  duty  that  is  so  plain  that  no  man  can  mistake  it.  Let  us  tell  these 
poor  people  that  we  have  come  to  give  them  the  liberty  they  are  fighting  for, 
and  which  they  can  never  attain  except  with  our  aid.  Why,  we  were  their 
allies,  and  they  have  shed  our  blood.  And  yet,  with  it  all,  I  bespeak  for  them 
a  patient  and  long-suffering  consideration  that  is  becoming  the  greatness  and 
the  power  and  the  precepts  of  the  great  nation  to  which  we  belong.  We  will 
give  them  better  government  than  they  have  ever  dreamed  of  having.  We 
will  give  them  liberty  governed  by  law,  and  we  will  do  it  at  all  costs  and  at 
all  hazards,  and  we  will  not  go  back  on  American  manhood  and  American 
citizenship  and  the  principles  of  American  Hberty  in  doing  it. 

"  We  cannot  retreat.  We  cannot  sail  away  from  those  islands  now. 
However  we  might  have  done  so  in  October  or  November,  we  cannot  do  it  in 
Februarys  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  ninety-nine.  And  so,  my  friends, 
we  are  here  to-night,  considering  for  a  moment  on  this  festal  occasion  these 
grave  duties  and  these  grave  responsibilities  that  belong  to  this  great  nation 
of  ours,  and  to  its  citizenship  and  to  every  individual  citizen  among  us. 

"  Thank  God  that  no  American  hand  ever  wielded  a  sword  or  pointed  a 
gun  that  behind  that  hand  there  was  not  an  American  conscience.  Thank 
God  that  every  American  conscience  is  awakened,  and  that  this  matter  is  de- 
bated at  every  crossroad  in  this  great  land  of  ours,  and  that  when  America 
makes  up  her  mind  and  has  debated  and  has  satisfied  herself  that  her  cause  is 
just,  then  nothing  can  impede  her  way  or  stop  her  progress  in  achieving  the 
results  at  which  she  aims. 

"  We  did  not  go  to  war  until  the  American  conscience  was  awakened. 
We  bore  and  forbore  for  many  long  years  a  condition  of  affairs  in  the  neigh- 
boring islands  of  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  that  had  become  abhorrent  to  the 
sense  of  American  justice  and  to  American  humanity.  And  it  was  only  after 
all  that,  until  the  great  provocation  of  the  loss  of  our  battle-ship  ]\Iaine  and 
the  sacrifice  of  266  gallant  American  sailors,  that  at  last  the  indignation  of 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

this  country  was  aroused  and  we  declared  that  housekeeping  so  outrageous 
should  not  exist  right  next  door  to  us. 

"  My  friends,  we  all  owe  a  duty  to  our  neighbors,  and  I  always  liken  the 
situation  of  our  country  in  tliis  matter  of  Cuba  and  the  difficulties  in  Cuba 
to  that  of  a  law-abiding  citizen  living  in  one  of  our  civilized  and  orderly 
American  communities.  Because,  not  only  are  the  citizens  law-abiding,  but 
this  country  is  law-abiding,  and  when  that  law-abiding  citizen  finds  right 
next  door  to  him  there  is  an  ill-governed,  ill-regulated  household — ^the  head 
of  the  house  beating  his  wife  and  starving  his  cliildren — he  bears  it  day  after 
day,  because  he  is  a  law-abiding  citizen,  until  at  last  the  outcry  becomes  so 
great  and  the  outrage  so  enormous  that  he  can  bear  it  no  longer,  and  he  goes 
in  and  takes  his  neighbor  by  the  throat  and  says :  '  This  thing  must  stop ! ' 
and  he  does  it  because  he  is  his  neighbor. 

"  And  that  was  our  attitude  in  the  war  with  Spain.  But  war  was  de- 
clared, and  no  one  can  tell  what  the  consequences  of  war,  once  entered  upon, 
are  to  be.  It  may  set  the  whole  world  aflame.  But  if  we  went  into  it  right- 
eously, if  we  went  into  it  with  an  awakened  conscience,  if  we  went  into  it  with 
a  justification  that  satisfied  the  moral  sense  of  the  American  people,  then, 
come  what  may,  as  American  citizens  and  as  American  men,  we  will  face 
them,  whatever  they  may  be. 

"  And  now,  my  friends,  this  is  not  the  time  to  talk  to  the  Philippines,  or 
to  give  promises  to  the  world  as  to  what  we  are  going  to  do  wdth  these  people 
after  we  have  established  orderly  government  among  them.  We  cannot  do  it 
while  the  crack  of  Mauser  rifles  is  ringing  in  our  ears.  We  must,  because  we 
believe  we  have  the  right,  put  down  this  opposition  and  this  destructive  attack 
that  is  being  made  upon  our  country  and  upon  its  arms  and  navies  in  those 
distant  waters.  We  cannot  reason  with  those  people  now.  It  is  not  now  to 
preach  to  them  the  eternal  doctrines  of  liberty  and  of  freedom,  or  to  read  to 
them  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  We  will  do  that  by  and  by.  I  grant 
you  that  the  situation  is  serious.  I  grant  you  that  the  difficulties 
on  the  path  we  are  treading  seem  to  me  very  great  indeed;  but 
because  duty  is  difficult  and  dangerous  even,  it  cannot  be  avoided  or 
evaded  by  many  men.  We  must  face  our  duties  and  look  them  squarely 
in  the  face.  We  have  got  those  islands,  and  we  have  got  them  bad,  and  we 
are  going  to  live  through  it,  and,  with  or  without  foreign  interference,  we 
will  so  regulate,  I  confidently  believe,  our  conduct  as  that  we  will  give  no 
just  cause  of  offence  to  any  power,  people  or  potentate  in  the  world ;  and,  so 
doing,  we  may  let  the  consequences  take  care  of  themselves. 

"Now,  that  is  the  way  I  feel  about  it,  as  perhaps  the  most  conser\'ative 
and  the  most  loth  of  all  the  citizens  of  this  country — I  won't  say  of  all  the 
members  of  the  commission — to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  Philippines  at 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

all.  But  if,  as  the  opponents  of  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  said,  and  as  I 
said  before,  we  must  drive  out  Spain,  then,  surely,  having  driven  her  out,  we 
cannot  leave  those  islands  derelicts  on  the  wide  Pacific  ocean,  to  be  picked 
up  by  any  aggressive,  grabbing  European  power  that  chooses  some  fine  morn- 
ing to  sail  by  and  plant  its  flag  there. 

"  There  is  one  thing  certain,  that  however  unwise  it  may  be  said  our 
conduct  has  been,  and  however  deleterious  to  our  best  interests  it  may  have 
been,  it  can  bring  nothing  and  has  brought  nothing  to  the  people  of  those 
islands  but  blessing  and  the  promise  of  blessing  such  as  they  never  had  the 
opportunity  to  hope  for  in  all  the  centuries  that  have  passed. 

"  We  know  we  are  doing  them  no  wrong.  We  know  that  they  are  better 
for  all  that  has  happened,  and  for  all  that  will  happen;  and,  if  it  costs  us 
priceless  blood  and  untold  treasure,  then  it  is  a  sacrifice  that  high  civilization 
owes  to  inferior  civilization,  and  we  will  lift  them  up  at  any  cost  and  give  them 
an  opportunity  for  that  self-government  about  which  we  hear  so  much. 
Never  in  all  their  history  has  that  opportunity  come  for  those  people  before. 
Whether  they  are  capable  of  it  or  not,  I  do  not  know.  If  they  are  not  capable 
of  it,  then  we  must  remain  there  long  enough  to  illustrate  American  power 
and  American  manhood  and  American  statesmanship. 

"  When  we  are  convinced  that  they  are  capable  of  it,  in  God's  name  hand 
them  over  the  islands  and  let  them  govern  the  islands  themselves ! 

"  But  we  have  not  only  driven  out  Spain,  their  oppressor,  but  we  intend 
to  drive  out  anarchy  and  barbarism  and  the  half-civilization  that  is  now  so 
destructive  to  American  soldiers  and  American  sailors  in  those  islands.  We 
are  going  to  deliver  them  from  themselves  and  give  them  some  measurable  de- 
gree of  decent  white  man's  government. 

"  Now,  these  are  not  secrets  of  diplomacy.  Thank  God !  American  diplo- 
macy includes  the  whole  citizenship  of  seventy  millions  of  people,  and  their 
secrets  are  the  secrets  of  all.  As  I  said  before,  there  can  be  no  settled  policy 
toward  these  islands  adopted  by  the  government  of  the  United  States  that  does 
not  meet  the  approval  of  the  thoughtful,  liberty-loving.  God-fearing  people 
of  this  country.  It  will  be  debated,  as  I  said  before,  at  every  crossroads,  and 
in  every  schoolhouse,  and  a  judgment  will  be  formed  which  in  action  will  be 
as  irresistible  as  an  avalanche  in  Alpine  mountains,  and  it  cannot  be  evaded, 
and  it  cannot  be  escaped  from. 

"  I  believe  that  in  the  present  crisis — for  it  is  a  crisis — that  we  should 
act  as  we  acted  in  the  war  with  Spain.  We  should  relegate  our  political  dif- 
ferences until  such  time  as  we  may,  without  a  sacrifice  of  American  manhood, 
consider  them.  I  believe  that  we  should  with  one  voice  and  one  mind  stand 
together,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  until  tranquillity  and  peace  are  restored  in 
the  Orient,  and  then  we  will  talk  about  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

then  we  will  preach  the  principles  of  American  liberi:y,  and,  God  helping  us, 
we  will  achieve  for  the  worid  and  for  civihzation  a  triumph  greater  than  has 
ever  been  achieved  in  all  the  ages  that  have  preceded  us. 

"  So  acting,  not  giving  up  our  ideals  by  any  means — for  no  country  can 
afford  to  trample  upon  its  ideals — but  always  mindful  of  them,  we  will  go 
ahead  on  the  path  that  duty  marks  out  for  us,  and,  if  needs  be,  we  will  put 
those  people  in  possession  of  the  land  that  they  inhabit  and  leave  them  to 
govern  it,  if  we  can  leave  them  safely  to  our  interests  to  do  so  and  to  the 
interests  of  themselves.  By  so  doing  we  will  achieve  a  triumph  for  American 
civilization  and  for  American  traditions  more  valuable  to  us  than  all  the 
islands  of  the  seas. 

"  Now,  apologizing  for  having  detained  you  so  long,  if  an  apology  is 
necessary — (cries  of  'No,  no!') — You  are  very  kind  in  encouraging  me  to 
go  on ;  but  my  apology  must  be  that  I  know  that  this  matter  now  is  on  your 
hearts  and  mind,  as  it  is  on  my  heart  and  mind,  and  it  will  continue  to  be  on 
our  hearts  and  minds  until  a  settlement  consistent  with  American  honor  and 
with  American  glory  and  with  American  conscience  and  morality  is  achieved 
in  all  parts  of  the  world." 

Whitelaw  Reid  was  welcomed  with  a  repetition  of  the  cordiality  manifested 
when  his  fellow-commissioner  arose  to  speak.    He  said : 

"  You  call  and  I  obey.  Any  call  from  Ohio,  wherever  it  finds  you,  is  at 
once  a  distinction  and  a  duty.  But  it  would  be  easier  to-night  and  more  natural 
for  me  to  remain  silent. '  I  am  one  of  yourselves,  the  givers  of  the  feast,  and 
the  occasion  belongs  peculiarly  to  my  colleagues  on  the  Peace  Commission.  I 
regret  that  more  of  them  are  not  here  to  tell  you  in  person  how  profoundly  we 
all  appreciate  the  compliment  you  pay  us.  Judge  Day,  after  an  experience 
and  strain  the  like  of  which  few  Americans  of  this  generation  have  so  sud- 
denly and  so  successfully  met,  is  seeking  to  regain  his  strength  at  the  South. 
Senator  Ftye,  at  the  close  of  an  anxious  session,  finds  his  responsible  duties  in 
Washington  too  exacting  to  permit  even  a  day's  absence;  and  Senator  Davis, 
who  could  not  leave  the  care  of  the  treaty  to  visit  his  state  even  when  his  own  re- 
election was  pending,  has  snatched  the  first  moment  of  relief  since  he  was  sent  to 
Paris,  last  summer,  to  go  out  to  St.  Paul  and  meet  the  constituents  who  have 
in  his  absence  renewed  to  him  the  crown  of  a  good  and  faithful  servant. 

"  It  is  all  the  more  fortunate,  therefore,  that  you  are  honored  by  the 
presence  of  the  patriotic  member  of  the  opposition  who  formed  the  regulator 
and  balance-wheel  of  the  commission.  When  Senator  Gray  objected,  we  all  re- 
examined the  processes  of  our  reasoning.  When  he  assented,  we  knew  we  were 
on  soHd  ground  and  went  ahead.  It  was  an  expected  gratification  to  have  with 
you  also  the  accomplished  secretary  and  counsel  to  the  commission,  a  man  as 
modest  and  unobtrusive  as  its  president,  and  like  him  equal  to  any  summons. 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

In  his  regretted  absence,  we  rejoice  to  have  with  us  the  most  distinguished 
mihtary  aid  ordered  to  report  to  the  commission,  and  the  most  important  witness 
before  it — the  Conqueror  of  Manila. 

"  So  much  you  will  permit  me  to  say  in  my  capacity  as  one  of  the  hosts, 
rather  than  as  a  member  of  the  body  to  which  you  pay  this  gracious  compliment. 

*'  It  is  not  for  me  to  speaJc  of  another  figure  necessarily  missing  to-night, 
though  often  with  you  heretofore  at  these  meetings — ^the  member  of  the  Ohio 
Society  who  sent  us  to  Paris !  A  great  and  shining  record  already  speaks  for 
him.  He  will  be  known  in  our  history  as  the  president  who  freed  America 
from  the  Spanish  blight;  who  realized  the  aspiration  of  our  earlier  statesmen, 
cherished  by  the  leaders  of  either  party  through  three-quarters  of  a  century, 
for  planting  the  flag  both  on  Cuba  and  on  the  Sandwich  Islands ;  more  than 
this,  as  the  president  who  has  carried  that  flag  half-way  round  the  world  and 
opened  the  road  for  the  trade  of  the  nation  to  follow  it. 

"  All  this  came  from  simply  doing  his  duty,  from  day  to  day,  as  that  duty 
was  forced  upon  him.  No  other  man  in  the  United  States  held  back  from  war 
as  he  did,  risking  loss  of  popularity,  risking  the  hostility  of  Congress,  risking 
the  harsh  judgment  of  friends  in  agonizing  for  peace.  It  was  no  doubt  in  the 
spirit  of  the  Prince  of  Peace;  but  it  was  also  with  the  wisdom  of  Polonius, 
'  Beware  of  entrance  to  a  quarrel ;  but,  being  in,  bear'st  that  th'  op- 
posed may  beware  of  thee.'  Never  again  will  any  nation  imagine  that  it 
can  trespass  indefinitely  against  the  United  States  with  impunity.  Never  again 
will  an  American  warship  run  greater  risks  in  a  peaceful  harbor  than  in  battle. 
The  world  will  never  again  be  in  doubt  whether,  when  driven  to  war,  we  will  end 
it  in  a  gush  of  sentimentality  or  a  shiver  of  unmanly  apprehension  over  untried, 
responsibilities,  by  fleeing  from  our  plain  duty,  and  at  the  same  time  giving  up 
what  we  are  entitled  to,  before  we  have  even  taken  an  opportunity  to  look  at  it. 

"  But  it  must  be  confessed  that  looking  at  it  during  the  past  week  has 
not  been  an  altogether  cheerful  occupation.  While  the  aspect  of  some  of  these 
new  possessions  remains  so  frowning  there  are  faint  hearts  ready  enough  to  say 
that  the  Peace  Commission  is  in  no  position  to  be  receiving  compliments.  Does 
protection  protect?  is  an  old  question  that  used  to  be  thrown  in  our  faces — 
though  I  believe  even  the  questioners  finally  made  up  their  minds  that  it  did. 
Does  peace  pacify  ?  is  the  question  of  the  hour.  Well,  as  to  our  great  antagon- 
ist, historic,  courageous  Spain,  there  seems  ground  to  hope  and  believe  and  be 
glad  that  it  does — not  merely  toward  us,  but  within  her  own  borders.  When 
she  jettisoned  cargo  that  had  already  shifted  ruinously,  there  is  reason  to  think 
that  she  averted  disaster  and  saved  the  ship.  Then  as  to  Porto  Rico  there  is 
no  doubt  of  peace ;  and  as  to  Cuba  very  little — although  it  would  be  too  much 
to  hope  that  twelve  years  of  civil  war  could  be  followed  by  an  absolute  calm, 
without  disorders. 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  As  to  other  possessions  in  the  farther  East,  we  may  as  well  recognize  at 
once  that  we  are  dealing  now  with  the  same  sort  of  clever  barbarians  as  in  the 
earlier  days  of  the  Republic,  when,  on  another  ocean  not  then  less  distant,  we 
were  compelled  to  encounter  the  Algerian  pirates.  But  there  is  this  difference. 
Then  we  merely  chastised  the  Algerians  into  letting  us  and  our  commerce  alone. 
The  permanent  poHcing  of  that  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  was  not  imposed 
upon  us  by  surrounding  circumstances,  or  by  any  act  of  ours — it  belonged  to 
nearer  nations.  Now  a  war  we  made  has  broken  down  the  only  authority  that 
existed  to  protect  the  commerce  of  the  world  in  one  of  its  greatest  Eastern 
thoroughfares,  and  to  preserve  the  lives  and  property  of  people  of  all  nations 
resorting  to  those  marts.  We  broke  it  down,  and  we  cannot,  dare  not,  display 
the  cowardice  and  selfishness  of  failing  to  replace  it.  However  men  may  differ 
as  to  our  future  policy  in  those  regions,  there  can  be  no  difference  as  to  our 
present  duty.  It  is  as  plain  as  that  of  putting  down  a  riot  in  Chicago,  or  New 
York — all  the  plainer,  because  we  have  until  recently  ourselves  been  taking  the 
very  course  and  doing  the  very  tilings  to  encourage  the  rioters. 

"  A  distinguished  and  patriotic  citizen  said  to  me  the  other  day,  in  a 
Western  city :  '  You  might  have  avoided  this  trouble  in  the  Senate  by  refusing 
title  in  the  Philippines,  exactly  as  in  Cuba,  and  simply  enforcing  renunciation 
of  Spanish  sovereignty.  Why  didn't  you  do  it?  '  The  question  is  important, 
and  the  reason  ought  to  be  understood.  But  at  the  outset  it  should  be  clearly 
realized  that  the  circumstances  which  made  it  possible  to  take  that  course  as  to 
Cuba  were  altogether  exceptional.  For  three-quarters  of  a  century  we  had 
asserted  a  special  interest  and  right  of  interference  there  as  against  any  other 
nation.  It  is  directly  on  our  coast,  and  no  one  doubted  that  at  least  as  much 
order  as  in  the  past  would  be  preserved  there,  even  if  we  had  to  do  it  ourselves. 
There  was  also  the  positive  action  of  Congress,  which  on  the  one  hand  gave  us 
excuse  for  refusing  a  sovereignty  our  highest  legislative  authority  had  dis- 
claimed, and  on  the  other  formally  cast  the  shield  of  our  responsibility  over  the 
island  when  left  without  a  government  or  a  sovereignty.  Besides  there  was  a 
people  there  advanced  enough,  sufficiently  compact  and  homogeneous  in  re- 
ligion, race  and  language,  sufficiently  used  already  to  the  methods  of  govern- 
ment, to  warrant  our  Republican  claim  that  the  sovereignty  was  not  being  left 
in  the  air;  that  it  was  only  left  where  in  the  last  analysis  and  in  a  civilized 
community  it  must  always  reside,  in  the  people  themselves. 

"  And  yet,  under  all  these  conditions,  the  most  difficult  task  your  Peace 
Commissioners  had  at  Paris  was  to  maintain  and  defend  the  demand  for  a  re- 
nunciation of  sovereignty  without  anybody's  acceptance  of  the  sovereignty  thus 
renounced.  International  law  has  not  been  so  taught  or  practiced  abroad ;  and 
it  may  be  frankly  confessed  that  the  Spanish  arguments  on  this  point  were 
learned,  acute,  sustained  by  the  general  judgment  of  Europe,  and  not  easy  to 
refute. 

a97 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  A  similar  demand  concerning  the  Philippines  neither  could  nor  ought 
to  have  been  acquiesced  in  by  the  civilized  world.  Here  were  ten  millions  of 
people  on  a  great  highway  of  commerce,  some  semi-civilized,  some  barbarous, 
others  mere  pagan  savages,  but  nothing  like  a  majority  or  even  a  respectable 
minority  of  them  accustomed  to  self-government  or  believed  to  be  capable  of  it. 
Sovereignty  over  such  a  conglomeration  and  in  such  a  place  could  not  be  left 
in  the  air.  The  civilized  world  would  not  recognize  its  transfer,  unless  trans- 
ferred to  somebody.  Renunciation  under  such  circumstances  would  have  been 
equivalent  in  international  law  to  abandonment,  and  that  would  have  been 
equivalent  to  anarchy  and  a  race  for  seizure  among  the  nations  that  could  get 
there  quickest. 

"  We  could,  of  course,  have  refused  to  accept  the  obligations  of  a  civihzed, 
responsible  nation.  After  breaking  down  government  in  those  commercial 
centres,  we  could  have  refused  to  set  up  anything  in  its  stead,  and  simply 
washed  our  hands  of  the  whole  business ;  but  to  do  that  would  have  been  to  show 
ourselves  more  insensible  to  moral  obligations  than  if  we  had  restored  them  out- 
right to  Spain. 

"  Well,  if  the  elephant  must  be  on  our  hands,  what  are  we  going  to  do  with 
it.''  That  is  the  next  question.  I  venture  to  answer  that  first  we  must  put 
down  the  riot.  The  hves  and  property  of  German  and  British  merchants  must 
be  at  least  as  safe  in  Manila  as  they  were  under  Spanish  rule  before  we  are 
ready  for  any  other  step  whatever. 

"  Next  ought  we  not  to  try  to  diagnose  our  case  before  we  turn  every 
quack  doctor  among  us  loose  on  it ;  understand  what  the  problem  is  before  be- 
ginning heated  partisan  discussions  as  to  the  easiest  way  of  solving  it.''  And 
next,  we  will  probably  fare  best  in  the  end  if  we  try  to  profit  somewhat  by  the 
experience  others  have  had  in  like  cases. 

"  The  widest  experience  has  been  had  by  the  great  nation  whose  people 
and  institutions  are  nearest  like  our  own.  Illustrations  of  her  successful  meth- 
ods may  be  found  in  Egypt  and  in  many  British  dependencies,  but  for  our  pur- 
pose probably  best  of  all  either  on  the  Malay  Peninsula  or  on  the  north  coast 
of  Borneo,  where  she  has  had  the  happiest  results  in  dealing  with  intractable 
types  of  the  worst  of  these  same  races.  Some  rules,  drawn  from  this  experi- 
ence, might  be  distasteful  to  people  who  look  upon  new  possessions  as  merely 
so  much  more  government  patronage,  and  quite  repugnant  to  the  noble  army 
of  office-seekers ;  but  they  surely  mark  the  path  of  safety. 

"  The  first  is  to  meddle  at  the  outset  as  httle  as  possible  with  every  native 
custom  and  institution  and  even  prejudice.  The  next  is  to  use  every  existing 
native  agency  you  can,  and  the  next  to  employ  in  the  government  service  just 
as  few  Americans  as  you  can,  and  only  of  the  best.  Convince  the  natives  of 
your  irresistible  power  and  j^our  inexorable  purpose ;  then  of  j'^our  desire  to  be 

^98 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

absolutely  just,  and  after  that,  not  before,  be  as  kind  as  you  can.  At  the  out- 
set you  will  doubtless  find  your  best  agents  among  the  trained  officers  of  the 
navy  and  the  army,  particularly  the  former.  On  the  retired  list  of  both,  but 
again  particularly  of  the  navy,  ought  to  be  found  just  the  experience,  in  con- 
tact with  foreign  races,  the  moderation,  wide  views,  justice,  rigid  method  and 
inflexible  integrity  you  need.  Later  on  should  come  a  real  civil  service,  with 
such  pure  and  efficient  administration  abroad  as  might  help  us  ultimately  to 
conclude  that  we  ourselves  deserve  as  well  as  the  heathen  and  induce  us  to  set  up 
similar  standards  for  our  own  service  at  home.  Meantime,  if  we  have  taught  the 
heathen  largely  to  govern  theemselves,  without  being  a  hindrance  and  menace  to 
the  civilization  and  the  commerce  of  the  world,  so  much  the  better.  Heaven 
speed  the  day !  If  not,  we  must  even  continue  to  be  responsible  for  them  our- 
selves— a  duty  we  did  not  seek,  but  should  be  ashamed  to  shirk." 

Governor  Bushnell,  of  Ohio,  was  next  introduced,  and  upon  rising  was  re- 
ceived with  much  enthusiasm.     In  part  he  said : 

"  Whether  Westerners  or  Easterners,  Celts  or  Teutons,  Republicans  or 
Democrats,  expansionists  or  non-expansionists,  we  are  all  Buckeyes  here  to- 
night. This  is  one  of  the  occasions  that  I  could  wish  that  the  mantle  of  one 
of  the  world's  greatest  orators  had  fallen  on  me.  But,  no  such  legacy  having 
been  bequeathed  to  me,  what  I  shall  say  will  in  no  wise  equal  the  oration  of 
Mark  Antony  over  the  body  of  Caesar. 

"  What  I  shall  say  will  be  in  praise  of  our  state,  in  glory  of  the  city  of 
New  York  and  of  the  nation  in  which  we  live.  My  speech  will  be  brief,  because 
I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  being  present  two  or  three  times  on  similar  occasions 
to  this  festival  to-night,  and  if  I  attempted  to  make  anything  like  an  extended 
address  I  should  be  like  a  friend  of  mine  whose  wife  was  giving  a  reception  one 
evening.  Just  before  the  guests  began  to  arrive  she  saw  her  husband  carrying 
away  all  the  umbrellas  from  the  hat-rack.  She  said  to  him:  '  Why,  my  dear, 
you  don't  need  to  take  those  umbrellas  away.  Our  guests  will  not  steal  any  of 
them.'  '  Oh,  that's  not  what  troubles  me,'  he  replied,  *  I  am  only  afraid  the 
guests  will  recognize  them.' 

"  There  has  been  something  said  by  the  president  to-night ;  about  the  state 
of  Ohio.  It  is  always  a  pleasure  to  me  to  come  here  and  meet  old  citizens  of 
Ohio,  and  not  only  that,  but  this  is  the  grandest  city  of  our  country,  and 
there  is  no  place  on  the  face  of  the  globe  where  one  can  come  and  meet  better 
friends  or  find  more  enjoyment  than  in  this  great  city  of  yours. 

"  You  expect  me  to  say  a  word  or  two  about  Ohio,  and  I  will  do  so  with 
the  proverbial  modesty  of  the  Ohioan.  Ohio  has  furnished  all  the  Republican 
presidents  save  the  first  and  the  greatest  of  them,  and  has  plenty  of  timber  left 
to  furnish  more.  That  is  not  sajang  that  there  are  not  plenty  here  in  New 
York  who  would  not  make  able  presidents,  but  this  is  a  matter  we  cannot  turn 

299 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

over  to  your  state.  We  have  a  few  secrets  in  Ohio,  which,  however,  I  am  not  go- 
ing to  tell  3'^ou  to-night.  But  those  secrets  are  nothing  against  the  interest  and 
glory  of  the  country.  There  are  a  few  little  things  that  possibly  you  Buckeyes 
had  best  not  know  about,  at  least  just  now.  We  will  let  you  know  about  them 
next  fall. 

"  Ohio  put  the  first  troops  in  the  field  after  the  call  of  the  president  last 
spring,  and  to  the  glory  of  Ohio,  it  may  be  said  that  the  first  American  soldier 
who  lost  his  life  in  the  Spanish  war  was  an  Ohioan.  I  mention  this  to  let  you 
know  that  Ohio  is  always  in  the  front.  You  may  possible  have  heard  about  the 
Ohioan  who,  I  think,  on  one  occasion  hke  this  become  a  little  confused  in  some 
way.  After  the  evening  entertainment  he  did  not  know  exactly  where  he  was, 
and  some  friends,  in  a  joke,  put  him  to  sleep  in  a  cemetery  for  the  night.  In 
the  morning  when  he  woke  up  he  looked  around  and  saw  nothing  but  tombs 
and  monuments.  *  Well,'  he  exclaimed,  '  here's  Ohio,  the  first  man  at  the 
resurrection.' 

"  I  can  understand  why  it  is  that  New  York  city  is  growing  so  rapidly. 
A  great  many  Ohioans  are  coming  here  and  interesting  themselves  in  the  com- 
mercial affairs  of  New  York.  They  come  here  to  make  money,  but  sometimes 
they  go  home  with  less  than  they  brought  with  them. 

"  You  have  heard  considerable  talk  about  Manila  and  our  new  posses- 
sions. We  hear  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  the  question  in  Ohio,  but  I  don't 
think  they  have  any  well-defined  ideas  as  to  what  they  are  to  do  about  it.  The 
feeling  now  with  the  men  there  is  that  the  Filipinos,  for  attacking  our  sailors 
and  soldiers,  should  be  punished  to  the  extent  of  teaching  them  to  respect  the 
American  nation  and  the  American  flag.  When  that  is  done  it  will  be  time 
enough  to  decide  what  course  shall  be  taken  with  the  Filipinos.  When  the 
proper  time  comes,  I  have  no  fear  but  that  this  country  will  act  justly,  and 
that  the  coming  in  contact  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  and  the  Buckeyes  who 
will  go  to  those  islands  to  start  street  railroads  and  other  enterprises  will  have 
the  effect  before  long  of  civilizing  the  natives  and  preparing  them  for  govern- 
ing themselves. 

"  But  the  matter  which  requires  attending  to  immediately  is  that  these 
natives  must  be  taught  to  respect  the  country  and  the  flag.  When  they  have 
received  this  lesson  then  we  will  tell  them  what  kind  of  government  it  will  be 
to  their  advantage  to  have.  This  is  the  last  time  I  shall  come  to  join  you  at 
these  dinners  as  Governor  of  Ohio.  But  I  hope  that  when  I  go  out  of  office 
you  will  be  willing  to  extend  to  me  an  invitation  to  the  fourteenth  annual 
banquet,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  it  will  be  a  great  pleasure  to  me  always  to 
meet  you  at  these  dinners. 

"  Before  closing,  I  may  say  that  I  have  no  fear  of  our  government  and 
that  our  Congress  and  President  will  be  able  to  meet  and  manage  the  diffi- 

soo 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cult  problems  that  now  present  themselves  with  reference  to  our  new  pos- 
sessions. The  proper  course  for  us  to  take,  as  the  distinguished  Senator 
from  Delaware  and  his  no  less  distinguished  colleague,  Mr.  Reid,  have  told 
you,  is  to  go  forward,  and  let  us  show  the  nations  of  the  world  that  America 
lives  to  assist  those  who  need  it  and  to  redress  wrongs  wherever  they  exist." 

General  Merritt  was  then  introduced,  the  chairman  referring  to  him  as 
Admiral  Dewey's  coadjutor,  and  the  man  who  had  written  a  chapter  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States  that  will  live  forever.  As  he  arose  three  cheers 
were  proposed  and  given.    He  said  in  part: 

"  My  surprise  to-night,  after  hearing  so  much  about  Ohio,  has  been  to 
learn  that  so  many  Ohioans  have  come  to  New  York  to  live.  Ohio  enterprise 
has  done  a  great  deal  for  New  York.  The  Philippine  question  has  been  so 
ably  discussed  by  Senator  Gray  and  Mr.  Reid  that  there  is  nothing  for  me  to 
add.  I  am  sure  if  the  Filipinos  had  intelligence  enough  to  understand  the  re- 
marks which  have  been  made  here  to-night  they  would  be  willing  to  submit. 
As  it  is,  we  shall  have  to  beat  them  in  on  it.  When  I  left  Luzon  and  Manila  I 
knew  that  a  show  of  force  on  our  part  would  quickly  result  in  peace.  Delay 
has  been  worse  than  dangerous.  It  has  resulted  in  bloodshed,  but  we  are  pre- 
pared to  assert  our  rule. 

"  I  shall  not  speak  at  length  of  the  army,  preferring  rather  to  say  some- 
thing about  the  navy.  If  I  ever  enter  another  world  and  should  have  the 
choice  of  service  it  would  be  in  the  navy.  They  carry  their  own  houses  with 
them,  and  do  not  have  to  lie  in  trenches  or  fight  at  short  range.  Admiral 
Dewey  is  entitled  to  all  praise,  and  no  American  will  withhold  from  him  his 
need.  I  found  in  Admiral  Dewey  a  cordial,  warm-hearted  supporter  of  any- 
thing that  the  army  wanted  to  do.  He  was  ready  to  assist  in  any  way  it  was 
required.  Admiral  Dewey  did  his  duty  nobly.  He  deserves  all  the  honor  the 
nation  can  give  him. 

"  I  found  the  American  army  as  it  appeared  in  Manila  composed  of  ear- 
nest, cordial,  honest  and  hard-working  men.  The  volunteers  had  much  to 
learn.  I  sent  my  staff  among  them  and  the  regulars,  and  found  co-operation. 
The  men  wanted  to  learn,  and  they  became  as  good  as  our  regulars  before  I 
got  through.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  to  know  this,  for,  though  I  had  no 
Ohio  volunteers  with  me,  I  feel  sure  that  they  would  have  done  as  well  as  any 
of  the  others." 

The  next  speaker  was  ex-Governor  James  E.  Campbell,  of  Ohio,  who 
spoke  in  part  as  follows : 

"Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society :  I  would  include  the  ladies  in  this  greet- 
ing, but  friend  Southard  has  already  embraced  them.  But  it  is  his  privilege, 
for  old  men  may  do  that  with  impunity,  and  therefore,  you  see,  I  am  debarred 
from  the  pleasure.     I  am  moved  to  say  to-night,  from  being  here  with  our 

301 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

honored  peace  commissioners,  that  '  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way  His 
wonders  to  perform.'  I  was  at  a  banquet  Hke  this  one  about  four  or  five  years 
ago — an  Ohio  banquet — and  I  remember  how  my  friend,  Michael  D.  Harter, 
who  was  one  of  God's  noblemen,  said  in  a  set  speech  that  we  should  not  take 
the  Hawaiian  Islands.  In  an  informal  speech  which  I  was  called  for  as  a  vol- 
unteer I  took  issue  with  him,  and  I  said  that,  while  perhaps  we  ourselves  would 
not  see  it,  our  cliildren  would  Hke  to  see  the  island  east  of  us  and  the  islands 
west  of  us,  the  republic  north  of  us  and  the  republics  south  of  us,  and  every 
land  from  the  isthmus  to  the  pole,  under  the  American  flag.  The  Hawaiian 
Islands  have  come  to  us,  I  might  say,  by  force  of  gravity.  We  have  also  got 
great  islands  in  the  East  and  innumerable  islands  in  the  Far  West. 

"  So  far  the  result  ought  to  be  a  source  of  pride  to  every  American 
citizen.  We  got  Porto  Rico  without  any  question,  and  we  will  get  Cuba  just 
as  we  got  Texas. 

"As  to  the  Philippines,  first  we  conquered  them ;  second,  these  gentlemen 
beside  me  bought  them.  They  are  ours,  and  we  can  do  what  we  want  with 
them.  Our  first  duty,  I  say,  is  to  kill  the  assassins,  the  bushwhackers,  the  mur- 
derers who  have  been  shooting  down  American  soldiers.  And  to  begin  with,  I 
should  take  Mr.  Aguinaldo's  gold  collar  ofi^  and  put  on  one  of  another  kind. 

"  And  yet,  I  am  not  an  expansionist.  I  belong  to  a  party  that  cannot 
even  expand  over  this  country,  and  they  are  lucky  if  they  get  four  years  at  a 
time.  But  I  have  a  deep  faith  in  American  liberty,  conscience  and  American 
love  of  justice,  and  I  am  sure  that  these  qualities  which  have  made  America 
great  in  the  world,  and  so  acknowledged  by  the  powers  that  constitute  the 
world,  will  enable  our  government  to  cope  with  this  question.  I  believe  that 
our  leaders  can  deal  with  it  satisfactorily,  and  if  they  cannot  the  party  to 
which  I  belong  will  do  it  for  them  in  1900. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  Judge  Day  is  not  here.  His  career  has  been  that 
of  a  typical  American.  It  could  not  have  come  to  any  one  but  him.  Two 
years  ago  he  was  a  practicing  lawyer  in  a  little  country  town  in  Ohio.  We 
have  got  lots  more  hke  him  out  there.  We  have  got  thousands  of  them.  They 
are  our  Ohio  country  boys,  unambitious  and  mortal.  But  they  are  all  Days  if 
you  give  them  a  chance.  Judge  Day  was  first  made  assistant  secretary  of 
state.  Then  circumstances  put  him  in  first  place,  and  he  held  that  post  in  time 
of  war  and  trouble.  We  are  compelled  to  say  as  men  and  as  Americans  that  he 
did  well.  Directly  after  this  he  was  appointed  to  the  peace  commission,  and 
there  he  made  a  record  of  which  we  may  speak  with  pride.  He  was  at  the 
front  of  that  body.  He  was  the  leader,  and  he  conducted  his  negotiations,  not 
with  any  underhand  backdoor  methods,  but  in  an  honest,  manly,  straightfor- 
ward way. 

"  And  there  is  another  Ohio  boy  whom  I  would  call  to  your  attention. 

302 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

He  was  bom  in  the  same  district  which  I  once  represented  in  Congress,  and  he 
was  born  in  a  county  that  invariably  gave  my  opponent  a  majority  of  twent}'- 
five  thousand  or  upward.  He  is  your  neighbor  and  your  friend.  I  always 
think  of  him  first  in  connection  with  his  great  work  on  *  Ohio  in  the  War.' 
And  it  is  with  feeling  that  I  recall  his  description  of  the  death  of  Colonel 
Minor  MilHgan  as  his  greatest  personal  loss  in  the  war.  If  Senator  Gray's 
wife  were  here  I  would  like  to  make  her  ears  tingle  with  what  I  feel  like  saying 
about  her  husband.  But  I  cannot  say  so  many  nice  things  before  his  face.  I 
have  seen  a  great  deal  of  him  in  the  Senate.  We  belong,  you  know,  to  the 
same  long-suffering  political  party. 

"  These  men  have  come  to  us,  just  out  of  a  little  war.  People  did  not 
know  what  they  wanted  before  the  war  began.  Some  of  you  New  Yorkers  did 
not  want  war.  There  were  men  interested  in  stocks  that  had  too  many  tickers 
in  their  back  offices  to  hanker  after  war,  but  ever  since  the  15th  of  February, 
1898,  I  have  hoped  and  devoutly  prayed  for  war.  Ever  since  266  American 
sailors  went  to  their  death  as  martyrs  on  the  Maine  I  have  wished  to  punish 
the  perpetrators  of  that  black  deed.  We  owed  atonement  and  an  avenging  to 
ourselves  and  to  posterity.  And  the  war  came.  The  army  did  not  have  much 
chance  to  show  what  they  could  do.  They  might  have  had  a  chance.  There's 
no  telling.  But  remember  that  some  time  ago  we  spent  four  years  killing 
each  other,  and  in  that  terrific  struggle  more  men  were  killed  than  Great 
Britain  has  lost  since  the  time  of  Norman  conquest.  A  foreign  war  was 
needed  to  show  the  nations  of  the  world  just  what  our  army  was.  Well,  they 
went  ahead  and  cleaned  out  everybody  in  sight.  I  don't  suppose  they  could 
have  done  any  more  than  that.  But  I  know  they  could  have  done  that  with 
their  ej^es  shut  and  one  hand  tied  behind  them. 

"  And  now  I  come  to  my  toast — '  Our  Navy.'  How  shall  I  speak  of  it? 
The  tongues  of  angels  are  needed  to  give  to  it  an  adequate  eulogy  and  worth- 
ily portray  its  glories,  for  no  human  tongue  can  pay  a  sufficient  tribute  to 
the  United  States  Navy.  I  speak  not  alone  for  our  new  navy,  which  has  just 
made  our  English  cousins  find  out  how  nearly  related  they  are  to  us,  and  the 
roar  of  whose  guns  has  made  the  decadents  in  Paris  stop  sneering  at  us.  It  is 
a  great  navy.  I  was  in  Congress  when  the  appropriation  was  made  for  our 
first  battleship,  under  the  greatest  of  secretaries,  your  fellow-townsman,  Wil- 
liam C.  Whitney.  Its  glories  are  so  great  that  I  need  not  recite  them.  Who 
was  the  first  man  killed.''  Was  he  a  soldier.''  No,  he  was  a  sailor.  He  was  a 
sailor  from  Ohio,  and  was  buried  only  yesterday  in  the  churchyard  of  a  Httle 
Ohio  town.  He  was  James  B.  McPherson,  who  was  killed  off  Cardenas.  A 
few  hours  later  the  first  officer  was  killed — Worth  Bagley,  who  was,  thank 
God,  the  son  of  a  North  Carolina  rebel.  It  was  an  atonement  in  blood.  The 
Civil  War  was  over. 

303 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  And  George  Dewey.  What  can  I  say  of  him?  I  saw  by  to-day's  paper 
that  he  said  he  would  under  no  circumstances  consider  a  nomination  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States.  I  thought  deeply  over  that,  and  I  thought 
what  a  mistake  it  was  that  he  was  not  bom  in  Ohio. 

"  And  about  Schley  and  Sampson.  I  don't  believe  in  controversies.  Each 
man  did  his  duty.  It  was  one  commander's  lot  not  to  be  at  Santiago,  and  for 
him  I  have  nothing  but  praise.  But  one  of  them  was  there.  And  his  ship 
was  hit  forty-seven  times.  If  the  American  people  do  not  do  justice  to  that 
brave  man  we  must  blush  with  shame  forever  after." 

President  William  R.  Harper,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  who  followed 
ex-Governor  Campbell,  and  who  began  to  speak  at  twenty  minutes  after  12, 
said :  "  To-day  is  Sunday,  so  you'll  have  plenty  of  time  to  recuperate  later." 
Continuing,  he  said,  in  part: 

"  A  new  feehng  of  patriotism  has  recently  come  among  us.  The  old  feel- 
ing was  strong,  but  with  most  of  us  not  tangible.  I  say  most  of  us,  for  the 
number  of  those  whose  lives  were  quickened  in  the  Civil  War  grows  less  each 
day,  and  while  many  souls  ripened  thereby  into  a  high  patriotism,  in  many  was 
engendered  a  sectional  hate  without  occasion  for  the  kindling  of  the  patriotic 
flame.  It  lies  dormant;  but  occasion  came,  and  at  once  the  spark  shot  up. 
How  quick  the  response  of  heart  to  heart  and  the  warming  up  of  every  soul, 
as  the  story  of  victory  after  victory  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth !  It  was  as 
if  an  electric  current  had  taken  hold  of  dead  men  and  transformed  them  into 
living  beings. 

"  Here  and  there  have  been  those  who  did  not  so  share  the  joy  and  en- 
thusiasm of  this  new  feehng,  with  their  vision  of  the  future  bound  by  the  hor- 
izon of  a  past  long  departed  and  their  apprehension  of  difficulties  increased 
beyond  all  measure  of  true  apportionment.  With  their  conception  of  the  pos- 
sibilities of  this  country  based  upon  a  calculation  adapted  to  countries  of  far 
different  situation  and  resources,  they  have  stood  and  still  stand  in  fear  before 
the  confusion  and  disaster  which  they  assure  us  must  follow  the  strange  and 
sudden  burst  of  popular  enthusiasm.  These  men  are  patriotic  according  to 
their  light,  and  their  light  is  either  the  dim  and  fitful  gloom  which  just  pre- 
cedes the  dawn  of  day  or  the  dark  and  heavy  shade  of  night,  settling  down 
upon  hearts  and  minds  already  under  the  spell  of  the  despair  of  a  pessimistic 
philosophy.  In  such  times  as  these  the  thinking  man  asks  himself :  What  is  the 
love  of  country?  How  comes  it  and  upon  what  basis  does  it  rest.?  What 
duties  does  it  impose.''     And  what  satisfaction  does  it  cultivation  bring.'' 

"  Love  of  country,  like  father  and  mother  love,  is  a  sentiment  in  the 
growth  of  which  hundreds  of  centuries  have  been  employed.  Its  evolution  is 
easily  traced.  The  savage  has  no  love  of  country.  He  is  a  member  of  a  clan 
whose  members  are  related  by  blood.     The  wandering  nomad  is  scarcely  yet  in 

304 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  position  to  understand  the  meaning  of  patriotism.  He  has  no  land ;  there  is 
as  yet  no  nation ;  it  is  still  the  idea  of  the  clan  which  controls.  The  agricul- 
turist who  had  taken  possession  of  a  track  of  land  may  begin  to  develop  the 
love  of  country.  Several  tribes  are  joined  together  and  institutions  common 
to  all  begin  to  spring  up.  Life  takes  on  new  forms.  With  the  building  of 
cities  arose  the  possibility  of  a  patriotism  greater  in  scope  than  any  which 
had  yet  preceded.  The  incitement  of  close  contract,  the  momentum  of  vigorous 
co-operation,  continued  to  produce  the  solidarity  that  alone  furnishes  the  field 
suitable  for  the  growth  of  patriotism. 

"  Among  the  Chinese  there  is  no  political  feeling,  and  there  can  hardly 
be  said  to  exist  such  a  thing  as  national  spirit.  The  controlling  factor  is  the 
domestic  spirit.  Among  the  Egyptians  the  national  institutions  suggested  op- 
pression, and  were  of  such  a  nature  as  not  to  win  the  love  of  the  people. 
Israel's  patriotism  was  religious  fanaticism.  Greek  patriotism,  for  the  most 
part,  was  something  selfish  and  narrow.  The  Romans  had  but  one  duty — 
service  to  Rome. 

"  Our  patriotism  is  domestic,  and  has  also  a  religious  feeling.  Our  pa- 
triotism has  the  unity  which  characterized  that  of  Rome.  From  whatever 
state  or  city  we  come,  we  are  Americans.  The  unity  of  Rome,  though  a  single 
city,  was  not  greater  than  the  unity  of  the  United  States  as  it  finds  embodi- 
ment in  the  national  government.  However  distinct  and  separated  the  parts 
of  the  whole,  the  whole  is  none  the  less  the  unity  into  which  the  power  and 
energy  of  all  the  parts  find  entrance.  This  may  have  been  only  partially  true 
during  the  last  forty  years,  but  the  events  of  nine  months  have  surely  removed 
any  doubts  which  the  world  has  entertained  in  this  regard." 

The  menu  card  and  progranmie  consisted  of  a  handsome  and  artistic 
folder,  nearly  one  foot  square.  Upon  the  front  cover  was  an  American  fl»g 
in  colors,  surrounded  by  branches  of  the  buckeye  tree.  This  was  followed  by 
a  picture  of  the  American  eagle,  standing  on  the  North  American  continent, 
with  one  protecting  wing  extended  over  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  and  the  other 
over  Hawaii  and  the  Philippines.     The  title  page  was  as  follows : 

THIRTEENTH 
ANNUAL  BANQUET 

OF  THE 

OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

IN    HONOR    OF    THE 

AIMERICAN  PEACE  COIVBHSSIONERS 

AT    THE 

WALDORF-ASTORIA 

SATURDAY,  FEBRUARY  25,  1899. 

305 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1899-1900 

MR.  CHANCE,  at  the  meeting  of  March  13th,  presented  a  paper  set- 
ting forth  the  claims  in  favor  of  November  29,  1802,  as  the  date 
when  Ohio  was  admitted  to  the  Union.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  ex- 
tended, and  the  matter  was  discussed  by  several  of  the  members. 

The  "  sixth  annual  ladies'  reception  and  dance,"  as  it  was  announced  on 
the  programme,  was  given  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  on  the  evening  of  April  5th. 
It  was  in  charge  of  the  entertainment  committee,  consisting  of  Warren  Higley, 
chairman ;  Peter  H.  Burnett,  Noah  H.  Swayne  2d,  David  H.  Bates,  Jr.,  and 
Andrew  Ernest  Foye.  The  following  gentlemen  served  as  a  floor  committee: 
Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  chairman;  David  Homer  Bates,  Jr.,  Peter  H.  Burnett, 
Henry  B.  C.  Plimpton,  Howard  Elmer  Crall,  William  H.  Jennings,  Emmet  B. 
Wheeler.  The  following  ladies  consented  to  serve  as  hostesses :  Mrs.  Milton  I. 
Southard,  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Mrs.  William  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Wager 
Swayne,  Mrs.  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  Mrs.  George  E.  Armstrong,  Mrs.  Thomas 
H.  Wheeler,  Mrs.  Warren  Higley,  Mrs.  David  H.  Bates,  Mrs.  Henry  B.  Wil- 
son, Mrs.  William  L.  Brown,  Mrs.  Anson  G.  McCook. 

The  reception  committee  was  constituted  as  follows :  William  L.  Strong, 
chairman;  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Wager  Swayne,  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  Colgate 
Hoyt,  Peter  F.  Collier,  David  H.  Bates,  Henry  B.  Wilson,  Thomas  Ewing, 
Jr.,  Daniel  Pritchard,  L.  D.  Morrison,  Rollin  M.  Morgan,  Ralph  W.  Carroll, 
Sherman  M.  Granger,  Milton  I.  Southard,  George  E.  Armstrong,  Samuel 
Thomas,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  William  L.  Brown,  Frank  C.  Loveland,  Noah 
H.  Swayne  2d,  Peter  H.  Burnett,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  DeFrees  Critten,  Elijah 
G.  Boardman,  Charles  H.  Niehaus,  Walter  S.  Sullivan,  Samuel  McMillan. 

There  was  an  elaborate  order  of  dances  and  supper  was  served.  Like  the 
previous  entertainments  of  a  similar  nature,  it  was  a  success. 

In  the  April  meeting  President  Southard  and  Judge  Higley  were  con- 
stituted a  committee  to  express  to  Mrs.  General  Henry  L.  Burnett  the  Society's 
appreciation  of  her  gift  of  a  badge  to  be  worn  by  the  wife  of  the  president  of 
the  Society,  at  all  the  public  functions.  It  was  decided  that  a  committee  of 
three  from  the  governing  committee  be  appointed  by  the  president  to  secure  a 
larger  attendance  of  members  at  the  regular  meetings.  The  president  asked 
Colgate  Hoyt  to  recount  some  of  his  experiences  during  a  trip  to  Cuba  and 

306 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  West  Indies  in  company  with  ex-Senator  Sherman  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Hoyt 
gave  a  most  interesting  narration  of  the  trip  and  of  the  transfer  of  ex-Senator 
Sherman  to  the  Chicago,  sent  to  convey  him  home. 

D.  H.  Bates  suggested  that  ex-Mayor  Strong  be  asked  to  describe  some 
of  the  experiences  of  his  son.  Major  Putnam  Bradlee  Strong,  in  the  Philip- 
pines. Colonel  Strong  responded  with  some  stirring  experiences  of  Colonel 
Fred  Funston  and  of  Major  Strong  as  interpreter,  envoy,  and  officer  at  the 
front,  where,  by  his  grave  and  gallant  conduct,  he  won  the  commendation  of 
his  superior. 

By  vote  of  the  Society  on  May  8th  word  was  officially  sent  to  the  mem- 
bers that  each  Monday  evening  had  been  set  aside  as  its  time  when  "  the  Ohio 
Society  would  be  especially  at  home  in  its  rooms."  The  governing  committee, 
in  the  same  month,  passed  a  vote  appreciative  of  the  hospitality  of  Colgate 
Hoyt,  who  had  given  the  members  of  the  committee  a  delightful  outing  on 
board  his  yacht  "  Tide."  The  last  meeting  of  the  season  took  the  form  of  a 
dinner  at  Morelli's,  where  short  speeches  were  made  by  Messrs.  Hoyt,  Hopkins, 
Granger,  Lefler,  Doyle  and  Chance. 

In  the  meeting  of  October  9th  a  committee  consisting  of  Judge  Higley, 
Mahlon  Chance  and  Colonel  Strong  were  authorized  to  express  the  thanks  of 
the  Society  to  Mrs.  S.  S.  Packard  for  the  gift  of  a  portrait  of  her  deceased 
husband.  The  following  gentlemen  were  chosen  as  a  nominating  committee 
to  select  officers  for  the  ensuing  year:  Thomas  Ewing,  L.  D.  Morrison,  J.  D. 
Gillett,  Colgate  Hoyt,  H.  C.  Plimpton,  J.  W.  Jennings,  F.  F.  Ward.  On 
November  13th  the  committee  reported  the  following  ticket:  President,  Milton 
I.  Southard ;  vice-presidents,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  George 
E.  Armstrong,  Warren  Higley,  Colgate  Hoyt ;  secretary,  William  H.  Blymer ; 
recording  secretary,  Walter  S.  Sullivan ;  treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall ;  trustees, 
Francis  B.  Stedman,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  R.  C.  Penfield. 

The  annual  meeting,  again  in  the  form  of  an  informal  dinner,  was  held 
on  the  usual  date,  November  29th.  The  secretary  was  instructed  to  cast  one 
vote  for  the  candidates  proposed,  and  they  were  all  declared  elected.  Speeches 
were  made  by  Flamen  Ball  Candler,  Colgate  Hoyt,  G«n.  Henry  L.  Burnett 
and  Charles  A.  Winter.  Mr.  Crall,  treasurer,  made  his  annual  report,  show- 
ing a  clear  balance  of  $5,761.57.  The  annual  report  of  the  governing  com- 
mittee was  presented  by  Colgate  Hoyt,  chairman,  who  said,  among  other 
things : 

"  Gentlemen :  Another  year,  one  replete  with  interest  and  that  speaks 
volumes  for  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  Society,  has  come  and  gone. 

"  Fifty  brother  Buckeyes  have  been  elected  to  membership  in  the  Society 
within  the  year,  thirty-three  of  them  being  resident  and  seventeen  non-resident 
members.     The  grim  reaper.  Death,  has  not  spared  us  in  the  year  just  closed, 

307 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

for  nine  honored  members  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  those  who  have  passed 
into  the  great  unknown.  First  among  them  was  the  Hon.  Calvin  S.  Brice,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Society,  followed  by  Mr.  John  Dickson,  Colonel  A,  L. 
Conger,  Mr.  Warren  F.  Leland,  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  Esq.,  another  one  of 
the  charter  members,  whose  sad  fate  and  that  of  his  estimable  wife  and  relatives 
is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  all;  Mr.  William  Kraus,  Mr.  Phillip  A.  Bond, 
Warren  H.  Coming,  Esq.,  and  Major  John  A.  Logan.  Committees  were  ap- 
pointed to  draft  suitable  resolutions  and  testimonials,  copies  of  which  were  sent 
to  the  families  of  the  deceased,  and  also  spread  upon  the  minutes  and  made  a 
part  of  the  records  of  the  Society. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Ohioan  to  hold  on  to  a  good  thing 
when  he  has  it,  but  several  have  departed  from  that  rule  and  tendered  their 
resignations  as  members  wliich  were  accepted,  while  a  few  others  have  so  far 
forgotten  themselves  as  to  fall  in  arrears  for  dues  and  have  consequently  been 
dropped  from  the  rolls.  The  membership,  however,  is  at  present  very  near 
the  '  four  hundred '  mark,  and  a  little  exertion  on  the  part  of  our  members 
will  bring  it  up  to  the  half  thousand  before  another  year  has  ended. 

"  The  growth  of  the-  Society  has  been  remarkable  and  is  steadily  on  the 
increase  and  it  ranks  to-day  as  one  of  the  leading  organizations  of  its  kind  in 
the  country.  The  home  of  the  Buckeye  is  now  and  ever  will  be  one  of  the  at- 
tractive features  of  the  metropolis. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  Colgate  Hoyt,  Chairman." 

Thomas  Ewing  was  elected  chairman  of  the  governing  committee,  and  An- 
drew J.  C.  Foye,  Francis  B.  Stedman  and  RolHn  M.  Morgan  became  members 
of  the  house  committee.  The  president  announced  the  following  committees : 
Literature  and  art,  Charles  H.  Niehaus,  chairman ;  Mahlon  Chance,  Alexander 
Doyle,  Noah  H.  Swayne  2d,  William  L.  Hawk ;  entertainment,  Warren  Hig- 
ley,  chairman;  Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  Henry  C.  Plimpton,  Putnam  Bradlee 
Strong,  Albert  F.  Hagar;  library,  Daniel  Pritchard,  chairman;  William  H. 
Caldwell,  Charles  H.  Clegg,  Lovell  H.  Carr,  Warjier  Ells;  auditing,  Henry 
A.  Glassford,  chairman;  David  H.  Bates,  Frank  C.  Loveland,  Richard  J. 
Chard,  De  Fries  Critten. 

At  the  December  meeting  Major  Putnam  Bradlee  Strong,  a  son  of  ex- 
Mayor  Strong,  delivered  an  interesting  account  of  his  experiences  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Philippines. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Society  in  1900  was  held  on  January  8th  at  the 
St.  Denis.  William  H.  Blymyer,  secretary  of  the  Society,  delivered  an  en- 
lightening and  entertaining  address  on  the  work  of  the  "Word's  Peace  Con- 
ference," based  upon  his  personal  observations  and  studies  at  The  Hague  dur- 

308 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ing  the  sessions  of  the  commissioners.  Mr.  Blymyer  put  into  marked  contrast 
the  frank  and  open  spirit  of  our  representatives,  and  the  indirect  methods  of 
their  associates,  remarking  that  all  propositions  advanced  by  the  United  States 
with  the  purpose  of  creating  an  agreement  which  would  be  binding  on  the  pow- 
ers, were,  in  the  end,  rendered  ineffective  or  nugatory  by  quahfying  conditions. 
The  speaker  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  adoption  of  the  proposed  agreement 
by  the  United  States  would  retard  the  establishment  of  an  effective  treaty  of 
peace.  The  address  of  Mr.  Corey,  who  was  the  American  consul  at  Amsterdam 
at  the  time  the  Peace  Conference  was  proposed,  furnished  a  fitting  complement 
to  the  discussion  of  the  subject  by  the  preceding  speaker.  Mr.  Corey 
gave  a  picturesque  account  of  the  Dutch  people  and  their  characteristics  and 
spoke  at  some  length  of  their  great  desire  for  peace  and  of  the  efforts  that 
had  been  made  by  the  Dutch  ladies  especially,  through  the  establishment  in 
the  kingdom  of  Peace  societies,  which  possessed  great  influence  and  efficiency. 
Mr.  Corey  took  an  optimistic  view  of  the  results  of  the  peace  agitation  in 
progress  in  Holland,  and  put  an  interpretation  upon  the  Czar's  proposal  for 
the  peace  conference,  which  was  most  fair  and  generous  to  the  sincerity  of  that 
monarch's  intention.  "  The  fact  of  such  a  conference  being  held,"  he  said, 
"  was  a  great  step  toward  peace."  The  American  idea  of  diplomacy,  which 
was  discovered  in  the  deliberations  of  the  American  commissioners,  produced  an 
impression  upon  the  other  powers  represented,  which  was  salutary,  and  in  his 
opinion  would  be  far-reaching  in  the  direction  of  universal  peace  in  the  future. 

At  the  February  meeting  David  Homer  Bates  read  an  interesting  paper 
on  personal  reminiscences  of  President  Lincoln.  A  number  of  members  re- 
lated interesting  incidents  in  the  life  of  the  martyred  president. 

The  banquet  of  1900  was  a  memorable  event  in  the  history  of  the  Ohio 
Society.  It  not  only  had  the  President  of  the  United  States,  himself  an  Ohio 
man,  as  its  guest  of  honor,  but  also  entertained  a  future  President  of  the 
United  States  in  the  person  of  the  then  governor  of  New  York,  Theodore 
Roosevelt.  The  occasion  was  made  still  more  memorable  because  President 
McKinley,  in  his  speech,  sounded  the  keynote  of  the  presidential  campaign 
soon  to  open.  There  also  sat  at  the  guests'  table  a  number  of  other  eminent 
men,  comprising  a  governor  and  ex-governor  of  Ohio  and  Senator  Marcus  A. 
Hanna  of  Ohio,  and  his  successor,  the  Hon.  Charles  Dick. 

This  fourteenth  annual  banquet  was  given  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  on  the 
evening  of  Saturday,  March  3.  It  was  in  charge  of  a  committee  composed  of 
the  following  gentlemen:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  William  L.  Strong, 
William  L.  Brown,  Samuel  Thomas,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Henry 
B.  Wilson,  Warren  Higley,  Emerson  McMillin,  F.  H.  Kingsbury,  Louis  D. 
Clarke,  Rollin  M.  Morgan,  Richard  J.  Chard,  Wager  Swayne,  Milton  I. 
Southard,  Anson  G.  McCook,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Thomas  H. 

309 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Wheeler,  David  Homer  Bates,  Mahlon  Chance,  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  Thomas  Ewing, 
Jr.,  Thomas  A.  Edison,  Flamen  Ball  Chandler,  William  H.  Blymyer,  secretary. 
The  following  gentlemen  served  as  a  reception  committee:  Putnam  Bradlee 
Strong,  chairman ;  William  S.  Hawk,  Francis  B.  Stedman,  Raymond  C.  Pen- 
field,  Wm.  Ford  Upson,  Defrees  Critten,  Lowell  M.  Palmer,  J.  A.  Fordyce, 
James  G.  Newcomb,  Daniel  Pritchard,  Wade  Chance,  Andrew  Ernest  Foye, 
Henry  C.  Plimpton,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Albert  Francis 
Hagar,  Addison  W.  Gilmore,  Warner  Ells,  A.  D.  Houston,  Peter  H.  Bur- 
nett, H.  B.  Brundrett,  Walter  S.  Sullivan. 

The  menu  card  was  an  elaborate  and  beautiful  souvenir  of  the  occasion. 
It  was  enclosed  in  a  covering  of  hand-made  carmine  colored  paper  tied  with 
silken  cords  and  impressed  with  buckeye  leaves.  Upon  the  first  page  of  the 
nine  leaves  were  grouped  the  portraits  of  the  presidents  that  Ohio  had  given  to 
the  country — ^William  Henry  Harrison,  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes,  James  A.  Garfield,  Benjamin  Harrison  and  William  McKinley.  Be- 
neath the  group  was  this  title : 

FOURTEENTH  ANNUAL  BANQUET 

OF    THE 

OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

IN    HONOR    OF    THE 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

AT  THE  WALDORF-ASTOEIA 
SATURDAY  EVENING,    MARCH   3,    1890. 

There  followed  two  pages  of  quotations  from  famous  men,  bearing  upon 
the  history  of  Ohio  and  of  the  nation,  accompanied  by  illustrations  that  illu- 
minated the  historic  texts. 

When  President  McKinley  accepted  the  invitation  to  be  present,  he  in- 
sisted that  he  should  not  be  called  upon  to  speak.  He  was  persuaded,  however, 
after  he  arrived  in  New  York,  to  forego  that  proviso,  and,  in  consequence, 
responding  to  the  toast  of  his  health  he  permitted  himself  to  dwell  briefly  upon 
the  problems  which  tlie  nation's  Spanish  war  had  left  with  the  country. 

The  American  people,  the  President  asserted,  must  choose  between  manly 
doing  and  base  desertion.  Partisanship,  he  contended,  could  hold  few  against 
public  duty,  and  with  a  fervor  that  carried  every  one  of  his  hearers  with  him, 
he  declared  that  it  was  not  possible  that  seventy-five  millions  of  American  free- 
men could  not  establish  liberty  and  justice  and  good  government  in  the  new 
possessions  of  the  United  States. 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Although  President  McKinley  took  the  precaution  of  reading  his  speech, 
Httle  effect  was  lost  in  its  delivery.  He  was  frequently  interinipted  for  a  full 
minute,  while  his  auditors  rose  to  their  feet  in  a  body,  cheering  and  waving 
handkerchiefs  and  table  napkins. 

The  banquet  hall  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria  was  a  brilliant  scene  of  light 
and  color.  Upon  the  floor  of  the  hall  fully  five  hundred  diners  were  seated, 
while  in  the  galleries  above  there  was  a  large  gathering  of  women,  whose  cos- 
tumes added  to  the  general  picturesqueness  of  the  festival. 

In  a  box  specially  reserved  for  her,  facing  the  guests'  table,  Mrs,  IMcKin- 
ley  sat.  She  came  in  before  the  last  course  was  served,  and  was  greeted  with 
tumultuous  cheering.  Springing  to  their  feet,  the  diners  cheered  her  for  sev- 
eral minutes,  while  Mrs.  McKinley  stood  bowing  her  acknowledgments.  Ac- 
companying her  were  ]Mrs.  Abner  McKinley,  Miss  Mabel  McKinley,  Miss 
Barber,  George  Barber,  William  S.  Hawk  and  Dr.  P.  M.  Rixey.  "  Among  the 
occupants  of  the  suiTounding  boxes  were  Mrs.  Perkins,  of  Akron,  Ohio ;  Mrs. 
Kingsley,  Mrs.  John  A.  McCaJl,  Mrs.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Mrs.  Andrew  J.  C. 
Foye,  Mrs.  H.  L.  Burnett,  Mrs.  William  L.  Strong,  Mrs.  Warren  Higley, 
Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  Mrs.  John  H.  Langstreet,  Mrs.  John  S.  White, 
Mrs.  R.  C.  Penfield,  Mrs.  Sydney  J.  Smith,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Wilson,  Mrs.  William 
Ford  Upson,  Mrs.  and  Miss  Beer,  Mrs.  George  Howes,  Miss  Jessie  Hoyt,  Mrs. 
A.  D.  Houston,  Mrs.  William  H.  Blymyer,  Mrs.  Defrees  Critten,  Mrs.  S.  H. 
Parsons,  Mrs.  E.  T.  Clishing,  Mrs.  E.  I.  Benner,  Mrs.  S.  C.  Byrd,  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell-Groves, Mrs.  Winchester  Fitch  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Fitch. 

The  Hon.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  governor  of  New  York,  did  not  reach  the 
hotel  until  about  10  P.  M.  As  he  made  his  way  to  the  president's  table  he 
was  heartily  cheered.  A  seat  was  given  him  next  to  President  McKinley,  and 
until  the  speaking  began  the  President  and  the  governor  were  engaged  in 
close  conversation.  No  one  who  saw  them  together  forecast  the  liistoric  and 
tragic  events  through  which  in  so  short  a  time  they  should  pass  together. 

Before  the  dinner  a  reception  was  held  in  the  Astor  Gallery,  where  an 
opportunity  was  afforded  to  the  members  and  guests  of  the  society  to  meet 
the  President. 

Shortly  after  7  o'clock  the  President  was  escorted  to  the  banqueting  room 
by  President  Milton  I.  Southard,  his  entrance  being  marked  by  the  playing 
of  "  Hail  to  the  Chief."  Seated  with  Mr.  Southard  and  the  President  at  the 
guest  table  were  Henry  R.  Towne,  Julien  T.  Davies,  Tunis  G.  Bergen,  John 
Barrett,  Charles  Dick,  Pension  Commissioner  H.  Clay  Evans,  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral H.  C.  Corbin,  James  H.  Hoyt,  Lieutenant-Goveraor  Woodruff,  ex-Vice- 
President  Morton,  Governor  Roosevelt,  Governor  George  K.  Nash,  of  Ohio; 
Cornelius  N.  Bliss,  Senator  Hanna,  ex-Governor  James  E.  Campbell,  of  Ohio ; 
Solicitor-General  John  K.  Richards,  Judge  Addison  Brown,  George  B.  Wil- 

311 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

son,  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Gen.  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  the  Rev.  Edwin  H. 
Krans,  Judge  James  A.  O'Gorman,  and  Charles  G.  Dawes,  controller  of  the 
currency. 

In  his  address  of  welcome  Mr.  Southard,  as  toastmaster,  said : 

"  Gentlemen :  It  is  my  pleasant  duty  to  welcome  you  to  another  annual 
banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.  And  this  welcome  is  extended  to 
the  ladies  also  who  grace  us  with  their  presence.  I  trust  I  may  be  permitted 
to  salute  them  as  the  gallant  Judge  Vamum  saluted  their  great-grandmothers 
at  the  first  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  in  1783,  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  as  '  the 
amiable  partners  of  our  dehcate  pleasures.' 

"  We  are  fortunate,  gentlemen,  in  having  with  us  this  evening,  as  our 
guest  of  honor,  the  President  of  the  United  States.  We  honor  him  as  the  chief 
executive  of  the  nation,  as  a  native  Ohioan,  and  for  his  genial  character  and 
great  achievements.  We  are  glad  to  welcome  him  here,  and  our  welcome  is 
spontaneous,  sincere  and  most  cordial. 

"  And  to  the  first  lady  of  the  land,  who  has  seen  fit  to  favor  us  with  her 
gracious  presence,  we  extend  our  most  hearty  greetings.  We  feel  honored  by 
her  presence,  and  our  grateful  esteem  will  go  with  her  always. 

"  We  are  told  that  the  pioneers  of  Ohio  spread  their  banquets  in  the  wil- 
derness, with  a  menu  of 

'  Bear  meat,  johnny  cake  and  whiskey.' 

"  That  was  indeed  strong  diet,  but  we  must  remember  that  it  fed  strong 
men.  They  were  stalwart  in  brain  and  brawn,  and  ate  and  wrought  heroically. 
They  felled  the  trees;  they  built  the  cabins;  they  repelled  the  savages,  and 
they  founded  a  state,  with  hearts  as  cheery  and  souls  as  free  as  ever  danced  in 
the  sunlight  of  luxury.  They  dispensed  a  generous  hospitality  of  such  as 
they  had,  and  made  no  apologies  for  their  crude  surroundings.  Indeed,  they 
were  proud  of  the  buckeye  cabin.  They  joyed  about  its  fireside;  they  set  it  to 
poetry ;  they  made  it  the  party  shibboleth  of  a  Presidential  campaign. 

Oh,  where,  tell  me  where. 

Was  your  buckeye  cabin  made.'' 
'Twas  built  among  the  merry  boys 

Who  wield  the  plough  and  spade, 
Where  the  log  cabins  stand 

In  the  bonnie  buckeye  shade. 

"  This  buckeye  tree  is  remarkable  in  many  ways.  It  possesses  aesthetic, 
medicinal  and  utilitarian  properties,  as  well  as  a  large  nomenclature.  It  is 
*  hetock  '  in  Indian,  '  Ohioensis  '  in  botany,  '  buckeye  '  in  English  and  '  Pres- 
idents '  in  politics. 

"  Behold  in  our  souvenir  what  superb  presidential  fruitage  it  bears ! 

312 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  But,  gentlemen,  an  occasion  like  tliis  is  fruitful  of  more  serious  thought. 
As  we  assemble  to  commemorate  our  native  state,  the  great  deeds  of  our  pioneer 
ancestors  come  up  before  us  and  awaken  inquiry.  How  was  the  great  North- 
west Territory  acquired.''  How  was  it  settled  and  reclaimed  to  civilization? 
What  manner  of  men  were  the  participants  in  it.''  From  whence  did  they 
come.''  How  has  it  grown  and  developed  into  a  vast  empire  of  wealth  and  pop- 
ulation.'' How  has  it  influenced  the  history  and  destiny  of  the  United  States.'' 
Wliat  will  be  its  potency  on  the  future  welfare  of  our  beloved  country?  How 
will  it  speak  as  a  factor  on  the  great  problems  thrust  upon  us  through  the  ac- 
quisition of  far  distant  island  possessions?  All  these  inquiries  and  more  crowd 
upon  the  mind  and  struggle  for  utterance.  But  they  cannot  be  answered 
within  the  limits  allotted  to  me.  Permit  me,  however,  to  state  in  a  word  the 
four  cardinal  features  upon  which  this  magnificent  structure  rests.  They  are 
union,  liberty,  education  and  religion.  Tliese  beneficent  principles  were  firmly 
established  in  the  earliest  ordinances  and  statutes  and  have  ever  since  been 
sacredly  cherished  and  heroically  maintained.  No  blight  of  slavery,  of  caste, 
of  bigotry  or  of  intolerance  was  permitted  in  the  beginning,  but  all  the  founda- 
tions of  free  government  were  then  laid  as  secure  and  perfect  as  the  fruits  of 
after  study  and  experience  could  possibly  make  them.  And  in  this  grand  in- 
ception of  government  Ohio  and  her  four  sister  states  stand  without  a  parallel 
in  the  history  of  the  world." 

Mr.  Southard  closed  by  proposing  the  toast,  "  The  President  of  the 
United  States !"  The  toast  was  drunk  standing,  and  when  President  McKin- 
ley  arose  to  respond  he  was  greeted  by  cheers  again  and  again  repeated. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  McKinley  perpetrated  one  of  the  best  of  his 
few  public  jokes.  Looking  at  Mr.  Southard  reproachfully,  he  said:  "  I  came 
to  this  banquet  on  the  express  promise  that  I  should  not  be  asked  to  make  a 
speech."  He  paused  for  a  moment  and  then  continued :  "  Therefore,  I  have 
carefully  prepared  myself." 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  McKinley  perpetrated  one  of  the  best  of  his 
speech.  He  said :  "  Mr.  Toastmaster  and  Gentlemen :  I  appreciate  your 
welcome  and  thank  you  for  this  renewed  expression  of  your  good  will.  It  is 
proper  that  I  should  say  that  the  managing  board  of  the  Ohio  Society  has 
kept  the  promise  made  to  me  that  I  would  not  be  expected  or  required  to  speak 
at  this  banquet.  I  shall  not  be  guilty  of  reflecting  on  their  good  faith  or 
breaking  my  own  resolution  not  to  speak  if  I  indulge  in  some  observations  while 
expressing  in  the  briefest  manner  the  pleasure  which  I  have  in  greeting  my  old 
friends  of  the  Ohio  colony  in  New  York.  There  is  a  bond  of  close  fellowship 
which  unites  Ohio  people.  Whithersoever  they  journey  or  wherever  they  dwell, 
they  cherish  the  tenderest  sentiment  for  their  mother  state,  and  she  in  turn 
never  fails  of  aff'ectionate  interest  in  her  widely  scattered  children. 

313 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  The  statement  which  has  so  often  been  made  is  not  far  from  the  truth, 
'  Once  an  Ohioan  always  an  Ohioan.'  It  has  been  some  years  since  I  was  your 
guest.  Much  has  happened  in  the  meantime.  We  have  had  our  blessings  and 
our  burdens,  and  still  have  both.  We  will  soon  have  legislative  assurance  of 
the  continuance  of  the  gold  standard,  with  which  we  measure  our  exchanges, 
and  we  have  the  open  door  in  the  Far  East,  through  which  to  market  our 
products.  We  are  neither  in  alliance  nor  antagonism  nor  entanglement  with 
any  foreign  power,  but  on  terms  of  amity  and  cordiality  with  all.  We  buy 
from  them  all  and  sell  to  them  all,  and  our  sales  exceeded  our  purchases  in  the 
last  two  years  by  over  $1,000,000,000.  Markets  have  been  increased  and 
mortgages  have  been  reduced. 

"  Interest  has  fallen  and  wages  have  advanced.  The  public  debt  is  de- 
creasing. The  country  is  well  to  do.  Its  people  for  the  most  part  are  happy 
and  contented.  They  have  good  times  and  are  on  good  terms  with  the  na- 
tions of  the  world.  There  are,  unfortunately,  those  among  us,  few  in  number 
I  am  sure,  who  seem  to  thrive  best  under  bad  times  and  who  when  good  times 
overtake  them  in  the  United  States  feel  constrained  to  put  us  on  bad  terms 
with  the  rest  of  mankind.  With  them  I  can  have  no  sympathy.  I  would 
rather  give  expression  to  what  I  believe  to  be  the  nobler  and  almost  universal 
sentiment  of  my  countrymen  in  the  wish  not  only  for  our  peace  and  pros- 
perity, but  for  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  all  the  nations  and  people  of  the 
earth. 

"  After  thirty-three  years  of  unbroken  peace  came  an  unavoidable  war. 
Happily,  the  conclusion  was  quickly  reached,  without  a  suspicion  of  unworthy 
motive  or  practice  or  purpose  on  our  part  and  with  fadeless  honor  to  our  arms. 
I  cannot  forget  the  quick  response  of  the  people  to  the  country's  need,  and  the 
quarter  of  a  million  men  who  freely  offered  their  lives  to  their  country's  senace. 
It  was  an  impressive  spectacle  of  national  strength.  It  demonstrated  our 
mighty  reserve  power,  and  taught  us  that  large  standing  armies  are  unneces- 
sary when  every  citizen  is  a  '  minute  man  '  ready  to  join  the  ranks  for  national 
defense. 

"  Out  of  these  recent  events  have  come  to  the  United  States  grave  trials 
and  responsibilities.  As  it  was  the  nation's  war,  so  are  its  results  the  nation's 
problems.  Its  solution  rests  upon  us  all.  It  is  too  serious  to  stifle.  It  is  too 
earnest  for  repose.  No  phrase  or  catchword  can  conceal  the  sacred  obligation 
it  involves.  No  use  of  epithets,  no  aspersion  of  motive  by  those  who  differ  will 
contribute  to  that  sober  judgment  so  essential  to  right  conclusions.  No  politi- 
cal outcry  can  abrogate  our  treaty  of  peace  with  Spain  or  absolve  us  from  its 
solemn  engagements.  It  is  the  people's  question,  and  will  be  until  the  deter- 
mination is  written  out  in  their  enlightened  verdict.  We  must  choose  between 
manly  doing  and  base  desertion.     It  will  never  be  the  latter.     It  must  be 

314. 


President  "William   McKinley 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

soberly  settled  in  justice  and  good  conscience,  and  it  will  be.  Righteousness, 
which  exalteth  a  nation,  must  control  in  its  solution. 

'-'  No  great  emergency  has  arisen  in  this  nation's  history  and  progress 
which  has  not  been  met  by  the  sovereign  with  high  capacity,  with  ample 
strength  and  with  unflinching  fidelity  to  every  honorable  obligation.  Partisan- 
ship can  hold  few  of  us  against  solemn  public  duty.  We  have  seen  this  so 
often  demonstrated  in  the  past  as  to  mark  unerringly  what  it  will  be  in  the  fu- 
ture. The  national  sentiment  and  the  national  conscience  were  never  stronger 
or  higher  than  now.  There  has  been  a  reunion  of  the  people  around  the  holy 
altar  consecrated  to  country  newly  sanctified  by  common  sacrifices.  The  fol- 
lowers of  Grant  and  Lee  have  fought  under  the  same  flag  and  fallen  for  the 
same  faith. 

"  Party  lines  have  loosened  and  the  ties  of  Union  have  been  strengthened. 
Sectionalism  has  disappeared  and  fraternity  has  been  rooted  in  the  hearts  of 
the  American  people.  Political  passion  has  altogether  subsided  and  patriotism 
glows  with  inextinguishable  fervor  in  every  home  of  the  land.  The  flag  has 
been  sustained  on  distant  seas  and  islands  by  the  men  of  all  parties  and  sec- 
tions and  creeds  and  races  and  nationahties,  and  its  stars  are  only  those  of  radi- 
ant hope  to  the  remote  peoples  over  whom  it  floats. 

"  There  can  be  no  imperialism.  Those  who  fear  it  are  against  it.  Those 
who  have  faith  in  the  Republic  are  against  it.  So  that  there  is  universal  abhor- 
rence for  it  and  unanimous  opposition  to  it.  Our  only  diff'erence  is  that  those 
who  do  not  agree  with  us  have  no  confidence  in  the  virtue  or  capacity  or  high 
purpose  or  good  faith  of  this  free  people  as  a  civilizing  agency;  while  we  be- 
lieve that  the  century  of  free  government  which  the  American  people  have 
enjoyed  has  not  rendered  them  irresolute  and  faithless,  but  has  fitted  them  for 
the  great  task  of  lifting  up  and  assisting  to  better  condition  and  larger  liberty 
these  distant  people  who  have  through  the  issue  of  battle  become  our  wards. 
Let  us  fear  not.  There  is  no  occasion  for  faint  hearts,  no  excuse  for  regrets. 
Nations  do  not  grow  in  strength  and  the  cause  of  liberty  and  law  by  the  doing 
of  easy  things.  Tlie  harder  the  task  the  greater  will  be  the  result,  the  benefit 
and  the  honor.  To  doubt  our  power  to  accomplish  it  is  to  lose  faith  in  the 
soundness  and  strength  of  our  popular  institutions. 

"  The  liberators  will  never  become  the  oppressors.  A  self-governed  people 
will  never  permit  despotism  in  any  government  which  they  foster  and  defend. 

"  Gentlemen,  we  have  the  new  care  and  cannot  shift  it.  And,  breaking 
up  the  camp  of  ease  and  isolation,  let  us  bravely  and  hopefully  and  soberly  con- 
tinue the  march  of  faithful  service  and  falter  not  until  the  work  is  done.  It 
is  not  possible  that  seventy-five  millions  of  American  freemen  are  unable 
to  establish  liberty  and  justice  and  good  government  in  our  new  possessions. 
The  burden  is  our  opportunity.     The  opportunity  is  greater  than  the  burden. 

315 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

May  God  give  us  strength  to  bear  the  one  and  wisdom  so  to  embrace  the 
other  as  to  carry  to  our  distant  acquisitions  the  guarantees  of  '  life,  Hberty  and 
the  pursuit  of  happiness ! '  " 

The  next  speaker  was  Lieutenant-Governor  Timothy  L.  Woodruff,  whose 
toast  was  "  The  Empire  State."    He  said : 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen :  Great,  indeed,  is  the  privOege  on  any 
occasion  to  respond  to  the  sentiment,  '  The  Empire  State,'  but  to-night,  sur- 
rounded by  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  the  governor  of  our  commonwealth,  and  many  other  distin- 
guished guests,  it  is  an  honor  which  I  deeply  appreciate. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  flourishes  here  in  the  full  vigor  of  its  native  clime,  in 
obedience  to  the  inflexible  laws  of  nature.  While  not  indigenous  to  our  soil, 
this  flower  of  state  societies  is  not  an  exotic.  Slipped  from  the  rugged  stock 
of  the  original  states,  the  tender  plant  has  extended  into  mighty  proportions  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  to  be  here  re-engrafted  for  the  strengthening  of  the 
parent  stock  from  which  it  sprang.  Ohio  is  the  daughter  of  New  York.  She 
is  just  as  good  as  wheat — ^the  wheat  she  gamers  in  generous  sheaves  each 
golden  autumn.  Like  wheat,  many  of  her  illustrious  sons  have  been  carefully 
cradled,  sometimes  threshed,  and  are  now  the  flower  of  the  national  family. 

"  In  the  creation  of  New  York  nature  was  in  her  most  generous  mood. 
She  made  it  indeed  the  Empire  state.  On  the  west  she  set  two  inland  seas  of 
sapphire  and  bound  them  rough  wrought  together  by  the  rapids  and  cataracts 
of  Niagara,  a  symbol  of  national  majesty  and  power.  Then  she  spun  a  broad 
silver  river,  dotted  with  a  thousand  isles,  for  a  northern  confine,  buttressing 
the  east  with  the  mountains  of  New  England  and  flanking  the  south  with  the 
forests  of  Pennsylvania.  In  the  heart  of  the  state  she  planted  a  health-giving 
forest  of  evergreens — a  sportsman's  paradise — in  the  shaded  seclusion  of  whose 
mountain  slopes  rises  the  American  Rhine,  grand  and  picturesque  as  it  breaks 
through  the  mountains  of  the  Catskills  and  flows  along  the  base  of  the  Pali- 
sades toward  this  metropolis  of  the  nation,  where  in  the  plenitude  of  her 
bounty  nature  has  brought  the  sea  to  the  feet  of  tlie  Empire  state. 

"  Having  finished  this  mighty  task,  Dame  Nature  left  the  settlement  of 
the  paradise  she  had  here  created  to  the  denizens  of  earth — the  farmer,  the 
merchant  and  the  manufacturer.  Intrusting  to  their  care  the  Empire  state, 
she  then  turned  her  attention  to  Ohio,  and  peopled  it  with  statesmen — occa- 
sionally a  farmer,  a  merchant,  a  manufacturer,  but  mostly  presidents. 

"  As  I  listened  to  his  able  speech  a  week  ago  before  the  Michigan  Club  in 
Detroit,  on  the  subject  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  I  noted  with  jealous  regret 
the  omission  by  Governor  Nash  of  Ohio  to  mention  that  New  York  was  the  first 
of  the  Thirteen  Colonies  to  cede  to  the  general  government  her  right,  title  and 
interest  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  of  which  Ohio  was  a  part.     This  cession 

816 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

was  made  even  two  years  before  the  close  of  the  War  for  Independence,  and 
four  years  before  Massachusetts  could  be  induced  to  relinquish  her  interest  in 
this  territory.  New  York  again  demonstrated  her  friendship  toward  Ohio  by 
being  the  first  among  the  states  to  advocate  her  admission  into  the  Union  in 
1803.  This  fact  is  clearly  brought  out  by  the  speech  of  the  governor  of  Ohio 
at  tlie  inauguration  of  work  on  the  Ohio  canal  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1825. 
The  central  figure  of  this  assemblage  was  Governor  De  Witt  Clinton  of  New 
York,  who,  fresh  from  the  completion  of  his  great  Erie  canal,  was  there  to  turn 
the  first  spadeful  of  earth  in  this  important  undertaking.  Addressing  him, 
Governor  Morrow  said :  '  In  no  small  degree,  owing  to  your  espousal  as  a  sena- 
tor in  Congress  of  her  cause,  did  Ohio  gain  admision  to  the  Union.'  The  Erie 
canal  and  the  great  canal  system  of  Ohio,  completed  in  1842,  were  of  inestima- 
ble benefit,  each  to  the  other.  Connected  by  Lake  Erie,  they  estabhshed  a  con- 
tinuous waterway,  by  which  the  products  of  the  Buckeye  state  were  transported 
to  New  York,  opening  to  her  farmers  and  merchants  her  vast  territory  and 
markets,  elevating  her,  through  New  York's  aid,  to  a  position  among  the 
states  of  the  Union  of  which  her  sons  have  ever  since  been  justly  proud. 

"  In  view  of  the  timely  support  which  New  York  has  rendered  in  these 
three  instances,  it  is  not  surprising  that  Ohio  has  been  able  in  every  national 
Republican  convention,  except  one,  since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  to  name 
as  candidate  for  President  of  the  United  States  a  man  bom  or  living  within 
her  territory.  Some  men  achieve  greatness,  some  have  greatness  thrust  upon 
them,  and  some  are  bom  in  Ohio ! 

"  The  people  of  the  Flowery  Kingdom  express  the  morning  salutation 
'  0-h-i-o.'  Should  not,  then,  the  neighboring  inhabitants  of  the  islands  of  the 
Philippine  archipelago  hail  the  protection  of  the  flag  of  a  nation  whose  Presi- 
dent combines  a  suggestion  of  both  the  Flowery  and  Celestial  Kingdoms  in 
his  home,  Ohio  and  Canton.''  As  our  ever  growing  commerce  knocks  at  the 
door  of  the  unlimited  trade  of  the  Orient,  may  we  not  find  an  omen  in  the 
fact  that  the  Yankees  of  the  East  greet  one  another  by  the  name  of  our  Presi- 
dent's native  state?  Under  the  wise  and  progressive  foreign  policy  now  pro- 
claimed and  rapidly  expanding  under  the  master  hand  of  our  national  govern- 
ment, the  day  will  soon  dawn  when  in  place  of  the  fonnal  greeting  '  0-h-i-o  ' 
the  words  '  United  States  of  America  '  will  become  the  open  sesame  throughout 
those  lands  whose  peaceful  conquest  we  shall  yet  achieve. 

"  With  sincere  and  mighty  acclaim  do  the  people  of  this  great  commercial 
metropolis  of  the  nation  welcome  the  President  under  whose  administration  all 
the  forty-five  gems  in  Columbia's  diadem  have  become  more  resplendent  than 
ever,  polished  by  the  attrition  of  patriotic  rivalry  in  all  parts  of  our  common 
country,  and  now  embellished  by  the  Pearl  of  the  Antilles  and  freshly  adorned 
by  the  jewels  of  the  Orient.     Since  March  4,  1897,  our  country  has  become  a 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

world  power,  so  that  to-day  the  man  who  occupies  the  place  of  President  of 
the  United  States  exercises  a  more  potent  influence  than  any  ruler  among  men." 

Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland,  followed  Mr.  Woodruff,  his  toast 
being  "  The  Man  of  the  Hour."    He  said : 

"  The  members  of  this  Society  have  reasons  for  congratulation.  We  are 
living  in  a  most  auspicious  time.  Since  I  last  had  the  honor  of  addressing  you 
(only  two  short  years  ago)  events  the  most  momentous  and  deeds  the  most 
heroic  have  happened  and  been  wrought.  Civilization  has  made  a  long  march 
forward,  and  in  this  grand  advance  that  branch  of  the  dominant,  sturdy 
Anglo-Saxon  race  to  which  we  belong  has  had  the  right  of  the  line.  When 
the  history  of  this  scant  but  epoch  making  interval  is  fully  written,  its  pages 
will  be  fairly  crammed  with  records  of  achievements  in  statesmanship,  in 
diplomacy,  in  battle,  on  sea  and  land,  and  in  devotion,  the  bare  and  unadorned 
recitals  of  which  will  quicken  the  pulses  of  all  true  Americans,  lift  their  patri- 
otic ideals,  and  fill  their  hearts  with  gratitude  and  pride  that  the  good  God 
has  given  them,  if  only  by  right  of  birth,  or  even  by  adoption,  a  share  in  the 
shining  glory  of  which  the  flag  they  love  is  the  fitting  and  lustrous  emblem. 
We  cannot,  indeed,  all  be  McKinleys,  or  Deweys,  or  Sampsons,  or  Wain- 
wrights,  or  Lawtons,  of  fragrant  memory ;  or  Mileses,  or  Shafters,  or  Garret- 
sons,  or  gallant  old  '  Joe '  Wheelers,  or  indomitable  and  irresistible  '  Teddies.' 
We  may  not  even  be  numbered  among  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  others 
who,  in  legislative  halls,  in  administrative  offices,  in  diplomatic  fields,  in  the 
crash  of  battle,  or  in  other  acts  of  patriotic  sacrifice,  have  done  so  much,  not 
only  for  the  ultimate  adding  of  new  stars  to  the  flag,  but  in  making  the  old 
stars  shine  so  much  the  more  brilliantly;  but,  at  any  rate,  we  are  all  Ameri- 
cans ;  and,  provided  only  we  '  set  aside  every  weight — ^like  Pettigrew  or  At- 
kinson, for  instance — and  the  sins — of  timidity  and  faint  heartedness — 
which  do  so  easily  beset  us,'  and  '  run  with  patience  the  race  set  before  us,' 
and  '  press  forward  toward  the  prize  of  our  high  calling,'  then  there  will  be 
'  an  abundant  and  exceeding  weight  of  glory  '  for  all  of  us  in  this. 

"  But  the  members  of  this  Society  have  a  peculiar  and  distinctive  reason 
for  congratulation  to-night,  for  of  all  the  heroes  bom  of  tHis  epoch  of  emer- 
gency, of  trial  and  promise,  a  '  simple  but  great  one '  from  the  state  of  Ohio 
is  the  most  conspicuous  and  the  most  illustrious,  and  he  is  our  honored  guest 
this  evening.  Our  President  is  not  only  the  first  citizen  of  the  Republic  by 
right  of  office,  but  by  right  of  accomplishment.  He  leads,  not  merely  because 
he  has  his  place,  but  because  he  fills  it.  The  commanding  officer  of  any  army, 
even  though  not  on  the  firing  line,  is  nevertheless  entitled  to  the  largest  meas- 
ure of  credit  for  success,  as  there  will  be  visited  upon  him  the  largest  measure 
of  censure  for  failure.  Upon  the  shoulders  of  him  whose  brain  conceives  and 
whose  voice  directs  rests  the  most  crushing  burden  of  responsibility,  and  upon 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

his  brow,  if  all  goes  well,  should  shine  the  brightest  crown.  That  was  indeed 
an  unequalled  performance  of  the  great  admiral.  Unequalled,  because  by  his 
genius  and  courage  he  turned  the  most  dismal  and  foreboding  prophecies  into 
glorious  realities.  Unequalled,  not  only  for  what  he  did,  but  for  what  he 
dared.  Unequalled  also  for  what  he  gained  for  his  country,  not  only  in  pres- 
tige, but  in  possessions.  But  who  selected  the  great  sailor.''  Who  placed  him 
upon  the  bridge  of  the  Olympia.?  Who  inspired  the  historic  order,  which  Dewey 
so  exactly  and  completely  obeyed,  to  '  seek  out  the  enemy's  fleet  and  destroy 
it '  ?  Our  guest  did  all  this.  Was  there  ever  anything  finer  in  song  or  story 
than  that  mad  rush  of  Wood  and  Roosevelt  and  their  gallant  Rough  Riders 
and  rougher  walkers  and  runners  and  fighters  up  the  bullet-swept  side  of  San 
Juan  hill.'^  But  who  unleashed  these  fearless  and  invincible  dogs  of  war.f*  Who 
pointed  out  their  quarry  to  them  and  set  them  on.''  Their  commander-in-chief 
did  that.  A  thousand  and  ten  thousand  cheers  for  brave  little  old  '  Joe ' 
Wheeler,  who  led  his  men  up  the  slope  of  El  Caney  and  planted  the  flag  he 
had  fought  against  in  his  green  youth,  but  risked  his  life  for  in  his  ripe  old 
age,  on  the  blood  smeared  summit!  But  who  gave  him  the  chance  to  rewrite 
his  name  on  history's  page  in  unquenchable  and  patriotic  flame.''  Who  laid  a 
soft  and  tactful  hand  on  old  sores  and  healed  them  forever?  Who  dropped 
the  sweet  and  scented  flowers  of  a  wise  and  patriotic  forgetfulness  on  the  un- 
sightly graves  of  dead  issues  and  so  adorned  them?  It  was  the  president  of 
this  now  reunited  Republic  who  did  all  that. 

"  Those  were  perfectly  splendid  announcements  which  Sampson  and 
Schlej'^  and  their  great  captains  not  only  made,  but  proved  to  the  world  a  year 
ago  last  July.  They  were  to  the  effect,  you  remember,  that  there  was  room 
on  the  top  of  Cuban  waters  for  only  one  of  two  hostile  fleets,  while  there  was 
room  and  to  spare  at  the  bottom  for  all  the  ships  which  Spain  might  see  fit  to 
send  there;  and  also  that  if  ever  again  a  warship  were  blown  up  in  Havana 
harbor  by  an  external  cause  it  would  not  be  a  United  States  warship.  Those 
were  splendid  announcements,  and  the  proof  that  was  furnished  in  support  of 
them  on  that  warm  July  day  was  simply  overwhelming.  But  who  was  it 
stood  like  a  rock  against  the  numberless  demands  of  timid  people  living  on 
the  Atlantic  coast,  especially  in  Boston  and  in  its  vicinity,  that  some  of  Samp- 
son's battleships  and  cruisers  should  be  taken  away  from  their  essential  work 
at  Santiago  and  sent  North  to  protect  them?  Who  was  it  that  was  responsible 
for  the  order  starting  the  bulldog  of  the  United  States  navy  on  her  memorable 
and  unequalled  trip  around  the  world,  not  in  eighty,  but  in  less  than  forty 
days,  in  order  that  she  might  smite  the  Colon  with  one  of  her  railroad  trains? 
Who  was  it  that  inspired  energy  in  every  subordinate  and  sent  life  pulsing 
through  every  department,  so  that  supplies  were  promptly  furnished  and 
intelligence  quickly  given?     Who,  in  that  time  of  strain,  worked  twenty-eight 

319 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

hours  out  of  the  twenty-four?  The  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Navy  of  the 
United  States  did  that.  When  Otis  fires  the  sunset  gun  at  Manila  and  the  flag 
comes  down,  Merritt  salutes  the  rising  sun  at  Governor's  Island,  and  the  flag 
runs  up;  so  that  there  is  never  a  minute  now  in  the  twenty- four  hours  when 
Old  Glory  is  not  fluttering  somewhere  in  the  breeze  and  over  territory  owned 
and  controlled  by  the  United  States,  too.  So  that  it  has  happened,  under  the 
administration  of  our  President,  that  England  no  longer  has  a  monopoly  of 
the  drumbeat  heard  around  the  world. 

"  But  who  is  responsible  for  keeping  the  flag  afloat  in  those  far  distant 
possessions  ?  A  word  from  him  would  have  brought  it  down,  but  he  has  kept  it 
flying  in  spite  of  an  opposition  sometimes  naiTow  and  sometimes  traitorous, 
but  always  bitter.  It  was  a  broad  and  fearless  statesmanship  which  sent  out  a 
commission  to  the  Philippines  composed  of  men  who  at  the  outset  were  op- 
posed to  the  policy  of  the  administration,  but  who,  after  an  opportunity  of 
investigation,  have  become  its  most  enthusiastic  supporters.  But,  indeed,  all 
Americans  who  have  visited  Manila,  who,  even  though  like  Balaam  of  old, 
'  went  out  to  curse  the  people  of  the  Lord,  have  returned  to  bless  them.'  What 
Lincoln  was  to  Grant  and  Sherman  and  Sheridan,  to  Farragut  and  Foote, 
McKinley  has  been  to  Miles  and  Merritt  and  Otis  and  Shafter,  to  Dewey  and 
Sampson,  and  when  one  has  said  this,  one  has  exhausted  all  eulogy  and  bank- 
rupted all  applause. 

"  I  have  at  home  a  picture,  of  which  I  am  very  fond.  It  is  a  picture  of 
the  Triumvirate  of  American  immortals.  Under  their  heads  in  bas-rehef  are 
written  these  words : 

"  Washington,  Father  of  the  Republic." 
"  Lincoln,  the  Savior  of  the  Republic." 
"  Grant,  the  Guardian  of  the  Republic." 

"  But  the  picture  is  now  incomplete,  for  the  triumvirate  has  become  a 
quartet.  Another  face  should  be  inclosed  within  the  frame,  and  under  it 
should  be  written,  '  McKinley,  the  Patlifinder  of  the  Republic'  He  has 
blazed  out  a  new  pathway  for  American  commerce  and  American  enterprise; 
a  new  pathway  for  civilization,  for  progress,  for  development  and  for  enlight- 
enment. Under  the  broad  and  therefore  expanding  and  stimulating  polic}^  of 
this  administration,  what  a  future  is  spread  out  before  us !  What  great  things 
may  the  American  people  not  accomplish,  not  only  for  themselves,  but  for  the 
cause  of  civilization  and  progress !  They  will  have  an  army,  not  too  large,  but 
large  enough  to  insure  order  in  every  inch  of  territory  over  which  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  floats,  however  distant,  and  to  protect  our  borders,  however  widely 
extended,  from  foreign  aggression.  They  will  have  a  navy  large  enough  and 
powerful  enough  to  protect  an  ever  expanding  and  ever  growing  American 

320 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

commerce.  Under  the  stimulus  of  a  wise  and  equitable  shipping  law  this 
commerce  will  be  carried  in  American  bottoms,  which  will  sail  through  an 
American  canal  connecting  the  Atlantic  with  the  Pacific.  This  commerce,  in  an 
ever  increasing  and  growing  volume,  will  enter  the  doors  of  China,  which  this 
administration  have  opened,  and,  as  commerce  follows  the  flag,  so  will  justice 
and  equal  rights  and  enlightenment  and  progi-ess  flourish  wherever  that  flag 
floats. 

"  Last  fall,  on  the  steps  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  the  President  of 
the  Republic  handed  to  the  admiral  of  the  United  States  navy  a  sword  which 
the  representatives  of  all  the  people  had  unanimously  voted  him  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  signal  services.  The  diamonds  in  its  hilt,  flashing  in  the  sunlight 
of  that  autumn  day,  glistened  like  the  tears  of  pride  and  gi'atitude  which 
filled  the  eyes  of  all  the  people  when  they  got  the  great  news  from  Manila. 
The  pure  gold  of  its  scabbard  was  emblematic  of  the  shining  valor  of  the 
great  sailor,  and  also  of  the  purity  of  his  patriotism.  Its  keen  blade  brought 
to  mind  the  hard  blows  he  had  struck  for  his  country  in  the  shock  of  battle 
and  the  keen  thrusts  he  had  made  for  her  in  the  nicer  contests  of  diplomacy. 
'  Admiral,'  said  the  President,  as  he  handed  him  this  historic  sword,  while  sixty 
thousand  of  his  approving  countrymen  looked  on ;  '  Admiral,  there  was  no  flaw 
in  your  victory;  there  must  be  no  faltering  in  maintaining  it.'  I  desire  to- 
night to  paraphrase  a  little  that  notable  utterance.  Mr.  President,  there  has 
been  no  flaw  in  the  policy  of  your  administration,  and  there  must  be — there 
shall  be — no  faltering  in  maintaining  it.  I  believe  that  there  will  not  be,  for  I 
am  sure  that  history  can  never  truthfully  record  that  He,  who  is  not  only  the 
God  of  Battles,  but  of  Peace,  the  God  of  Civilization,  the  God  of  Development, 
the  God  of  Progress  and  the  God  of  Wisdom,  could  ever  have  fruitlessly  and  in 
vain  offered  these  golden  opportunities  to  the  American  people.  I,  for  one,  do 
not  believe  that  the  priceless  and  lustrous  pearls  of  Puerto  Rico,  of  Hawaii  and 
of  the  Philippines  have  been  cast  before  swine." 

Governor  Nash  spoke  on  the  toast,  "  The  Governor  of  Ohio,"  and  in  part 
said: 

"  We  have  many  things  in  Ohio  to  be  proud  of — splendid  citizenships, 
growth  and  prosperity — but  to-night  we  are  the  proudest  of  the  people  from 
our  state  who  have  helped  build  up  this  great  state.  Ohio  is  prosperous  be- 
cause it  is  laid  on  foundations  firm  and  solid.  When  the  great  Northwest  was 
settled  it  was  promised  that  the  states  carved  out  of  it  should  forever  remain  in 
the  American  confederation,  and  those  five  states  when  the  Union  was  threat- 
ened gave  more  than  one-third  of  all  the  men  that  defended  it.  Among  these 
warriors,  and  the  greatest,  were  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan. 

"  There  have  been  thirty-eight  governors  of  Ohio,  and,  of  course,  it  is  not 
possible  for  me  to  speak  of  them.     It  is  fitting,  however,  that  I  mention  the 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

first — the  governor  of  the  Northwest  territory,  General  Arthur  St.  Clair.  He 
was  bom  in  Scotland,  and  served  in  the  English  army  with  Wolfe  on  the  Plains 
of  Abraham  before  Quebec ;  he  was  with  Wasliington  at  Trenton  and  Morris- 
town.  So  when  the  American  settlers  had  pushed  westward  it  was  well  that 
this  gallant  officer  of  Washington's  should  be  sent  to  govern  over  them. 

"  In  later  years  there  are  two  governors  especially  worthy  of  mention — 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes  and  William  McKinley,  Presidents  of  the  United  States. 
We  are  proud  of  our  state,  because  it  is  our  own.  But  we  of  Ohio,  wherever  we 
are,  remember  it  is  but  one  of  forty-five  which  comprise  this  Union.  We  have 
a  greater  and  broader  pride  for  the  nation  than  ever  for  our  dearly  cherished 
native  state." 

"  Honorary  Members,"  ex-Governor  Campbell's  toast,  was  often  broken 
into  by  applause  and  laughter.     The  speaker  said : 

"  I  have  heard  from  one  president,  one  vice-president,  one  governor,  one 
colonel,  and  now  you  must  listen  to  an  everyday  private  from  the  ranks,  and 
the  only  Democrat  among  them  all. 

"  I  recall  distinctly  the  first  banquet  of  the  Society — it  must  be  fifteen 
years  now,  or  fourteen.  I  have  been  here  seven,  eight,  and  this  makes  the 
ninth  time  in  all.  I  have  spoken  on  Governor  Nash's  toast,  when  as  the  chief 
executive  of  the  state,  the  prerogative  was  mine ;  also  to  the  state  itself,  but,  as 
Webster  said  of  Massachusetts,  Ohio  needs  no  encomiums. 

"  Some  years  ago,  when,  as  now,  I  represented  no  one  but  myself,  I  said 
about  Hawaii  that  perhaps  I  should  not  live  to  see  the  time,  but  my  children 
would,  when  not  only  the  islands  to  the  west  of  us,  but  those  to  the  east  of  us, 
should  be  governed,  covered  and  controlled  by  the  flag  of  the  United  States. 
Well,  it  has  all  come  around  a  httle  too  soon.  The  last  time  my  toast  was  the 
nearest  to  my  heart  of  aU  those  that  preceded  it.  I  was  introduced  as  having 
served  as  a  boy  in  the  United  States  navy.  It  is  my  proud  boast  and  right  to 
say  that  that  is  the  greatest  honor  that  can  come  to  a  man.  The  one  on  my 
right  will  agree  with  me  when  I  contend  that  when  he  lays  down  his  great 
honors  he  will  regard  the  greatest  privilege  of  his  hfe,  the  right  to  look  an  old 
soldier  of  the  Republic  in  the  face  and  call  him  comrade.  Now,  about  the 
honorary  members  of  the  Ohio  Society.  This  Society  has  been  sparing  in  con- 
ferring such  titles,  for  I  myself  am  one,  and  so  am  constrained  to  think  so. 
There  are  six  in  number.  Two  have  passed  on  to  the  great  majority — ^William 
T.  Sherman  and  Allen  G.  Thurman.  I  have  not  in  this  presence  to  speak  of 
these  men.  But  I  must  say  that  the  man  whose  brilliancy  of  intellect,  whose 
capacity  and  farseeing  power  had  most  to  do  with  the  success  of  the  Union 
army  was  William  T.  Shennan.  He  used  to  say,  '  I  have  read  more  than 
Grant;  I  know  more  than  Grant,  but  I'm  scared  to  death  at  what  I  can't  see 
the  rebels  doing.' 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  As  to  William  McKinley,  you  have  heard  Colonel  Hoyt  and  you  would 
not  have  me  outdo  hini  in  praise.  I  have  not  the  ability,  any  way,  though  I 
do  have  the  inclination.  With  a  great  deal  Mr.  McKinley  has  said  I  agree 
heartily,  but  one  tiling  I  want  him  to  do.  For  myself,  I  want  all  these  islands. 
I  want  the  Philippines,  and  Porto  Rico,  and  Cuba  also,  if  we  can  get  her. 
And  I  want  an  artificial  waterway  between  them,  without  asking  the  consent  of 
any  nation  whatever." 

When  Governor  Roosevelt  was  introduced  he  was  enthusiastically  re- 
ceived, and  amid  the  cheers  voices  coupled  the  names  of  McKinley  and  Roose- 
velt in  a  manner  that  was  significant.     The  governor  said : 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  Mr.  President,  the  guest  of  the 
evening:  I  have  a  certain  right  to  come  before  the  Ohio  Society,  although  not 
an  honorary  member,  but  because  I  have  served  under  one  acting  and  one 
honorary  member. 

"  You  know  the  old  saying  that  a  typical  New  Yorker  is  a  man  bom  out 
West  of  New  England  parents.  We  elected  such  a  typical  New  Yorker  mayor 
of  this  city  once,  and  I  may  add  that  he  showed  himself  by  all  odds  the  best 
mayor  this  city  has  had  for  a  generation,  and  he  put  me  in  to  administer  the 
Police  Department,  which  I  administered  according  to  the  Ohio  idea.  I  am 
not  certain  that  New  York  enjoyed  it,  but  I  know  it  did  a  lot  of  good. 

"  I  was  graduated  from  Mayor  Strong  to  ser\dng  under  the  man  from 
Ohio,  whom  we  all  gather  to  honor,  the  President  of  the  United  States.  I  am 
not  here  to-night  to  speak  for  the  state  of  New  York ;  that  toast  has  been  re- 
sponded to  with  the  utmost  eloquence  and  ability  by  my  colleague,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Woodruff. 

"  But  I  speak  not  to  you,  but  on  your  behalf ;  not  to  you  as  men  coming 
from  Ohio,  but  for  you  as  men  who  dwell  in  New  York  citj^,  in  pledging  the 
support  of  the  great  city  of  New  York  to  the  president,  who  is  not  the  presi- 
dent of  Ohio  or  of  New  York,  but  of  the  entire  American  Republic. 

"  It  has  been  well  said  to-night  that  you  represent,  Mr.  President,  the  re- 
united America,  in  deed  as  well  as  in  name.  I  see  in  the  audience  here  men  of 
Virginia  and  of  South  Carolina  who  fought  valiantly  for  what  they  called  the 
right  as  they  saw  it  on  the  other  side  in  the  civil  war,  and  whose  sons  fought, 
when  you  were  commander-in-chief,  no  less  valiantly  for  the  flag  of  the 
United  States. 

"  We  are  proud  of  our  state,  but  we  are  prouder  still  of  the  nation  of 
which  our  state  is  a  part.  We  recognize  the  fact  that  this  state  can  grow 
and  prosper  only  as  the  nation  grows  and  prospers.  We  recognize  the  fact 
that  the  welfare  of  the  East  is  bound  up  with  the  welfare  of  the  West. 

"  Now  it  was  a  good  thing  for  us  to  gather  here  to-night  to  honor  our- 
selves in  honoring  the  President  of  the  United  States,  who  has  borne  a  greater 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

burden  by  far  than  any  President  has  borne  since  the  days  when  Lincoln 
worked  and  suffered  for  the  people  and  laid  down  his  life  that  the  flag  that 
had  been  torn  asunder  might  once  more  be  made  whole  and  without  a  seam. 

"  It  is  good  for  us  to  meet  here  to  honor  him,  but  it  is  better  that  we 
should  meet  here  and  resolve  that  the  principles  for  which  he  stood  shall  prevail 
in  the  future.  Woe  to  us  if  we  pay  a  seeming  loyalty  that  we  do  not  make  good 
by  deeds. 

"  We  have  no  right  to  glory  in  what  has  been  done  in  the  three  years  that 
have  elapsed  since  President  McKinley  went  to  Washington  unless  we  are  de- 
termined that  the  future  shall  not  belie  the  past  and  that  those  three  years 
shall  be  but  the  earnest  of  what  is  to  come.    They  have  been  three  great  years. 

"  We  have  heard  complaint,  we  have  heard  cavil.  Some  of  the  complaint 
we  can  afford  to  disregard — the  complaint  of  the  weakling  and  of  the  man 
who  would  like  to  be  a  traitor,  only  he  has  not  got  the  red  blood  in  his  veins ; 
the  complaint  of  the  man  who  has  never  done  aught  but  criticise,  and  who, 
therefore,  cannot  understand  the  labor  that  comes  upon  him  who  actually  does 
the  mighty  work. 

"  We  answer  by  asking  them  to  look  at  what  has  been  done  as  history 
will  look  at  it.  President  McKinley  came  into  the  high  office  that  he  now 
holds — into  the  highest  office  that  the  civilized  world  can  give — ^to  find  this 
nation  painfully  groping  in  the  darkest  path  that  it  has  had  to  tread  within 
the  memory  of  the  present  generation. 

"  He  came  pledged  to  uphold  the  national  interest  at  home  and  the 
national  honor  abroad,  and  the  pledge  has  been  kept  in  letter  and  spirit  down 
to  the  last  item  that  could  be  demanded.  Now,  if  you  approve  of  the  pledge 
being  kept,  see  that  we  go  on  keeping  it. 

"  If  you  approve  of  economic  policies  that  have  produced  a  prosperity 
which  we  now  have,  if  you  approve  of  the  financial  pohcy  that  has  given  us  a 
currency  the  honesty  of  which  cannot  be  questioned,  if  you  approve  of  the 
foreign  policy  that  has  put  the  American  flag  where  it  has  never  been  put 
before,  then  stand  by  President  McKinley  in  the  future  as  you  have  stood  by 
him  in  the  past. 

"  As  the  President  has  well  said,  we  did  not  seek  the  issues,  we  did  not 
make  the  issues,  but  we  faced  them  when  made.  The  nation  was  brought 
face  to  face  with  great  problems,  and  under  the  leadership  of  President 
McKinley  it  solved  them. 

"  Under  his  leadership,  as  Colonel  Hoyt  has  said,  we  fought  to  the  con- 
clusion the  most  righteous  foreign  war  that  has  been  fought  by  any  nation 
within  the  memory  of  any  man  living,  and  then,  as  a  result  of  that  war,  we 
found  ourselves  face  to  face  with  other  problems.  We  could  not  help  solving 
the  problems.    All  we  could  decide  was  whether  we  would  solve  them  well  or  ill. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Remember  that.  There  was  no  chance  of  avoiding  them.  We  had  to 
meet  tliera ;  we  could  meet  them  badlj  or  we  could  meet  them  in  the  right  spirit. 
Those  were  the  only  alternatives  open  to  us.  Woe  to  us  as  a  nation,  woe  to 
our  children  and  our  children's  cliildren  if  we  turn  back  from  the  path  of 
honor  which  we  have  begun  to  tread  under  President  McKinley. 

"  Some  other  time,  my  friends,  I  shall  speak  to  you,  I  trust,  not  merely  as 
members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  but  as  citizens  of  New  York,  to  ask  your  aid  in 
helping  solve  the  problems  that  confront  us  in  this  state,  the  problems  that 
wh^n  they  have  been  reduced  to  the  last  analysis  are  the  problems  of  adminis- 
tering the  government  with  honesty  and  common  sense. 

'  Now,  however,  I  speak  to  you  less  as  New  Yorkers  than  as  Americans, 
and  I  ask  you  to  stand  with  me  when  I  say  to  you  this  evening  that  New 
York  stands  this  year  as  it  stood  four  years  ago,  that  it  stands  for  the  princi- 
ple which  the  state  of  Ohio  has  come  to  symbolize,  that  it  stands  for  the 
economic  policies  that  mean  honesty  in  business  and  prosperity  through  Amer- 
ica at  home,  and  that  it  stands  by  President  McKinley  as  amid  infinite 
difficulties. 

"  With  infinite  toil  and  labor  he  works  for  the  solution  of  the  difficulties 
that  confront  us  abroad,  so  that  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  where  it  has  once 
been  raised  shall  symbolize,  not  only  the  greatness  of  this  country,  but  the 
material  well  being  of  the  islands  by  the  tropic  seas,  which  fell  to  us  because 
we  wrested  them  from  the  cruel  might  of  Spain." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  governor's  speech  the  members  tendered  an  ova- 
tion to  the  President  and  to  Governor  Roosevelt,  and  then,  gathering  up  their 
souvenirs  and  their  menu  cards,  plentifully  decorated  with  pictures  of  buck- 
eyes and  'coon  skins,  they  went  out  into  the  frosty  night. 

At  the  meeting  of  March  12th  President  Southard  announced  the  receipt 
.of  a  letter  from  President  McKinley,  expressing  his  appreciation  of  the  ban- 
quet given  in  his  honor.  A  social  entertainment,  designated  as  an  "  Oliio 
Night,"  was  given  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  on  the  evening  of  April  23d.  A 
vaudeville  programme  was  presented,  followed  by  an  informal  dance  and  sup- 
per. The  matter  was  in  the  hands  of  the  entertainment  comjnittee.  Judge 
Higley,  chairman,  who  were  assisted  by  a  large  number  of  members  consti- 
tuting a  reception  committee.    The  programme  presented  was  as  follows : 

PART    I. 

Song,  "The  Requital,"  .  .  .         Blumenthal 

Mr.  Abercrombie. 
(o)  "  Negro  Anecdotes." 
(b)  Song,  "  De  Watermelon." 

Miss  Dorsey. 

325 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Recital— (a)  "  The  Founders,"  .  .  ;  „^    ^^    ,,      , , 

lb)   "  The  Buckeye  Tree,"        .  |  ^^  ^^  ^^"^^^^ 
(c)   "  The  Bishop  and  the  Caterpillar," 

M.  Manness 
Mrs.  Harriet  Webb. 
Songs — (a)   "  Summer,"      .      .  .  .  Chaminade 

(6)   "  Impatience,"         .  .  .  Schubert 

Miss  Boese. 

(a)  Negro  Character  Monologue — A  Widow  Woman, 

(b)  Song,  "  Isabella," 

Original 
Miss  Dorsey. 

PART    II. 

Song,  "  Queen  of  the  Earth,"       .  .  .         Pinsuti 

Mr.  Abercrombie. 
Recital,  "  How  '  Winning  Cup  '  Won."     (By  request.) 

Mrs.  Harriet  Webb. 
Songs — (a)   "  Beloved,  It  Is  Mom,"  .  .         Alyward 

(6)   "The  Swallows,"        .  .  .  Cowen 

Miss  Boese. 

(a)  Monologue — "  A  Yellow  Girl,  with  Dance," 

(b)  Song,  "Sal  Skinner," 

Original 
Miss  Dorsey. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Society  was  called  for  November  2,  1900,  at 
No.  71  Broadway,  at  the  office  of  General  Swayne,  to  make  arrangements  for 
attending  the  funeral  of  a  former  president  of  the  Society,  Hon.  William  L. 
Strong,  ex-mayor  of  New  York  city.  This  official  notice  was  ordered  sent  to 
the  members: 

"  To  the  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society :  At  a  called  meeting  of  the  Society, 
held  at  No.  71  Broadway,  this  afternoon,  the  secretary  of  the  Society  was 
instructed  to  announce  to  the  members  that  the  funeral  of  the  Hon.  William 
L.  Strong,  formerly  president  of  the  Society,  will  take  place  at  St. 
Thomas'  Church,  corner  Fifth  avenue  and  Fifty-third  street,  on  Monday, 
November  5,  at  11  o'clock  a.m.  It  was  also  considered  that,  in  view  of  the 
high  regard  entertained  by  the  Society  for  the  deceased,  it  was  doubtless  the 
wish  of  every  member  of  the  Society  to  be  present.  The  secretary  was  there- 
fore instructed  to  announce  that  arrangements  would  be  made  for  seating  in  a 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

body  those  members  who  shall  be  present,  and  to  request  them,  on  arriving  at 
the  church,  to  ask  to  be  shown  to  the  seats  assigned  to  the  Society. 

"  William  H.  Blymer,  Secretary." 

"  New  York,  November  2,  1900. 

At  a  later  meeting  the  following  gentlemen  were  named  as  a  committee 
to  prepare  a  memorial  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  the  late  mayor:  Gen. 
Wager  Swayne,  Gen.  Henry  L,  Burnett,  Gen.  Anson  G.  McCook,  A.  D.  Juil- 
liard,  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  George  Follett,  Milton  I.  Southard. 

The  nominating  committee  selected  in  October  consisted  of  the  following 
gentlemen:  George  Follett,  A.  D.  Houston,  E.  L.  Prentiss,  George  S.  Hayes, 
A.  W.  Gilmore,  E.  P.  Merser,  Frank  N.  Dowler.  On  November  12th  they  re- 
ported the  following  ticket:  President,  Milton  I.  Southard;  vice-presidents, 
Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  George  E.  Armstrong,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  Warren 
Higley,  Colgate  Hoyt;  secretary,  Albert  F.  Hagar;  recording  secretary, 
Charles  W.  Morris ;  treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall ;  trustees,  Samuel  H.  Par- 
sons, James  G.  Newcomb,  Emerson  McMillin.  This  ticket  was  unanimously 
ratified  by  the  Society.  At  the  December  meeting  President  Southard  an- 
nounced the  following  committees:  Literature  and  art,  Charles  H.  Neihaus, 
Albert  Shaw,  Alex.  Doyle,  Landon  S.  Thompson,  Daniel  C.  Beard;  entertain- 
ment, Warren  Higley,  Putnam  Bradlee  Strong,  Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  Henry 
C.  Plimpton,  William  S.  Hawk;  library,  William  Ford  Upson,  Mahlon 
Chance,  W.  H.  CaldweU,  L.  D.  Morrison,  F.  M.  Applegate ;  auditing,  Richard 
J.  Chard,  Andrew  Linn,  David  H.  Bates,  Frank  L.  Sheldon,  Walstein  F. 
Douthirt. 

At  this  meeting  Judge  Higley  suggested  that  a  special  meeting  be  held 
some  time  the  latter  part  of  January,  to  which  should  be  invited  the  ladies  of 
the  Society,  "  and  thus  inaugurate  in  the  present  rooms  a  series  of  delightful 
entertainments,  such  as  the  Society  had  enjoyed  at  their  rooms  on  Fifth 
avenue,  and  in  which  the  majority  of  the  members  present  had  never  had  the 
pleasure  of  participating." 

Mr.  Chance  suggested  that  the  library  committee  have  a  formal  meet- 
ing some  time  before  the  next  regular  meeting,  and  among  other  things  they 
might  take  the  opportunity  to  thank  the  gentlemen  who  had  raised  at  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  the  monument  to  "  Johnny  Appleseed,"  that  old  historic  as  weU  as 
extremely  useful  figure  in  the  early  history  of  Ohio,  the  first  nurseryman. 
President  Southard  gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  life  of  "  Johnny  Apple- 
seed,"  and  stated  that  the  gentleman  who  gave  the  monument  was  Martin 
Bushnell,  of  Mansfield,  O.  Mr.  Chance  moved  that  a  committee  of  five  be 
appointed  to  draft  suitable  resolutions  thanking  Mr.  Bushnell  for  the  erection 
of  this  monument  and  the  spirit  which  prompted  it,  and  the  appreciation  of 

327 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  Ohio  Society,  and  that  that  resolution  be  appropriately  endorsed  and  sent 
to  him.     The  proposition  was  approved. 

The  chair  appointed  Mr.  Chance  and  the  other  members  of  the  library 
committee  to  draft  these  resolutions.  President  Southard  read  a  letter  from 
the  Ohio  Society  of  California,  extending  an  invitation  to  this  Society  as  a 
body  or  individually  to  attend  the  launching  of  the  battleship  "  Ohio,"  at  the 
Union  Iron  Works  in  San  Francisco,  in  April. 

L.  D.  Clarke  was  elected  chairman  of  the  governing  board  for  the  en- 
suing year.  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  Francis  B.  Stedman  and  Rollin  M.  Morgan  were 
elected  as  the  house  committee.  It  was  moved  that  a  committee,  consisting  of 
the  president  and  treasurer,  be  appointed,  with  power,  to  confer  together  and 
arrange  for  either  depositing  on  interest  or  investing  such  amount  of  the 
money  of  the  Society  on  hand  as  the  committee  deemed  appropriate.     Carried. 


328 


CHAPTER    XVI 
1901-1902 

WHEN  the  Society  commenced  another  year's  record,  on  January  14, 
1901,  Judge  Higley  moved  the  appointment  of  a  committee  of 
fifteen,  of  which  General  Burnett  should  be  chairman,  with  power 
to  fix  a  date  and  arrange  a  programme  for  the  next  annual  banquet,  and  with 
power  to  add  to  their  number  such  other  members  of  the  Society  as  they  might 
deem  best  for  the  interest  of  the  banquet.  The  entertainment  committee  had 
prepared  a  special  programme  for  the  evening,  which  was  then  presented,  as 
follows : 

Banjo  selection — "  Ameer  March,"        .  .         Herbert 

Brooks  and  Denton. 
Humorous  song — "  You  Can't  Keep  a  Good  Man  Down." 

Dan  W.  Quinn. 
Banjo  selection — "  Salome,"  .  .  .         Loraine 

Brooks  and  Denton. 
Humorous  song — "  In  Old  Ben  Franklin's  Day." 

Dan  W.  Quinn. 
Banjo  selections — (a)   "  La  Cinquantaihe,"  .         Gabriel 
(b)   "Medley  of  Popular  Airs." 
Brooks  and  Denton. 
Humorous  songs — (a)  "  Dem  Goo-Goo  Eyes." 

(6)  "I  Want  to  Go  To-'  morrow.'  " 
Accompanist — Frank  P.  Banta. 

The  suggestion  of  Judge  Higley,  made  some  time  before,  bore  fruit  in 
the  early  days  of  the  year.  The  following  announcement  indicated  the  pleas- 
ures in  store  for  those  who  accepted  the  hospitalities  of  the  Society  on  the 
evening  named: 

"  On  Monday  evening,  January  28,  1901,  the  Society  will  give  an  in- 
formal '  Ladies'  Night '  at  its  rooms  in  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  at  which  a  de- 
lightful programme  will  be  rendered  by  distinguished  Ohioans.  Among  those 
who  will  take  part  in  the  entertainment  are  Mrs.  Ida  Eckert-Lawrence,  the 
distinguished  authoress,  of  Toledo,  Ohio ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Archard  Conner,  the  well- 
known  writer  and  speaker,  formerly  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  lately  returned 

329 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

from  extensive  travels  abroad;  Miss  Clara  Bernetta,  a  native  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  with  a  European  training  for  the  operatic  stage,  will  delight  the  audi- 
ence with  song,  her  sister  being  the  accompanist.  The  ladies  are  most  cor- 
dially invited  to  attend.  The  exercises  will  begin  at  8.15  o'clock.  A  colla- 
tion will  be  served  after  the  literary  exercises.  It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the 
members  generally  will  attend  with  their  families,  and  enjoy  again  a  genuine 
'  Ohio  Ladies'  Night '  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society. 

"  Milton  I.  Southard,  President.'' 

"  Albert  F.  Hagar,  Secretary." 

The  occasion  was  all  that  was  promised.     The  following  ample  pro- 
gramme was  presented: 

Reading — (a)  "Sweetheart  of  Mine." 

(6)  "  I'll  Keep  the  Old  Horse  Shod." 
Mrs.  Ida  Eckert-Lawrence. 

Solo,  Brindisi,  "  Lucrezia  Borgia,"     .  .         Donizetti 

Miss  Clara  Bernetta. 

Reading — (a)  "  Lines  to  a  Sea  Gull." 
(fe)  "Pay 'in  the  Mortgage." 
Mrs.  Ida  Eckert-Lawrence. 

Solo,  "  A  Summer  Night,"  .     .  .         Goring  Thomas 

Miss  Clara  Bernetta. 

Reading,  "  Vesuvius." 

Mrs.  Ida  Eckert-Lawrence. 

Solo,  "  Foeglein  Mohin,"       ....         Lassen 
Miss  Clara  Bernetta. 

Address,  "  A  Lesson  from  Fifty  Thousand  Miles  Travel." 
Eliza  Archard  Conner. 

Solos— (a)  "Du  Bist  Wie  Eine  Blume," 
(6)  "  Sonnen  Schein," 

Schumann 
Miss  Clara  Bernetta. 

Reading— (a)  "  Way  Down  South." 

(b)  "Sleep  on  Little  Boy." 

(c)  "  Sketches  at  Dawn." 
Mrs.  Ida  Eckert-Lawrence. 

Accompanist — Mr.  Robert  Colston  Young. 

330 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

At  a  later  meeting,  Judge  Higley  proposed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  sev- 
eral parties  who  had  furnished  this  entertainment.  He  stated  that  it  demon- 
strated the  fact  that  the  present  rooms  were  ample  to  accommodate  any  func- 
tion more  pleasantly  than  in  a  more  formal  way  at  some  other  place. 

In  the  meeting  of  March  11th  Mr.  Foye  reported  for  the  committee  that 
a  banquet  room  had  been  secured  for  the  evening  of  Saturday,  March  30th. 
Colgate  Hoyt  gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  trip  to  Washington  of 
President  Southard,  Mr.  Mather  and  himself  as  representatives  of  the  banquet 
committee  in  an  endeavor  to  secure  the  presence  thereat  of  Secretary  of  State 
Hay  and  other  prominent  gentlemen. 

The  fifteenth  annual  banquet,  held  in  the  large  ballroom  of  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  on  the  evening  of  March  30,  1901,  partook  of  the  nature  of  a  testi- 
monial to  Hon.  George  K.  Nash,  governor  of  Ohio,  who  was  the  chief  guest  of 
the  evening.  About  a  hundred  and  fifty  members  of  the  Society  sat  at  round 
tables,  and  nearly  as  many  ladies  appeared  in  the  balconies  near  the  close  of 
the  feast  and  remained  to  listen  to  the  speeches.  President  Milton  I.  Southard 
presided  at  the  guests'  table,  having  Governor  Nash  at  his  right  and  Gov- 
ernor George  P.  McLean,  of  Connecticut,  at  his  left.  Others  at  the  guests' 
table  were  General  Joseph  Wheeler,  Assistant  Attorney-General  James  M. 
Beck,  John  D.  Crimmins,  Robert  H.  Turle,  James  Lindsay  Gordon,  William 
W.  Baldwin,  Charles  E.  Burke,  John  W.  Vrooman  and  Momay  Williams. 

A  large  American  flag  behind  the  guests'  table  was  the  only  decoration  of 
the  dining  hall.  The  cover  of  the  menu  card  represented  a  cluster  of  buck- 
eyes, and  on  cream  plated  paper  were  photogravures  of  all  the  governors  of 
Ohio  from  1788  to  that  present  time.  The  ices  were  served  in  boxes  represent- 
ing "  prairie  schooners,"  the  vehicles  used  by  immigrants  in  ante-railroad  days, 
when  Ohio  was  the  Eldorado  of  the  settler. 

The  following  gentlemen  had  the  banquet  in  charge:  Banquet  committee, 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  John  J.  McCook,  William  L.  Brown,  Samuel 
Thomas,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Leander  H.  Crall,  John  D.  Archbold,  Warren  Hig- 
ley, Emerson  McIMillin,  William  S.  Hawk,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Rollin 
M.  Morgan,  Richard  J.  Chard,  Wager  Swayne,  Milton  I.  Southard,  An- 
son G.  McCook,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler, 
David  Homer  Bates,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Raymond  C. 
Penfield,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Flamen  Ball  Candler,  Albert  F.  Hagar,  secre- 
tary ;  reception  committee,  Andrew  Ernest  Fo3'e,  chairman ;  Lowell  M. 
Palmer,  David  Homer  Bates,  Jr.,  H.  Q.  French,  DeFrees  Critten,  Francis  B. 
Stedman,  Samuel  McMillan,  James  G.  Newcomb,  William  H.  Caldwell,  Emory 
A.  Stedman,  Wade  Chance,  Rush  Taggart,  L.  D.  Morrison,  Warner  EUs, 
George  F.  Randolph,  Walter  S.  Svdlivan,  Francis  X.  Butler,  William  H. 
Blymyer,  R.  W.  White,  Henry  B.  Wilson,  Henry  B.  C.  Plimpton. 

331 


Jn  Honor  or  rnc^ 


JyTonc 


ovemor  o/ /Aeyc/^/&  orxMio 


Edward  Tiffin 
1 804-1807 


Thomas  Kirker 
1807-1S08  (Acting) 


Samuel  Huntin 
1809-1810 


■If 


/  Return  Jonathan  Meigs     - 
i    ^         1811-1814 
'  Othneil  Looker 
1814  (Acting) 

Thomas  Worthinglon 
1815-1818 
Ethan  Allen  Brown 
1819-1822 

Allen  Trimble 
1822  (Actina:).     1827-1830 


^^tfi^ 


i^iVl 


Thomas  Corwin 
1S41-1S42 

Thomas  W.  Baltic v 

1S44  (Acting) 

Mordecai  BailU 
184.5-1846 


\ 


■^ 


William  Medill 
1S53  (Acting).   1854-1855 

Salmon  P.  Chase 
1856-1859 
William  Dennison,  Jr. 
lSCO-1861 

David  Tod         / 
1802-186.3    ^1 


^N«9iS^H^ 


-/rU^" 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Letters  of  regret  were  received  from  several  prominent  men  who  were 
born  in  Ohio,  and  Samuel  L.  Clemens  sent  the  following  quaint  letter,  dated 
from  his  home,  in  West  Tenth  street: 

"  To  the  Ohio  Society,  Greeting. 

"  I  have  at  this  moment  received  a  very  kind  invitation  (eleven  days  old) 
from  Mr.  Southard,  president,  and  a  like  one  (ten  days  old)  from  Mr.  Bryant, 
president  of  the  Press  Club.  I  thank  the  Society  cordially  for  the  compliment 
of  its  invitation,  although  I  am  booked  elsewhere  and  cannot  come.  But,  oh ! 
I  should  hke  to  know  the  name  of  the  lightning  express  by  which  they  were  for- 
warded, for  I  owe  a  friend  a  dozen  of  chickens.  I  believe  it  will  be  cheaper  to 
send  eggs  instead,  and  let  them  develop  on  the  road. 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  Mark  Twain." 

In  his  opening  address  President  Southard  said : 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society :  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  greet  you 
this  evening.  We  have  assembled  according  to  our  yearly  custom  to  com- 
#iemorate  our  native  state.  And  it  is  a  fitting  and  pleasant  incident  that  we 
have  with  us  as  our  guest  of  honor  the  Governor  of  Ohio.  We  extend  to  him 
our  hearty  salutations  and  the  freedom  of  the  Society.  I  may  not  betray  any 
confidence  by  telling  you  that  the  first  time  the  Governor  and  I  met  we  were 
both  engaged  as  prosecuting  attorneys  of  adjoining  counties  in  railroading  the 
criminal  classes  into  states  prison.  His  zeal  was  very  great,  and  many  a  cul- 
prit felt  his  heavy  hand,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  was  then  looking  forward 
to  the  day  when  he  should  become  governor  and  thus  liold  the  pardoning  power 
and  be  enabled  to  temper  justice  with  mercy. 

"  It  is  especially  gratifying  to  be  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut,  whose  citizens  contributed  so  much  to  the  early  settlement 
of  Ohio. 

"  To  our  other  distinguished  guests  we  make  our  grateful  acknowledge- 
ments. We  are  indebted  to  the  ladies  for  the  brightness  which  their  presence 
brings.  It  may  not  be  prudent  to  say  it,  but  we  could  not  do  without  them. 
It  has  been  a  year  since  they  greeted  us  at  a  like  function,  which  seems  a  long 
time ;  and  they  are  each  a  year  older,  which  seems  incredible. 

"  I  scarcely  need  tell  our  visiting  friends  from  Ohio  that  the  state  still  has 
charais  for  those  of  us  who  have  been  lured  to  this  great  metropolis  as  a  place 
of  abode.  While  a  generous  welcome  has  made  us  feel  at  home  here,  we  cannot 
forget  the  past.  Loyalty  to  New  York,  however,  is  not  inconsistent  with  filial 
attachment  to  Ohio.  The  skies  may  change,  but  not  the  mind,  and  so  we  go 
back  in  fancy  to  Ohio ;  to  the  visions  of  her  broad  valleys ;  her  verdured  hills ; 

341 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

her  limpid  streams;  her  beautiful  rivers  and  her  myriad  associations.  Those, 
indeed,  were  halcyon  days,  when  her  many  sons  and  daughters  in  the  buoyancy 
of  hope  were  as  happy  as  the  favored  few  at  Athens  in  the  golden  era  of 
Greece,  of  whom  it  was  said, '  in  the  soft  air,  on  the  bright  plain,  life  for  a  few 
was  all  a  festival.' 

"  As  you  know,  Ohio  was  the  first  bom  of  the  five  great  states,  carved 
out  of  the  famous  Northwest  Territory.  Her  origin  is  notable  and  her  devel- 
opment wondrous.  But  I  do  not  claim  for  her  all  the  glories.  I  have  learned 
from  attendance  on  banquets  of  the  societies  of  other  states  and  sections  that 
some  great  deeds  have  been  wrought  elsewhere. 

"  If  it  were  not  for  my  innate  modesty,  however,  I  might  picture  for  Ohio 
a  growth,  intellectual,  moral  and  material  that  would  challenge  the  admiration 
or  provoke  the  envy  of  all,  and  yet  keep  strictly  within  the  bounds  of  authentic 
history.  It  is  true  that  she  has  no  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
or  of  the  constitution,  nor  any  names  on  the  roster  of  the  gallant  officers,  sol- 
diers and  sailors  of  the  revolution.  And  why?  Simply  because  she  then  had 
none  to  sign  or  enroll.  But  in  after  time  her  sons  came  and  intuitively  im^ 
bibed  the  heroic  spirit  of  the  fathers  of  the  Republic.  They  have  ever  since 
kept  the  faith  and  have  crowned  their  state  and  country  in  imperishable 
honor  by  their  heroic  deeds." 

President  Southard  then  briefly  sketched  the  steps  taken  for  the  forma- 
tion of  that  famous  territory,  out  of  which  so  many  commonwealths  have  been 
carved,  and  of  them  he  said :  "  The  population  of  the  five  states  within  its 
borders  is  over  15,000,000,  equal  to  the  population  of  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  in  1850,  and  about  one-fifth  of  the  whole  United  States  at  the 
present  time.  And  their  wealth  and  material  resources  are  commensurate  with 
their  great  area  and  population.  But  this  is  not  all.  Tliere  are  other  consid- 
erations which  are  of  higher  importance,  and  which  appeal  far  more  to  the 
pride  of  the  past  and  the  hopes  of  the  future.  They  spring  out  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  institutions  which  were  here  established."  He  then  eloquently  dis- 
cussed the  famous  ordinance  of  1787.  In  conclusion  he  said :  "  The  North- 
west Territory  was  the  first  to  be  organized  in  our  national  history,  and  the  first 
thought  of  the  fathers  was  to  dedicate  it  to  liberty.  Since  then  our  territorial 
growth  has  been  continuous.  In  the  course  of  events  our  domain  has  been  ex- 
tended from  a  fringe  along  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  and 
recently  far  beyond  to  the  distant  islands  of  the  sea.  Whether  we  have  gone 
too  far  or  yet  not  far  enough  is,  at  present,  a  much  mooted  question.  The 
answer  must  be  found  in  our  ability  to  organize  the  government  of  alien 
peoples  in  harmony  with  our  free  institutions,  for  it  is  the  character  of  our 
rule,  and  not  the  exhibition  of  our  power,  that  must  determine  the  wisdom  of 
such  acquisition.     However  we  may  differ,  therefore,  about  the  recent  or  fur- 

342 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ther  extension  of  the  boundaries  of  our  country,  we  should  all  agree  that  wher- 
ever we  go  we  should  sacredly  maintain  and  apply  the  wholesome  principle  of 
free  government  with  all  limitations  of  oflficial  authority.  I  mean  that  we 
should  strenuously  preserve  not  only  the  form  but  the  soul  of  our  institutions 
and  daily  accustom  ourselves  to  worship  the  substance  and  not  the  shadow  of 
freedom. 

"  Holding  fast  to  these  high  ideals  and  aspirations  it  will  be  difficult  in- 
deed to  ever  strand  our  ship  of  state  on  the  reefs  or  shoals  of  imperial  misrule. 
But  the  love  of  gain,  the  pride  of  dominion,  the  seductions  of  wealth  and  the 
habit  of  indifference  to  civic  duty,  which  are  now  dominant  in  our  country, 
have  led  to  the  downfall  of  other  nations  in  other  times.  With  all  our  hopeful- 
ness, therefore — and  we  are  hopeful  beyond  measure — we  must  not  forget  the 
wise  though  familiar  maxim  that  *  eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  liberty,'  and 
always  and  everywhere,  not  excepting  even  this,  the  freest  of  nations.  And 
so,  exercising  this  vigilance,  if  we  go  astray,  let  us  retrace  our  steps ;  if  we 
commit  errors,  let  us  rectify  them;  if  we  become  too  slothful,  let  us  hasten 
on ;  if  overfast,  let  us  retard  our  movement,  and  thus  constantly  reform  our- 
selves, always  keeping  in  mind  the  honor  of  our  country  and  the  welfare  of  aU 
mankind." 

When  Governor  Nash  was  presented  as  the  next  speaker,  he  received  the 
vociferous  welcome  which  governors  of  Ohio  usually  get  at  the  annual  dinners 
of  the  Ohio  Society.  He  began  liis  speech  with  the  statement  that  the  people 
of  Ohio  feel  interest  and  pride  in  the  successes  of  men  from  the  Buckeye 
state  in  other  states.     He  said: 

"  Mr.  President,  Gentlemen  of  the  Society  of  Ohio :  I  greatly  appreciate 
the  courtesy  and  kindness  which  you  have  shown  me  to-night.  I  do  not  look 
upon  this  compliment  as  personal  to  myself.  It  comes,  I  think,  from  a  desire 
on  your  part  to  show  the  love  which  you  have  for  your  former  home. 

"  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  you  have  not  been  forgotten  by  your  old 
friends,  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens  in  the  Buckeye  state.  We  have  watched 
with  great  interest  your  efforts  in  the  work  of  building  up  the  great  city  of 
New  York.  You  have  been  important  factors  in  her  commercial,  financial, 
professional,  educational  and  artistic  life.  The  people  at  home  are  rejoiced  at 
your  triumphs. 

"  I  know  that  it  will  rejoice  your  hearts  to  be  assured  that  we  have 
been  getting  along  fairly  well  at  home.  In  other  states  of  the  Union  there 
are  to-day  more  than  one  million  of  inhabitants  who  were  bom  in  Ohio.  Not- 
withstanding these  drawbacks,  we  have  constantly  increased  in  population. 

"  Our  mercantile,  manufacturing,  mining,  financial  and  railway  interests 
have  constantly  increased  in  volume  and  strength.  In  the  meantime  our  col- 
leges, schools  and  universities  have  grown  in  numbers  and  attendance.    We  are 

343 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

here  to-night  as  men  and  women  through  whose  veins  flow  the  same  ancestral 
blood,  having  a  sort  of  heart-to-heart  talk. 

"  It  is  but  natural  that  we  should  recall  the  prosperity  which  we  know 
attends  our  kinsfolk.  Whenever  fortune  transplants  them  to  other  fields  they 
are  equally  loyal  to  the  states  of  their  adoption.  In  the  new  home  her  best 
interests  and  her  prosperity  become  objects  of  their  affection  and  receive  their 
zealous  support.  For  this  reason  they  are  always  the  best  citizens  wherever 
they  may  be  found. 

"  In  closing,  I  thank  you  for  your  very  great  kindness,  and  bespeak  for 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  a  very  brilliant  future." 

Governor  McLean  was  then  introduced.     In  part  he  said: 

"  Ohio  quickly  takes  from  Virginia  the  right  of  being  called  '  the  mother 
of  presidents.'  Under  those  circumstances  Connecticut  says :  '  Thank  God  for 
giving  us  such  a  daughter.'  And  when  Ohio  gives  us  such  a  president  as  Will- 
iam McKinley  Connecticut  says :  '  Thank  God  who  gave  us  such  a  grand- 
son.' " 

After  reviewing  the  early  history  of  his  state,  Governor  McLean  continued 
by  saying :  "  The  trouble  is  that  we  of  the  present  generation  do  not  appreci- 
ate the  blessings  of  the  present.  The  fact  remains  that  the  inhabitant  of  the 
smallest  village  of  the  United  States  has  better  lights,  better  roads  to  travel, 
better  neighbors  and  a  better  wife  than  the  richest  man  fifty  years  ago.  Dewey 
was  sent  to  sink  the  Spanish  fleet  at  Manila,  and  he  did  it.  Funston  was 
sent  to  capture  Aguinaldo,  and  he  did  it.  If  we  set  Aguinaldo  free  and  make 
him  a  governor,  as  some  of  the  papers  have  suggested,  we  would  set  an  ex- 
ample which  would  take  out  of  the  dictionary  of  war  the  words  reprisal  and 
revenge.     Our  mission  is  one  of  mercy,  and  not  of  conquest." 

Governor  McLean  then  referred  briefly  to  the  reform  movement  in  New 
York  City.  "There  are  few  places,"  he  said,  "which  are  always  in  a  process 
of  reform  and  still  always  growing  worse." 

General  Wheeler  was  next  introduced,  and  in  part  said : 

"There  has  been  something  said  about  our  possessions  in  the  Far  East. 
Any  one  who  has  been  taking  any  note  of  our  history  must  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  this  is  only  the  destiny  of  our  race.  Civilization  has 
always  been  traveling  westward.  Four  thousand  years  ago  the  centre  of 
civilization  was  in  Asia.  Then  this  centre  was  shifted  to  Greece,  and  later 
to  this  country.    We  are  now  passing  it  on  across  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"Wherever  the  flag  goes  the  hearts  of  the  American  people  will  follow. 
We  have  striven  to  be  at  peace  with  all  the  world,  but  when  forced  into  war 
the  whole  nation  will  put  the  stamp  of  approval  on  the  victories  won  by  its 
armies.     So  powerful  is  this  nation  to-day  that  a  word  from  the  Executive 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mansion  in  Washington  has  stopped  the  march  of  mighty  Germany's  armies 
in  China." 

The  last  speaker  was  Assistant  District  Attorney  James  Lindsay  Gordon, 
who  spoke  on  "Old  Virginia." 

At  the  session  of  April  8th,  General  Burnett  spoke  of  the  success  of 
the  banquet  under  the  circumstances  of  the  late  start,  and  said  it  was  his  in- 
tention to'  advocate  having  all  future  banquets  earlier  in  the  season.  Presi- 
dent Southard  suggested  having  something  in  honor  of  the  ladies  at  the 
meeting  in  May.  Mr.  Hoyt  asked  that  the  matter  be  referred  to  the  enter- 
tainment committee.  Mr.  Foye  suggested  that  an  informal  dinner,  compli- 
mentary to  the  members,  be  held  at  the  Manhattan,  and  that  the  ladies  be 
invited. 

In  accordance  with  these  suggestions,  the  gathering  of  May  14th  took 
the  form  of  a  dinner  in  honor  of  the  ladies  of  the  Society,  a  large  attendance 
being  present.  After  the  routine  business  had  been  transacted,  President 
Southard  welcomed  the  members  and  their  guests  in  a  few  well  chosen  words, 
and  stated  that  although  there  were  no  set  speeches  arranged,  he  would  take 
the  liberty  of  calling  upon  Father  Malone,  who  responded  in  a  short  talk, 
which  was  in  itself  an  oratorical  gem,  paying  a  high  tribute  to  the  noble 
women  of  Ohio,  and  ascribing  to  them  much  of  the  gi'eatness  of  the  state 
inasmuch  as  they  had  made  the  men  what  they  were.  President  Southard 
then  called  upon  Judge  Higley,  who  made  a  few  remarks  in  his  usual  happy 
manner,  and  called  on  General  Burnett,  who  responded  only  as  General  Bur- 
nett can.  Mr.  Gordon,  of  Virginia,  the  next  and  last  speaker,  closed  the 
evening's  enjoyment  with  a  few  impromptu,  but  none  the  less  eloquent  re- 
marks, in  which  he  spoke  of  the  ties  of  blood  and  kindred  which  cemented  to- 
gether the  sons  and  daughters  of  Ohio  and  the  Old  Dominion.  The  meeting 
then  adjourned.  The  entertainment  committee  having  provided  for  an  in- 
formal dance,  the  balance  of  the  evening  was  passed  in  that  manner. 

The  meeting  of  October  14th  was  one  of  deep  sadness,  devoted  as  it  was 
to  the  memory  of  the  late  President  McKinley.  The  president  announced 
that  he  had  named  the  following  gentlemen  to  represent  the  Society  at  the 
funeral:  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Caleb  B.  Wick,  David 
Robinson,  Samuel  McMillen,  Henry  B.  Root  and  Samuel  Mather. 

The  following  committee  on  memorial  resolutions  to  President  Mc- 
Kinley was  also  announced:  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett, 
Leander  H.  Crall,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  and  Warren  Higley.  Judge  Higley, 
of  the  committee,  read  the  following  resolutions,  and  on  motion  they  were 
unanimously  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  personal  occasion  to 
mourn  deeply  the  death  of  President  McKinley.     His  membership  with  us, 

345 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

always  recognized  on  both  sides,  his  coming  from  the  capital  to  be  our  honored 
guest  at  a  recent  annual  banquet,  and  his  words  then  spoken  of  such  interest 
to  the  country;  all  these  were  exponents  of  how  he  shared  the  cordiality  we 
cherish  as  a  tie  between  ourselves. 

^^Resolved,  That  even  our  sense  of  loss  of  these  things  vanishes  in  pres- 
ence of  our  greater  sense  of  loss  as  citizens  and  fellow  countrymen,  as  sharers 
in  those  priceless  benefits  of  civil  government  at  which  the  blow  was  aimed, 
and  sharers  also  in  those  human  feelings  to  which  throughout  the  world  this 
most  inhuman  murder  has  been  so  appalling. 

"Resolved,  That  the  shots  which  loosed  the  cords  of  life  in  our  dead 
President  opened  to  view  a  love  which  more  than  aught  else  that  was  in  him, 
was  himself,  which  murder  could  not  change  to  hate,  and  which  in  one  ex- 
pression of  its  tenderness  reminds  us  of  the  'Son,  behold  thy  mother!'  which 
was  spoken  from  the  Cross.  His  sense  of  immortality  met  the  approach  of 
death  with  such  a  recognition  of  his  God  as  snatched  from  death  its  sting 
and  from  the  grave  its  victory.  The  nation  and  its  people  and  the  world 
are  better  for  this  knowledge  of  our  late  executive.  This  very  exaltation 
of  his  place  in  human  hearts  and  memories  and  among  the  glories  of  his 
country's  past  gives  prominence  to  things  that  marked  its  mutual  recog- 
nition. The  Society's  home  henceforth  will  not  be  visited  without  some  men- 
tion of  that  President  of  the  United  States,  arising  from  the  memories  of 
him  which  cluster  here. 

^^Resolved,  That  murder  was  sought  to  be  done  in  him  upon  all  civil 
government,  that  order  and  security  might  perish.  To  us,  who  are  or- 
ganized expressly  to  conserve  that  fihal  relation  to  one  state  which  he  shared 
with  us,  the  memory  of  McKinley  ought  to  be  a  legacy  of  impulse,  changing 
by  action  to  reality.  It  ought  to  bring  more  fully  into  view  the  meaning 
and  exalted  office  of  the  state ;  and  ought  to  move  us  as  good  citizens  to  give 
its  welfare  more  of  our  devotion  and  a  larger  share  of  our  activities. 

^'■Resolved,  That  to  set  this  duty  on  foot  the  president  of  this  Society  be 
authorized  to  appoint  a  committee  of  five  to  consider  what  we  can  do,  and 
when  prepared,  to  report  to  the  Society." 

Judge  Higley  moved  that  the  resolutions  be  spread  in  full  on  the  minutes ; 
that  they  be  properly  engrossed,  signed  by  the  president,  attested  by  the 
secretary,  and  sent  to  the  widow  of  our  late  President,  and  that  Mr.  Crall 
be  appointed  a  committee  to  take  charge  of  this  matter.     Carried. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  November  9th  a  vote  of 
thanks  was  tendered  Leander  H.  Crall  for  the  preparation  of  the  beautiful 
memorial  resolutions  on  the  death  of  President  McKinley.  The  purchase 
of  an  oil  portrait  of  President  Garfield  was  authorized. 

The  nominating  committee,  consisting  of  Warner  Ells,  George  S.  Hayes, 

346 


Hon.  George  K.   Xash 
Governor  of  Ohio. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

F.  X.  Butler,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  E.  L.  Prentiss,  A.  D.  Houston  and  F.  M. 
Applegate,  presented  to  the  meeting  of  November  11th  the  following  officers 
for  the  ensuing  year:  President,  Colgate  Hoyt;  Vice-presidents,  Andrew 
J.  C.  Foye,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  Warren  Higley,  David  Homer  Bates, 
Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.;  Secretary,  Albert  F.  Hagar;  Recording  secretary, 
Charles  W.  Moms;  Treasurer,  Leander  H.  Crall;  Trustees,  Rush  Taggart, 
Flamen  Ball  Candler,  Cass  Gilbert. 

President  Southard  read  a  letter  from  Leander  H.  Crall,  the  treasurer, 
stating  that  he  had  served  the  Society  for  thirteen  years  past,  and  now  de- 
sired to  lay  down  the  care  of  office  and  retire  from  active  participation  in  the 
management  of  the  Society,  and,  therefore,  declined  to  permit  himself  to  be 
considered  as  a  candidate  for  the  office.  On  motion,  Mr.  Crall's  letter  was 
read  and  laid  on  the  table. 

A  portrait  of  a  late  member.  Dr.  Cornelius  N.  Hoagland,  of  Brooklyn, 
was  presented  to  the  Society  by  his  daughter.  Miss  Ella  J.  Hoagland.  Mr. 
Hagar  presented  the  portrait  in  a  few  well  chosen  words,  telKng  of  Dr. 
Hoagland's  many  benefactions  to  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  his  eminent 
qualities  as  a  man  and  a  citizen.  A  resolution  of  thanks  for  the  portrait 
was  adopted. 

Judge  Higley  spoke  about  the  formation  of  the  "Ladies'  Ohio  Society," 
and  moved  that  the  use  of  our  rooms  be  extended  to  these  ladies  for  the  meet- 
ings at  such  times  as  they  may  choose,  not  including  evenings.  The  motion 
was  carried. 

The  annual  meeting  for  1901  was  once  more  held  upon  the  historic  even- 
ing of  November  29th.  It  took  the  form  of  a  dinner  at  the  Manhattan  Hotel. 
The  nominating  conmiittee  reported  that  as  Mr.  Crall  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  withdraw  his  declination  of  the  office  of  treasurer,  they  had  sub- 
stituted the  name  of  Samuel  H.  Parsons.  The  chairman  stated  that  if  there 
was  no  objection  the  secretary  would  cast  one  ballot  for  the  ticket  as  pre- 
sented by  the  nominating  committee.  Objection  to  this  course  was  made, 
and  another  ticket  in  opposition  to  that  of  the  nominating  committee  was 
presented,  as  follows:  Vice-presidents,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Charles  A.  Moore, 
John  J.  McCook,  George  W.  Perkins  and  A.  D.  JuilHard.  Recording  secre- 
tary, John  J.  Crawford.  Trustees,  Louis  C.  Weir,  Rush  Taggart  and  Frank 
Brainard ;  the  following  nominees  on  the  regular  ticket  having  no  opposition : 
Colgate  Hoyt  for  president,  Albert  F.  Hagar  for  secretary,  Samuel  H.  Par- 
sons for  treasurer  and  Rush  Taggart  for  trustee.  The  nominations  of  the 
opposing  ticket  were  seconded.  The  chair  appointed  Messrs.  Stedman  and 
Applegate  as  tellers. 

A  protest  was  read  against  the  meeting  on  the  ground  that  it  was  il- 
legal and  void  because  the  notices  had  not  been  sent  out  ten  days  previous 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  the  night  of  the  election,  as  directed  in  the  by-laws.  This  protest  was 
signed  by  four  members  of  the  Society,  and  further  stated  that  they  would 
contest  the  right  of  the  treasurer  to  receive  or  pay  out  moneys. 

Secretary  Hagar  stated  that  the  reason  the  notices  were  a  day  late  was 
because  Mr.  Crall  had  declined  after  being  nominated  and  a  new  man  had 
to  be  found  to  fill  his  place,  which  took  some  little  time.  This  protest  was 
received  by  the  chair  and  afterwards  withdrawn. 

It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  this  meeting,  called  for  the  election  of 
certain  officers  for  the  ensuing  year,  adjourn  until  the  second  Monday  in 
December,  at  8 :30  p.  m.,  in  the  evening,  at  the  rooms  of  the  club,  and  that  a 
vote  then  be  taken  upon  such  gentlemen  as  are  placed  in  nomination  for  the 
various  offices. 

The  chair  overruled  the  motion  and  decided  that  an  election  must  be 
held  this  evening  as  prescribed  by  the  constitution.  An  appeal  was  taken 
from  the  ruling  of  the  chair  and  the  ruling  of  the  chair  was  sustained. 

The  chair  then  directed  that  a  ballot  be  taken,  resulting  in  the  election 
of  the  entire  ticket  as  named  by  the  nominating  committee.  The  entire  num- 
ber of  votes  cast  was  sixty,  Messrs.  Hoyt,  Parsons,  Hagar  and  Taggart 
receiving  the  full  sixty  votes  cast.  Of  the  other  nominees  on  the  regular  ticket, 
the  highest  received  forty-nine  votes,  the  three  lowest  forty-four.  On  the 
opposition  ticket  the  highest  received  sixteen,  the  lowest  twelve. 

President  Southard  spoke  feelingly  of  the  death  of  "  our  fellow  member, 
President  William  McKinley,"  and  read  a  letter  as  follows  from  Secretary 
Cortelyou,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  memorial  resolutions  sent  by  the 
Ohio  Society: 

"  Washington,  D.  C,  November  21,  1901. 

"  Dear  General  Swayne : — In  Mrs.  McKinley's  behalf  I  beg  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  your  very  kind  letter  of  recent  date,  with  accom- 
panying resolutions,  and  to  request  you  to  convey  to  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York  her  deep  appreciation  of  its  cordial  message  of  sympathy.  As- 
suring you  that  this  thoughtful  remembrance  is  very  comforting  to  Mrs. 
McKinley,  and  with  an  expression  of  her  thanks  to  you  for  your  courtesy 
and  tender  words  of  consolation,  believe  me, 

"  Very  sincerely  yours, 

"  Geo.  B.  Cortelyou. 
"  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  New  York." 

President  Southard  also  spoke  of  the  cordial  and  loyal  support  ex- 
tended to  him  by  all  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  during  his  term  of 
office,  and  the  pleasures  he  had  derived  therefrom,  and  in  closing  introduced 
Colgate  Hoyt,  the  new  president  of  the  Ohio  Society.  Mr.  Hoyt  addressed 
the  Society  in  his  usual  happy  vein,  sketching  briefly  the  history  of  his  pre- 

348 


Colgate   Hovt 
President   from  Xovemher  :29,  1901,  to  Xoveniher  30,  1903 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

decessors  in  office,  and  mentioning  the  fact  that  with  one  exception  they  had 
all  been  generals,  colonels  and  lawyers,  and  that  while  he  himself  had  only 
attained  the  exalted  rank  of  quartermaster  sergeant,  he  would  do  all  that 
within  liim  lay  to  make  his  administration  a  success,  and  asked  the  support 
of  the  members  to  that  end. 

Judge  Higley  moved  that  the  hearty  thanks  of  the  Society  "be  ex- 
tended to  our  retiring  president  for  the  able  and  efficient  manner  in  which 
he  has  discharged  the  duties  of  his  honorable  and  distinguished  office."  Mr. 
Hagar  seconded  this  resolution  in  a  few  pleasant  remarks,  and  it  was  carried 
unanimously  by  a  rising  vote. 

Mr.  Foye  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  seconded  by  Mr. 
Candler  in  a  few  remarks,  and  carried  unanimously  by  a  rising  vote: 

"Whereas,  Mr.  Leander  H.  Crall  has  voluntarily  retired  from  the  office 
of  treasurer  of  the  Society  after  thirteen  years  of  service,  marked  with  great 
ability  and  by  scrupulous  care  and  fidelity,  therefore  be  it, 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Society  hereby  expresses  its  sincere  regrets  at  his 
retirement  and  extends  to  him  its  cordial  thanks  for  his  long  and  efficient 
services,  with  the  well  wishes  of  all  for  his  health  and  happiness." 

Louis  D.  Clarke  presented  the  name  of  Secretary  of  State  John  Hay  for 
honorary  membership,  to  be  voted  for  at  the  January  meeting.  Mr.  Southard 
presented  the  name  of  Hon.  George  K.  Nash  for  honorary  membership,  to 
be  also  voted  for  at  the  January  meeting,  these  gentlemen  taking  the  place 
as  honorary  members  of  those  distinguished  statesmen  and  sons  of  Ohio,  ex- 
Presidents  Benjamin  Harrison  and  William  McKinley,  who  had  passed  away 
since  the  last  annual  meeting.  Mr.  Stedman  spoke  of  the  faithful  manner 
in  which  Louis  D.  Clarke,  the  retiring  chairman  of  the  governing  board,  had 
performed  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  him,  which 
motion  was  seconded  and  carried  unanimously  by  a  rising  vote.  Mr.  Southard 
introduced  the  orator  of  the  evening,  Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland, 
who  addressed  the  Society  as  he  only  can,  giving  many  interesting 
and  hitherto  untold  stories  in  the  life  of  the  late  President  McKinley.  Rev. 
John  Lloyd  Lee,  pastor  of  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church,  then  briefly 
addressed  the  Society  on  the  beautiful  life  and  character  of  President  Mc- 
Kinley. 

The  governing  committee  met  on  December  7th  and  chose  J.  Sherlock 
Davis  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Parsons  to  the  office 
of  treasurer.  Francis  B.  Stedman  was  elected  chairman,  and  the  following 
gentlemen  selected  as  the  house  committee:  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Evarts  L. 
Prentiss  and  H.  B.  C.  PUmpton. 

At  the  meeting  of  December  9th  President  Hoyt  read  the  following  list 
of  committees  for  the  ensuing  year:     Governing:  Francis  B.  Stedman,  chalr- 

349 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

man ;  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  Raymond  C.  Penfield,  James  Sherlock  Davis,  James 
G.  Newcomb,  Emerson  McMillin,  Rush  Taggart,  Flamen  Ball  Candler,  Cass 
Gilbert;  literature  and  art:  Charles  H.  Niehaus,  chairman;  George  D.  M. 
Peixotto,  Alexander  Doyle,  Langdon  S.  Thompson,  Albert  Shaw;  entertain- 
ment: Warren  Higley,  chairaian;  Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  Francis  X.  Butler, 
Francis  B.  Stedman,  Oscar  B.  Thomas;  library:  Francis  M.  Applegate, 
chairman;  Mahlon  Chance,  H.  H.  Sisson,  Leonard  D.  Morrison,  Winchester 
Fitch ;  auditing :  Louis  D,  Clarke,  chairman ;  Richard  J.  Chard,  Warner 
Ells,  Charles  L.  Paar,  Andrew  Linn ;  house :  Andrew  J,  C.  Foye,  chair- 
man; Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  Henry  B,  C.  PHmpton. 

Judge  Higley  presented  for  honorary  membership  the  names  of  Hon. 
Joseph  B.  Foraker  and  Hon.  Marcus  A.  Hanna,  senators  from  Ohio,  to  be 
acted  upon  at  the  next  regular  meeting.  Mr.  Crall  offered  three  added  sec- 
tions as  an  amendment  to  Article  III  of  the  by-laws,  which  were  eventually 
adopted  as  follows : 

"  Sec.  3.  Any  seven  or  more  members  may,  in  Hke  manner,  prepare  and 
report  to  the  Society,  another  ticket  to  be  voted  for  at  the  annual  election, 
provided  that  such  ticket  be  prepared  and  posted  on  the  bulletin  board  in 
the  rooms  of  the  Society  at  least  ten  days  prior  to  the  date  of  the  annual 
meeting. 

"  Sec.  4.  Members  who  are  thus  named,  and  whose  names  appear  on 
such  ticket  or  tickets,  prepared  and  posted  as  hereinbefore  prescribed,  and 
no  others,  shall  be  eligible  for  election. 

"  Sec.  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  secretary  of  the  Society  to  send  a 
copy  of  such  tickets  by  mail  to  each  Active  member  at  least  seven  days  prior 
to  the  election.  The  ticket  reported  by  the  nominating  committee  shall  be 
headed  '  Ticket  reported  by  the  Nominating  Committee,'  and  the  other  ticket, 
if  any,  shall  be  headed  '  Independent  Ticket.' " 

Major  Abbott  raised  the  question  of  the  small  attendance  of  the  annual 
meeting  as  compared  with  the  number  of  members,  and  also  the  small  mem- 
bership of  the  Society  as  compared  with  the  number  of  Ohioans  in  New  York 
and  vicinity.  Mr.  Parsons  moved  "  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  get  up 
a  circular  letter  soliciting  members,  and  that  it  be  referred  to  the  governing 
committee,  and  that  they  send  out  a  letter  to  each  member  requesting  him 
to  send  in  the  names  of  good  Ohioans,  and  get  live  membership  in  the  Society." 
Seconded  by  Mr.  Southard.  General  Burnett  moved  to  amend  that  the 
governing  board  be  instructed  to  get  up  and  send  out  such  a  letter.  Amend- 
ment accepted,  and  motion  as  amended  carried. 

President  Hoyt  spoke  about  the  annual  banquet  and  asked  an  expression 
of  opinion  from  the  Society  on  the  subject.  General  Burnett  moved  that  a 
banquet  committee  be  at  once  appointed  by  the  chair,  and  that  that  com- 

350 


Member  of  the  Governing  Committee  sixteen   years 
and  Treasurer  of  the  Society  thirteen  years 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

mittee  designate  a  day  for  the  holding  of  the  annual  banquet,  the  nearest 
day  consistent  with  the  securing  of  the  speakers  whom  we  desire,  "  and  as  a 
suggestion  for  the  committee  that  Secretary  Hay  be  invited  as  our  honored 
guest  on  that  occasion.  In  the  event  of  Secretary  Hay  not  being  able  to  come, 
that  we  invite  as  the  guests  of  the  Society  all  the  senators  of  the  United  States 
who  were  born  in  Ohio,  or  residents  of  Ohio,  and  make  it  an  '  Ohio  Senators' 
Banquet.'  "  Mr.  Southard  seconded  the  motion,  and  after  his  experience  as 
president,  heartily  concurred  with  General  Burnett  as  to  the  wisdom  of  prompt 
action  and  an  early  banquet.     The  motion  was  carried. 

Major  Abbott  gave  an  interesting  account  of  Secretary  Hay's  states- 
manship and  prompt  grasp  of  the  situation  in  China  as  to  whether  our  troops 
there  should  cooperate  under  the  leadership  of  any  of  the  foreign  generals, 
his  decision  being  a  decided  negative,  and  the  effect  it  had  on  the  foreign 
powers. 

Following  one  of  the  suggestions  in  the  above,  the  governing  committee 
met  on  December  27th  and  approved  the  following  letter,  prepared  by  Mr. 
Parsons,  and  directed  that  the  same  should  be  sent  to  the  members : 

"  To  {a  member). 

"  Dear  Sir : — There  are  many  Ohioans  now  living  in  Greater  New  York 
and  vicinity,  also  in  Ohio  and  other  states,  who  are  eligible  to  membership  in 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  and  who  might  deem  it  an  honor  to  become  a 
member.  We  request  you  to  send  to  Mr.  Albert  F.  Hagar,  secretary,  10 
Wall  Street,  the  names  of  any  one  whom  you  know  would  be  desirable  ac- 
quisitions to  our  Society,  stating  their  profession  or  business  and  present 
address." 

The  treasurer  read  a  letter  from  William  Perry  Fogg,  first  treasurer  of 
the  Society,  to  Mr.  Crall,  the  late  treasurer,  expressing  regret  that  the  state 
of  his  health,  and  residence  outside  the  city,  prevented  him  from  attending 
meetings  of  the  Society ;  and  saying  that  he  therefore  deemed  it  best  to  resign 
his  membership.  The  treasurer  also  read  a  copy  of  Mr.  Crall's  letter,  in 
reply  thereto,  recalling  pleasant  recollections  of  their  work  in  connection  with 
organizing  the  Society,  and  beautifully  expressing  the  esteem  in  which  he 
himself  and  the  Society  held  Mr.  Fogg.  Both  letters  were  received  and  placed 
on  file.     Mr.  Fogg's  resignation  was  accepted,  with  regret. 

On  January  13th,  1902,  President  Hoyt  reported  that  General  Burnett 
and  himself  went  to  Washington  and  saw  Secretary  Hay,  who  regi-etted  very 
much  that  he  was  unable  to  accept  the  invitation  of  the  Ohio  Society  to  be 
its  guest  at  the  annual  banquet.  They  had  seen  Senator  Foraker  and  had 
gotten  acceptances  from  all  the  nine  senators  bom  in  Ohio,  and  from  the 
attorney  general  of  the  United  States.  It  would  therefore  be  a  "  United 
States   Senators'  Banquet."     Mr.  Foye,  for  the  house  committee,  reported 

351 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

that  the  banquet  hall  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria  had  been  secured  for  Saturday 
night,  March  1st. 

Secretary  Hay,  Governor  Nash  and  Senators  Foraker  and  Hanna,  pro- 
posed at  previous  meetings  for  honorary  membership,  were  duly  elected. 

Mahlon  Chance  made  a  speech  on  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio  by  the 
Whittaker  family,  in  Sandusky  county,  prior  to  1780,  and  before  that  made 
at  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  1788.  The  facts  for  ]\Ir.  Chance's  remarks  were  col- 
lected by  John  R.  Moore,  of  Fremont,  Ohio,  assisted  by  Col.  Webb  C.  Hayes. 
Mr.  Chance's  remarks  were  followed  with  great  interest  by  those  present,  the 
final  conclusion  being  that  at  any  rate  "  Ohio  had  been  settled."  Mr.  Ball 
moved  that  it  be  requested  that  copies  of  Mr.  Chance's  remarks  be  furnished 
the  Society,  and  that  they  be  embodied  in  the  minutes.  Carried.  Judge 
Higley  suggested  that  "  we  pass  a  vote  of  thanks  in  the  form  of  a  resolution 
to  Mr.  John  P.  ISIoore  for  what  he  has  done  toward  tiie  development  of  Ohio 
history."     It  was  so  ordered. 

The  evening  of  Monday,  January  27,  1902,  had  been  set  aside  by  the 
Society  in  honor  of  "  The  Daughters  of  Ohio,"*  a  newly-formed  social  or- 
ganization of  Ohio  women  in  New  York.  The  entertainment  took  the  form 
of  an  informal  reception  and  art  exhibit,  and  there  was  a  large  attendance  of 
members  of  both  organizations.  A  pleasant  program  was  presented.  Judge 
Higley,  chairman  of  the  entertainment  committee,  called  especial  attention  to 
the  exhibit  of  pictures  and  statuary  that  had  been  arranged  for  the  evening, 
a  list  of  which  follows: 

Main  Pabloe. 

G.  D.  M.  Peixotto,  "  Admiral  Schley,"  study  head. 

Irving  R.  Wiles,  "Roses." 

Harry  Watrous,  "  The  Spark  of  Friendship." 

Wm.  Thome,  "  The  Peasant  Bride." 

Clara  T.  McChesney,  "  Two  Cronies." 

George  Inness,  Jr.,  "  Sheep  Shearing." 

J.  H.  Dolph,  "On  Guard." 

Edward  Potthast,  "  Modesty." 

G.  H.  Smillie,  "  Landscape." 


*  The  following  brief  statement  is  from  the  first  annual  report  of  Louise  Kennedy 
Mabie,  first  historian  of  the  Daughters  of  Ohio,  as  presented  and  approved,  in  1902:  "  There 
was  a  meeting  of  five  ladies  in  the  Ohio  Society  rooms  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  on  the  after- 
noon of  November  4,  1901.  The  ladies  were  Mrs.  A.  J.  C.  Foy6,  Mrs.  Abner  C.  Thomas, 
Mrs.  R.  J.  Chard,  Mrs.  Warren  Higley  and  Mrs.  Emma  Archer  Osborne.  Among  other 
things  they  discussed  sending  notices  to  the  press  inviting  Ohio  women  to  meet  together  one 
week  from  that  day,  November  11th,  at  the  same  place.  Mrs.  Osborne  sent  out  seven  press 
notices  and  over  twenty  ladies  came  in  answer  to  the  call.  At  this  meeting  they  were  asked 
to  sign  agreements  to  unite  in  forming  an  association.  The  Society  was  formally  organi;;ed 
at  the  next  meeting,  November  19,  1901." 

352 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

F.  S.  Church,  "  The  Rose." 
Eastman  Johnson,  "  Study  of  a  Child." 
Henry  Hosier,  "  Old  Woman's  Head." 
Franklin  Tuttle,  "  Col.  Chas.  W.  Moulton." 

G.  D.  M.  Peixotto,  "  William  McKinley." 
Frankhn  Tuttle,  "Hon.  Wm.  L.  Strong." 
Wm.  H.  Beard,  "  General  Sherman." 
Miss  Ransom,  "  General  Grant." 

Alf .  H.  Maurer,  "  Arrangement  in  Grey." 
J.  G.  Brown,  "  'Twas  Long  Ago." 
Louis  Loeb,  "  Israel  Zangwill." 
G.  D.  M.  Peixotto,  "  Chief  Justice  Waite." 
"  Gen.  Wm.  Henry  Harrison."     Artist  unknown. 
"  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing."    Artist  unknown. 

Reception  Room. 
Svend  Svendsen,  "  Village  Street,  Winter." 
Wm.  M.  Chase,  "  Along  the  River." 
Leonard  Ochtman,  "  The  Old  Road." 
Wm.  H.  Howe,  "  Cow  Pasture." 
W.  H.  Ranger,  "  Landscape  in  Autumn." 
H.  N.  Hyneman,  "  General  Garfield." 
Frankhn  Tuttle,  "Warren  Higley,  Esq." 

Sculpture. 
Frederick  McMonnies,  "  Nathan  Hale." 
Frederick  McMonnies,  "  Fountain  Statuette." 
C.  H.  Niehaus,  "  WilHam  McKinley." 
C.  H.  Niehaus,  "  Joe  Jefferson." 
C.  H.  Niehaus,  "Portrait  Groups."     (Rehef.) 
A.  A.  Weinman,  "  The  Bowler." 
Enid  Yandell,  "  Portrait  Bust." 
Borglum,  "  Bucking  Broncho  and  Cowboy." 
T.  D.  Jones,  "Hon.  Thomas  Ewing."      (Bust.) 

In  the  gathering  of  February  10th  President  Ho3^t,  for  the  ban- 
quet committee,  stated  that  he  had  discovered  another  United  States 
senator  originally  from  Ohio,  making  ten  in  all,  and  that  they  had 
all  promised  to  come  to  the  banquet.  That  Attorney  General  Knox, 
Assistant  Attorney  General  Beck,  Solicitor  General  Richards,  Governor 
Odell  and  Mayor  Low  would  also  be  there.  He  also  read  letters  from  Secre- 
tary Hay  and  Senators  Foraker  and  Hanna,  each  expressing  his  appreciation 
of  the  honor  conferred  by  electing  him  an  honorary  member.     Also  one  from 

353 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid,  expressing  his  regret  that  he  would  not  be  able  to 
attend  the  annual  banquet.  The  letters  from  Colonel  Hay  and  Senators 
Foraker  and  Hanna  were  as  follows : 

"  Depaetment  of  State,  Washington,  January  22,  1902. 
"  My  Dear  Sir : — I  have  received  your  kind  letter  informing  me  that  I 
have  been  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Ohio  Society.     I  deeply  appre- 
ciate the  honor  you  have  done  me,  and  accept  it  with  pleasure  and  gratitude. 
I  am,  sir, 

"  Respectfully  yours, 

"  John  Hat. 

"  Colgate  Hoyt,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York." 

"  United  States  Senate,  Washington,  D.  C,  Feb.  1,  1902. 
"  Hon.  Colgate  Hoyt,  President  Ohio  Society. 

"  My  Dear  Sir : — The  official  advice  of  my  election  as  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  just  reached  me.  It  is  certainly  an 
honor  to  be  identified  with  such  an  organization  of  men  potent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  nation  and  of  its  metropolis.  It  is  indeed  a  high  compliment  to  be  se- 
lected for  an  honor  so  carefully  guarded  and  so  seldom  bestowed.  It  will  add 
to  the  pleasure  I  have  always  found  in  attending  your  annual  meetings,  and  I 
will  now  look  forward  to  them  with  an  additional  and  more  personal  interest. 
I  would  be  pleased  if  you  would  convey  to  your  members  an  assurance  of  my 
deep  appreciation  and  thanks. 

"  Truly  yours, 

"  M.  A.  Hanna." 

"  United  States  Senate,  Washington,  D.  C,  Jan.  23,  1902. 
"  Hon.  Colgate  Hoyt,  President  of  the  Ohio  Society. 

"  Dear  Sir : — I  write  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  notice  you  have 
sent  me  of  the  action  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  in  electing  me  an 
honorary  member.  The  character  and  standing  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York  are  so  liigh  and  so  universally  recognized  that  the  compliment  is  one 
to  be  indeed  appreciated.  In  accepting,  I  thank  you  for  such  a  kind  remem- 
brance, and  earnestly  hope  that  your  future  may  be  as  creditable  and  as 
satisfactory  to  all  concerned  as  is  the  record  already  made. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  J.  B.  Foraker." 


354 


CHAPTER    XVII 
1902-1903 

THE  sixteenth  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  was  given  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  March  1,  1902.  The 
presence  of  ten  senators  of  the  United  States,  with  Buckeye  blood  in 
the  veins  of  most  of  them  and  an  Ohio  residence  standing  to  the  honor  of  the 
rest;  of  the  attorney  general  of  the  United  States,  of  the  general  of  the 
army ;  of  the  mayor  of  New  York  and  the  lieutenant  governor  of  the  state, 
and  of  other  distinguished  men,  formed  a  drawing  card  of  extraordinary 
power.  Every  son  of  Ohio,  and  every  grandson  or  second  cousin,  who  could 
possibly  be  present,  put  in  an  appearance.  Over  four  hundred  guests 
marched  in  and  took  their  appointed  places,  when  the  doors  of  the  banquet 
hall  were  thrown  open. 

As  has  been  already  suggested,  the  taking  idea  was  conceived  of  giving 
this  dinner  in  honor  of  the  members  of  the  senate  of  the  United  States  who 
were  either  born  in  Ohio  or  had  spent  some  portion  of  their  lives  in  that 
state.  A  delegation,  headed  by  President  Colgate  Hoyt,  proceeded  to  Wash- 
ington, and  after  much  labor  and  many  arguments,  succeeded  in  rounding 
up  the  gentlemen  who  fulfilled  either  of  the  above  Buckeye  conditions.  In 
addition,  they  also  bespoke  the  attendance  of  Senator  Spooner  of  Wisconsin, 
who  was  born  so  near  to  the  Ohio  line,  that  he  might  also  be  counted  as  among 
the  elect.     The  senatorial  guests  invited  were  as  follows : 

Senators  J.  B.  Foraker  and  M.  A.  Hanna  of  Ohio,  Stephen  B.  Elkins 
and  N.  B.  Scott  of  West  Virginia,  W.  B.  Allison  of  Iowa,  John  P.  Jones  and 
W.  M.  Stewart  of  Nevada,  C.  W.  Fairbanks  and  A.  J.  Beveridge  of  Indiana, 
and  Senator  Spooner  of  Wisconsin. 

The  committee  also  secured  the  attendance  of  Hon.  P.  C.  Knox,  attorney 
general  of  the  United  States,  who  accepted  as  the  personal  representative  of 
the  president  and  of  the  administration.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  as- 
sistant, Hon.  James  M.  Beck  of  Kentucky,  an  orator  of  great  power. 

There  was  such  an  array  of  distinguished  gentlemen  invited  for  the 
president's  table,  that  the  list  is  here  reproduced  in  full  from  the  official  dia- 
gram: 

Hon.  Irving  M.  Scott,  of  California;  Hon.  Augustus  Van  Wyck,  Presi- 
dent Southern  Society;  Mr.  Augustus  Thomas,  President  Missouri  Society; 

355 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mr.  Edmund  C.  Stedman,  President  New  England  Society;  Hon.  Seth  Low, 
Mayor  of  New  York;  Hon.  Charles  H.  Grosvenor,  of  Ohio;  Hon.  John  K. 
Richards,  Solicitor  General  U.  S. ;  Lieut.  Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles,  Commanding 
U.  S.  A. ;  Hon.  J.  C.  Spooner,  U.  S.  Senator  Wisconsin ;  Hon.  C.  W.  Fair- 
banks, U.  S.  Senator  Indiana;  Hon.  J.  P.  Jones,  U.  S.  Senator  Nevada; 
Hon.  W.  B.  Allison,  U.  S.  Senator  Iowa;  Hon.  P.  C.  Knox,  Attorney  General 
U.  S. ;  Hon.  Joseph  B.  Foraker,  U.  S.  Senator  Ohio ;  Hon.  Colgate  Hoyt, 
President;  Hon.  Marcus  A.  Hanna,  U.  S.  Senator  Ohio;  Hon.  Stephen  B. 
Elkins,  U.  S.  Senator  West  Virginia;  Hon.  W.  M.  Stewart,  U.  S.  Senator 
Nevada;  Hon.  A.  J.  Beveridge,  U.  S.  Senator  Indiana;  Hon.  N.  B.  Scott, 
U.  S.  Senator  West  Virginia ;  Hon.  James  M.  Beck,  Ass't  Attorney  General 
U.  S.;  Maj.  Gen.  James  H.  Wilson,  U.  S.  A.;  Hon.  Timothy  L.  Woodruff, 
Lieut.  Governor  New  York;  Rev.  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  D.  D.,  President  Brown 
University;  Hon.  Robert  B.  Roosevelt,  Holland  Society;  Mr.  T.  H.  Bartin- 
dale.  President  Canadian  Society;  Mr.  Robert  C.  Ogden,  Pennsylvania  So- 
ciety; Mr.  Robert  F.  Munro,  St.  Andrew's  Society. 

Tlie  committees  in  charge  comprised  the  following  gentlemen:  Banquet 
committee:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  Colgate  Hoyt,  John  J.  McCook, 
Whitelaw  Reid,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  treas. ;  Leander  H.  Crall,  John  D.  Arch- 
bold,  Warren  Higley,  William  S.  Hawk,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Richard  J.  Chard, 
Paul  D.  Cravath,  Samuel  Mather,  Wager  Swayne,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Anson 
G.  McCook,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  David  Homer  Bates, 
Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  George  E.  Armstrong,  Charles  A. 
Moore,  H.  S.  Julier,  Mahlon  Chance,  Albert  F.  Hagar,  secretary.  Reception 
committee:  Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  chairman;  Lowell  M.  Palmer,  Charles 
Hedges,  H.  B.  Wilson,  R.  C.  Penfield,  Rollin  M.  Morgan,  De  Frees  Critten, 
Merrill  Watson,  Patrick  Ryan,  Andrew  Lynn,  Winchester  Fitch,  Warner 
Ells,  L.  D.  Morrison,  O.  B.  Thomas,  H.  B.  Brundrett,  H.  H.  Brockway, 
James  G.  Newcomb,  C.  C.  Shayne,  Francis  B.  Stedman,  Peter  H.  Burnett, 
James  H.  Kennedy,  Henry  B.  C.  Plimpton,  Norman  C.  Raff,  James  Sher- 
lock Davis,  David  Homer  Bates,  Jr.,  John  J.   Crawford,  H.  H.   Sisson. 

On  the  Friday  morning  preceding  the  banquet  President  Hoyt  went  to 
Washington  in  his  private  car  for  the  purpose  of  escorting  the  distinguished 
Washington  contingent  to  New  York.  He  was  accompanied  by  W.  S.  Hawk, 
proprietor  of  the  Manhattan  hotel,  and  they  were  to  be  met  at  Washington 
by  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman  of  the  dinner  committee. 

Mr.  Hawk,  who  is  an  Ohio  man,  and  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Society,  had 
carried  patriotic  generosity  to  the  limit,  by  entertaining  the  senators  at  his 
hotel  free  of  charge,  a  compliment  that  the  committee  and  the  Society  appre- 
ciated. 

The  special  car  containing  the  committee  and  guests  reached  New  York 

356 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Saturday  afternoon,  and  carriages  were  taken  to  the  Manhattan  hoteh  At 
a  few  minutes  after  six  o'clock  the  distinguished  gentlemen  again  entered  the 
carriages,  and  Avere  driven  to  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  where  a  reception  was 
lield  in  the  Astor  gallery.  President  Hoyt  and  the  senators  stood  in  line, 
and  as  each  guest  arrived,  he  was  taken  in  charge  by  some  member  of  the 
reception  committee,  and  presented  to  the  gentlemen  who  stood  in  line.  The 
members  of  the  dinner  committee  and  of  the  reception  committee  were  present 
in  full  force,  doing  all  that  lay  within  their  power  to  make  the  occasion  a 
success. 

It  was  a  few  minutes  before  seven  when  the  members  of  the  Society  and 
their  guests  marched  into  the  banquet  hall  to  the  sound  of  stirring  music,  and 
each  took  his  station  at  his  designated  round  table,  and  remained  standing. 

Then  President  Hoyt  and  the  reception  committee  came  in,  two  by  two, 
each  escorting  one  of  the  distinguished  guests  of  the  evening.  Mr.  Hoyt 
led  the  way,  accompanied  by  Senator  Foraker,  the  senior  senator  from  Ohio. 

Grace  was  said  by  Rev.  Dr.  Faunce,  and  seats  were  taken  and  in  a  moment 
the  first  order  of  the  evening  was  under  way. 

The  room  was  a  mass  of  flowers,  of  plants,  of  flags,  and  of  reminders  of 
Ohio  as  a  commonwealth.  The  souvenir  program  was  a  work  of  art.  Three 
handsome  sheets  of  cartridge  paper  enclosed  a  number  of  leaflets.  On  the 
outside  was  a  branch  from  the  buckeye  tree  in  natural  green  and  brown,  and 
a  shield  of  Ohio  in  gold.  On  one  of  the  leaves  was  a  portrait  group  of  the 
senators,  whose  coming  had  made  this  a  senatorial  night;  on  another  the 
menu;  on  a  third  the  names  of  the  banquet  committee,  and  on  a  fourth  the 
program  for  the  evening,  preceded  by  an  inscription  in  red  and  burnt-wood 
efi^ect  in  these  words: 

The  Sixteenth  Annual. 

Banquet  of  the 

Ohio  Society 

Of  New  York, 

In  JiOTwr  of  Ohio  in  the  United  States  Senate, 

at  the   Waldorf-Astoria,  Saturday  evening, 

March  First,  Nineteen  Hvmdred  and  Two. 

Then  followed  the  oratorical  program  in  these  words: 

"  Ohio  in  the  Senate,"  Senator  Joseph  B.  Foraker;  "  Labor  and  Capital," 
Senator  Marcus  A.  Hanna;  "The  United  States,"  Hon.  James  M.  Beck, 
assistant  attorney  general  of  the  United  States ;  "  Ohio  in  War,"  Senator 
Charles  W.  Fairbanks ;  "  Our  Foreign  Possessions,"  Senator  Albert  J.  Beve- 

357 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ridge;  "  Just  Over  the  Line,"  Senator  John  C.  Spooner;  "  The  State  of  New 
York,"  Governor  Benjamin  B.  Odell,  Jr.;  "  The  City  of  New  York,"  Mayor 
Seth  Low ;  "  Our  Sister  Societies,"  Augustus  Thomas,  Esq. 

At  8 :30  the  doors  to  the  two  galleries  about  the  banquet  hall  were  thrown 
open  and  a  large  number  of  ladies  entered,  that  they  might  hear  the  speeches. 
Admission  was  by  card  only.  The  ladies  were  escorted  by  a  special  recep- 
tion committee,  of  which  Andrew  Ernest  Foye  was  chairman.  One  or  two  of 
the  boxes  were  reserved  for  the  ladies  who  came  as  guests  of  President  Hoyt 
and  of  the  senators. 

President  Hoyt  rapped  for  order,  and  the  second  half  of  the  feast  was 
dispatched  with  celerity  and  enthusiasm.  His  opening  remarks  were  as 
follows : 

"  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  and  Our  Honored 
Guests  of  the  Evening: — I  propose,  first  of  all,  that  every  one  of  us,  stand- 
ing, fill  our  glasses  and  drink  in  silence  a  toast  to  the  memory  of  our  late 
president,  William  McKinley.  (It  was  drunk  in  silence.)  I  now  propose,  still 
standing,  that  we  drink  a  toast  to  that  courageous,  aggressive  and  efficient 
son  of  our  adopted  state,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  the  president  of  the  United 
States.         i 

"  We  are  especially  honored  to-night  in  having  with  us  a  member  of  the 
president's  cabinet,  the  Hon.  P.  C.  Knox,  and  while  we  are  under  pledge  not 
to  ask  him  to  speak,  we  would  all  of  us  be  most  gratified  if  he  would  allow  us 
to  welcome  him  here  now.     (Mr.  Knox  bowed  his  thanks.) 

"  The  Oliio  Society  of  New  York  is  celebrating  to-night  its  sixteenth 
annual  banquet.  It  has  arrived  at  a  most  interesting  age,  that  of  '  sweet 
sixteen  ' ;  and,  as  I  look  up  at  the  ladies  ( for  we  men  always  have  to  look  up 
when  looking  at  the  ladies),  I  am  sure  that  I  am  not  treading  on  dangerous 
ground  when  I  say  that  even  they  are  willing  to  acknowledge  that  they  are 
sixteen  years  old.  And  I  am  sure,  also,  the  gentlemen  gathered  around  these 
tables  will  all  endorse  the  statement  when  I  say  that  none  of  the  ladies  here 
to-night  look  over  sixteen. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  been  fortunate  in  enjojang  many 
notable  banquets,  but  we  have  never  been  more  highly  honored,  nor  have  we 
ever  had  reason  to  be  more  proud  than  we  are  to-night  in  the  presence  of  so 
many  distinguished  guests.  '  Ohio  in  the  Senate '  surely  has  reason  to  be 
proud  of  her  sons  there;  for  there  are  ten  senators  now  serving  in  the 
senate  who  wei'e  either  bom  in  Ohio  or  were  citizens  of  that  favored  state, 
and  seven  of  the  ten  can  claim  Ohio  as  their  birthplace.  No  other  state  in 
the  union  can  claim  more  than  half  that  number  of  senators,  and  only  two 
other  states  can  claim  five. 

"  Ohio  has  all  the  senators  from  three  states  aside  from  her  own,  namely, 

358 


•^  ■  iV*»»-s-jfcii«r^  III! 

[bio  in  the  Senafe Senator  Joseph   B.   Foraker 

Jbor  ano  (Ripital Senator    Marcus  A.    Hanna 

Cbe'^nit^jStates Hon.   James   M.   Beck 

Asst.  Att'y  Gen'I  of  the  U.  S. 

Obio  in  IDmar  Senator  Charles  W.   Fitirbanks 

(9ttr-^reion^jfto8Se8S»Otl8 Senator  Albert  J.    Beveridge 

JFust  Cvex  the  Cine Senator  John   C.   Spooner 

Cbe  State  of  pew  ^ovl^ 
/r=^^^^^^^^^^  Governor   Benjamin    B.  Odell,  Jr. 

4-i 

^bc  Citie  of  flew  ^ov\^ 

,   JVIayor  SeQi  Low 

Out  Sister  Societies 

Augustus  Thomas,   EstJ. 


:K\b^ 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Indiana,  in  Senators  Fairbanks  and  Beveridge;  West  Virginia,  in  Senators 
Elkins  and  Scott;  and  Nevada,  in  Senators  Jones  and  Stewart,  and  in  two 
other  states  she  has  representatives,  in  Iowa  Senator  Alhson,  and  in  Michigan 
Senator  Burrows.  Ohio  is  a  tie  with  Virginia  in  furnishing  presidents  for 
the  United  States,  and,  but  for  the  fact  that  we  from  Ohio  are  so  modest,  we 
would  not  hesitate  to  predict  that  if  you  give  her  a  Httle  time,  she  will  in  the 
near  future  pass  even  the  old  state  of  Virginia  in  that  honor.  As  I  said 
before,  we  are  especially  pleased  in  having  the  present  cabinet  of  the  United 
States  represented  in  its  attorney  general,  and  also  in  its  assistant  attorney 
general,  the  Hon.  James  M.  Beck. 

"  We  are  also  pleased  to  welcome  the  solicitor  general  from  Wash- 
ington, the  Hon.  John  K.  Richards,  who  is  an  Ohio  boy.  We  welcome 
round  our  tables  the  presidents  and  representatives  of  the  different  sister 
societies  of  the  state  of  New  York.  We  have  New  England,  Pennsylvania, 
Holland,  Canada,  Southern  Society  and  Missouri  represented  here  to-night. 
But  it  is  not  my  province  to  take  up  your  time  with  any  extended  remarks, 
but  rather  to  give  way  at  once  in  order  that  you  may  enjoy  hearing  from  our 
distinguished  guests." 

Attorney  General  Knox,  though  not  down  on  the  program  as  a  speaker, 
responded  to  the  first  toast.  He  complimented  President  Roosevelt  upon  his 
faithful  adherence  to  the  policy  of  President  INIcKinley  as  laid  down  in  the 
Buffalo  speech.  Referring  to  the  president's  attitude  toward  Cuba,  he 
said: 

"  Even  to-day  President  Roosevelt  is  giving  his  best  effort  and  energy  to 
prove  that  we  have  not  left  this  poor  alien  southern  nation  to  poverty  and  dis- 
tress." 

In  introducing  Senator  Foraker,  Mr.  Hoyt  said: 

"  Ohio  has  been  honored  through  many  of  her  gi'eat  sons,  but  by  none 
more  than  by  the  gentleman  on  my  right ;  he  was  a  gallant  soldier  in  the  civil 
war,  an  able  jurist,  a  distinguished  and  courageous  governor,  and,  after  serv- 
ing his  state  so  efficiently  as  governor,  Ohio  called  him  higher,  and  to-day  he 
stands  a  leader  among  men  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States." 

Senator  Foraker  said,  in  part: 

"  When  I  was  informed  that  I  was  expected  to  speak  before  your  Society 
here  in  New  York  I  found  myself  so  busy  that  I  could  not  find  a  moment  to 
prepare  a  fitting  response  to  your  courtesy.  I  postponed  the  preparation  of 
a  speech  until  a  day  or  two  before  my  setting  out  for  New  York.  The  post- 
ponement proved  fatal.  I  found  myself  so  much  occupied  with  South  Caro- 
lina that  I  was  precluded  from  turning  my  thoughts  to  my  native  state." 

This  allusion  to  the  Tillman-McLaurin  imbroglio  caused  a  hearty  laugh. 
After  enumerating  Ohio's  long  list  of  distinguished  senators,  Mr.  Foraker  was 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

applauded  when  he  said,  "  And  I  know  I  can  say  without  hurting  anybody's 
feelings  that  John  Sherman  was  the  greatest  of  them  all." 

With  playful  allusions  to  the  posts  of  influence  held  by  men  of  Ohio 
birth  in  the  senate  committees,  Senator  Foraker  said :  "  You  can't  get  an 
appropriation  through  without  Allison's  consent.  Without  the  influence  of 
Fairbanks,  you  cannot  get  a  postoffice,  and  without  Beveridge's  cooperation 
you  can't  get  anything  you  want  in  the  territories.  As  for  Senator  Jones,  he 
presides  over  the  contingent  fund,  and  without  his  approval  you  cannot  even 
have  a  messenger  boy  appointed. 

"  Now,  as  for  my  colleague.  Senator  Hanna  " — (here  the  speaker  was 
interrupted  with  loud  cheers  and  cries  of  "  What's  the  matter  with  Hanna? 
He's  all  right !  "  )     Continuing,  Mr.  Foraker  said : 

"  Well,  in  the  senate,  as  everywhere  else,  Hanna  is  '  it.'  He  is  on  about 
every  committee  there  is,  and  there  is  not  much  going  on  unless  he  has  a 
finger  in  it."  Referring  to  the  great  fight  between  the  Jefl^erson  Democrats 
and  the  Hamilton  Federalists  over  Ohio  coming  into  the  Union  in  1801,  the 
Senator  said: 

"  The  fights  you  read  about  between  Hanna  and  me  aren't  a  patch  to 
what  that  fight  was.  Rival  party  men  in  those  days  called  one  another  anar- 
chists and  murderers.  Why,  they  talked  worse  than  Senator  Hoar  does  to-day 
about  our  rule  over  the  Philippines. 

"  Having  made  this  kind  of  a  start  in  1801,  all  that  has  followed  has 
followed  naturally.  Our  Ohio  political  fathers  set  the  pace.  We  have  been 
merely  keeping  it  up.  From  that  day  to  this  no  man  could  hope  to  hold  up 
his  end  in  the  Ohio  political  hustings  without  meeting  foemen  worthy  of  his 
steel. 

"  Ohio  politics  has  never  been  one  sided  until  within  the  last  few  years, 
and  since  that  time,  so  as  not  to  get  out  of  practice,  we've  been  keeping  up  a 
little  fighting  among  ourselves.  But  you  always  find  us  presenting  a  united 
front  to  the  common  political  enemy." 

President  Hoyt  introduced  Senator  Hanna  in  these  words: 

"  Ohio  is  truly  proud  of  her  long  line  of  great  statesmen,  but  she  is 
equally  proud  of  her  sons  who  in  finance,  transportation,  in  commerce,  in  min- 
ing and  in  great  industries  of  this  country  have  taken  such  a  prominent  part. 
Chief  among  these  stands  a  gentleman  (who,  by  the  way,  is  a  member  of  this 
Society,  and  whom  many  of  you  know),  who  grew  up  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  who  is  now  counted  as  one  of  the  wealthiest,  if  not  the  wealthiest 
man  in  the  world,  Mr.  Rockefeller,  for  he  it  is  to  whom  I  refer,  in  addressing 
a  class  of  young  men  a  few  months  since,  said  that  he  had  derived  pleasure 
and  satisfaction  in  being  able  to  give  to  institutions  of  learning,  to  churches 
and  religious  organizations,  but  that  the  greatest  satisfaction  that  had  come  to 

360 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

him  in  his  many  years  of  hard  work,  had  bten  the  fact  that  the  company 
which  he  organized,  and  was  still  the  president  of,  from  its  organization  up  to 
the  present  time,  had  paid  out  for  labor  alone  over  six  hundred  millions  of 
dollars,  and  never  had  a  serious  strike.  The  man  who  can  give  his  millions 
may  benefit  mankind,  but,  in  my  judgment,  the  man  who  can  furnish  to  the 
great  mass  of  wage-earners  constant  work,  and  thus  crown  their  honest  toil 
with  steady  return  for  their  labor,  equally  benefits  his  fellow  men. 

"  Speaking  of  labor,  we  are  honored  to-night  in  having  with  us  another 
son  of  Ohio,  who,  while  he  has  not  been  unfamiliar  with  capital,  has  been 
equally  familiar  with  labor,  and  who  is  a  great  believer  in  the  doctrine  that 
instead  of  labor  being  antagonistic  to  capital,  it  should  go  hand  in  hand, 
each  complementing  and  helping  the  other.  I  take  great  pleasure,  therefore, 
in  being  able  to  introduce  to  you  now  the  other  senator  from  Ohio,  the  Hon. 
Marcus  A.  Hanna,  who  will  respond  to  the  toast,  '  Labor  and  Capital.'  " 

"  This  is  an  occasion  to  make  a  man  proud  of  his  nativity,"  said  Senator 
Hanna,  when  the  applause  which  greeted  him  had  subsided.  "  Surely  Ohio  is 
an  incubator  of  statesmen  and  equally  surely  is  it  a  soil  productive  of  great 
men  in  all  walks  and  vocations  of  life.  The  men  who  do  things  are  the 
proudest  product  of  any  state,  and  the  men  who  make  themselves  felt  in  other 
states,  as  Ohio  men  have,  reflect  the  greatest  credit  on  their  nativity."  Con- 
tinuing, Senator  Hanna  said: 

"  Apropos  of  doing  things,  some  one  in  this  country  has  been  doing 
things ;  some  one  in  this  country  has  been  doing  things  for  the  past  fifty 
years  and  doing  them  well.  When  one  looks  back  over  what  has  been  done 
in  that  time  he  is  almost  rendered  speechless.  Our  evolution  in  that  brief  time 
has  brought  us  to  where  we  stand  now  in  the  commercial  and  industrial  world, 
second  to  no  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

"  The  great  natural  resources  of  our  country,  coupled  with  the  terrific 
energy  of  our  cosmopolitan  people,  have  made  us  what  we  are,  a  people  whose 
capitalists  of  to-day  were  the  laborers  of  yesterday.  The  men  who  are  at 
the  heads  of  our  great  iron  and  steel  industries  in  this  country  are  the  men 
who  worked  first  at  the  puddle,  the  furnace  and  the  roll.  There  stands  the 
aristocracy  of  labor,  not  the  aristocracy  of  blood,  but  the  aristocracy  of  brains 
and  brawn.     (Applause.) 

"  We  have  gone  ahead  in  this  country  until  now  for  the  first  time  in  our 
history  capital  stands  alone  on  its  own  foundations.  We  are  to-day  a  creditor 
nation  and  fast  becoming  the  money  centre  of  the  world.  It  surely  is  not 
strange  that  this  question  of  capital  and  labor  is  being  forced  to  the  public 
attention.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  men  who  do  things  should  begin  to  con- 
sider that  problem  from  a  social  standpoint. 

"  If  the  development  of  wealth  is  to  make  us  strong  in  this  country  we 

361 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

should  see  to  it  that  all  who  contribute  to  the  development  of  this  wealth  have 
fair  and  equal  consideration.  (Loud  applause.)  The  men  who  work  with 
their  hands  are  as  much  a  part  of  this  wealth  as  the  men  who  work  with  their 
brains  and  they  are  entitled  to  a  share  of  all  the  good  that  comes  from  it. 

"  And  now  I  want  to  say  a  word  to  you  about  the  Civic  Federation.  It 
is  a  new-born  organization,  but  it  is  not  a  new-born  subject.  It  is  a  culmina- 
tion of  that  concrete  thought  which  has  led  thoughtful  and  reasonable  men 
to  consider  something  outside  of  their  own  selfish  interests.  No  man  loyal  to 
his  country  will  shut  his  eyes  to  the  importance  of  this  thing. 

"  The  man  of  little  education  and  small  opportunities  appeals  to  you  to 
lift  him  up  and  not  by  word  or  act  to  keep  him  down.  Therein  lies  the  social 
elevation  of  the  country.  The  federation  has  started  in  with  the  idea  that 
there  shall  be  no  class,  no  one  man  better  than  another. 

"  It  is  the  object  of  the  federation  to  appeal  to  the  American  people 
who  employ  labor,  the  great  captains  of  industry,  to  join  in  this  movement, 
and  when  they  do  this  it  is  the  beginning  of  things  never  thought  of  or 
dreamed  of  before.  To  those  few  who  are  laboring  in  this  vineyard  now  there 
comes  nothing  but  praise  and  commendation  from  every  part  of  the  country. 

"  I  want  to  take  this  opportunity,  too,  to  thank  the  great  press  of  the 
country  for  its  assistance  in  bringing  capital  and  labor  together  and  making 
them  sit  face  to  face  and  heart  to  heart.  When  men  sit  down  together  in  this 
way  to  consider  things  in  a  spirit  of  fairness  there  can  be  no  such  word  as 
fail.  Our  membership  should  only  be  limited  by  the  population  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  purpose  for  which  the  federation  is  laboring  should  receive 
the  support  of  the  people  of  the  whole  country. 

"  And  I  want  to  tell  you  that  when  capital  and  labor  can  thus  meet 
face  to  face  and  heart  to  heart,  we  have  only  begun  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
our  future  greatness." 

President  Hoyt  spoke  of  the  Ohio  boy  who  sat  in  a  senator's  seat  from 
Indiana  in  these  words: 

"  Ohio  has  been  great  in  her  statesmen ;  Ohio  has  been  great  in  her  busi- 
ness energy  and  men  of  affairs ;  but  Ohio  has  been  no  less  great  in  her  heroes 
and  fighters  for  our  beloved  country.  No  state  can  boast  of  so  many  generals 
who  have  risen  to  the  high  position  of  commanding  general  of  the  army  of  the 
United  States  as  Ohio;  for  three  of  her  sons.  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan, 
have  held  that  high  office,  and  the  present  general  commanding  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  and  who  has  honored  us  with  his  presence  to-night,  did  the 
next  best  thing  to  being  bom  in  Ohio  by  securing  his  better  half  from  that 
favored  state.  Our  next  toast,  '  Ohio  in  the  War,'  will  be  responded  to  by  a 
distinguished  senator  from  the  state  of  Indiana,  although  a  son  of  Ohio,  the 
Hon.  C.  W.  Fairbanks,  whom  I  now  introduce  to  you." 

362 


Hon.    Marcus  A.   Hanna 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  senior  senator  from  Indiana  was  exceedingly  happy  in  his  references 
to  Ohio's  contribution  to  the  liistory  of  the  nation.    He  said  in  part: 

"  Ohio  wrote  a  record  of  surpassing  brilliancy  in  the  gravest  and  most 
tragic  period  of  our  national  liistory. 

"  Forty  years  have  come  and  gone  since  the  historic  shot  at  Fort  Sumter 
which  aroused  the  country  from  its  lethargy  and  stirred  it  to  its  heroic  duty. 
It  was  then  Ohio  sent  word  to  Washington  to  the  effect  that  if  Kentucky  could 
not  fill  her  quota  Ohio  stood  ready  to  make  up  the  difference. 

"  First  and  last,"  said  Mr.  Fairbanks,  "  Ohio  sent  340,000  soldiers  into 
the  field,  the  very  pick  and  flower  of  the  youth  of  the  state.  When  treason 
capitulated  those  who  had  not  paid  the  last  full  measure  of  patriotic 
devotion  to  their  country  returned  whence  they  came  and  resumed  their  civic 
duties. 

"  The  fame  of  her  immortal  triimivirate  encircles  the  globe.  All  honor  to 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  William  T.  Sherman  and  Phil  Sheridan.  And  there  were 
Rosecrans  and  McPherson,  Gillmore  and  McDowell,  Buell  and  Cox,  Stedman 
and  McCbok,  Hayes  and  Force." 

Senator  Fairbanks  dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  services  rendered  during 
the  war  by  the  "  sons  of  Ohio  "  in  both  branches  of  Congress  as  well  as  in 
prominent  positions  in  the  administrative  departments  of  the  government. 

"  Of  those  who  served  in  the  army  of  the  Union,"  he  continued,  "  five 
whose  places  of  nativity  were  in  the  Buckeye  state  subsequently  held  the  highest 
commission  which  the  American  people  could  bestow.  Their  names  spring 
unbidden  to  our  lips:     Grant,  Hayes,  Garfield,  Harrison  and  McKinley." 

Of  Senator  Beveridge,  President  Hoyt  said :  "  We  are  again  honored 
with  the  presence  of  another  senator  from  Indiana — but  an  Ohio  boy — and 
who,  having  grown  up  breathing  the  invigorating  air  of  that  dear  state,  has 
developed  into  one  of  its  most  distinguished  orators." 

Senator  Beveridge  spoke  on  "  Our  Foreign  Possessions."  He  objected 
to  the  word  "  foreign  "  as  applied  to  American  possessions,  saying  that 
modem  science  had  brought  distant  lands  to  the  doors  of  this  country.  He 
declared  that  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines  were  trust  estates,  and 
warned  Americans  not  to  prove  faithless  to  their  trust. 

"  Our  task  of  bringing  order  and  prosperity  in  these  islands,"  he  said, 
"  will  be  performed  with  characteristic  American  adaptability.  The  work  was 
given  us  by  God;  we  have  the  experience  of  nations  and  our  own  genius  to 
fall  back  on  in  this  hour.  American  suzerainty  in  Cuba  will  never  cease  ex- 
cept by  annexation.  Our  policy  in  the  Philippines  will  depend  on  how 
readily  the  natives  show  their  loyalty  to  our  flag."  Senator  Beveridge  coun- 
selled patience.  He  closed  by  saying  that  to-day  no  move  was  made  on  the 
map  of  the  world  without  other  nations  first  consulting  the  United  States. 

363 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Assistant  United  States  Attorney  General  James  M.  Beck  spoke  on 
"  The  United  States."  He  endorsed  Senator  Hanna's  utterances.  He  said 
that  the  increasing  wealth  of  the  United  States  was  not  a  question  of  one- 
half  the  moment  of  that  of  labor  and  capital.  Tliis  country,  he  declared, 
would  always  be  a  wealthy  nation — that  he  had  been  told  one  member  of  the 
Ohio  Society  was  sufficiently  wealthy  to  have  paid  the  debt  that  Bismarck 
placed  on  France  or  to  have  purchased  the  palace  at  Versailles.  The  great 
question  that  confronts  the  nation,  he  asserted,  did  not  relate  to  wealth,  but 
had  to  do  with  the  relations  of  capital  and  labor. 

"  Unless,"  said  he,  "  labor  and  capital  are  united,  we  may  fear  no  foe 
without,  but  surely  our  country  will  be  rent  with  internecine  strife. 

"  Men  like  Senator  Hanna  are  extending  the  hand  of  friendsliip  to 
labor.  Along  this  path  lie  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  Republic.  God 
speed  him  to  bridge  the  gulf  between  wealth  and  poverty,  and  promote  that 
peace  and  equality  of  opportunity  for  which  the  Republic  was  created." 

Continuing,  Mr.  Beck  proceeded  to  tell  jokes  about  Ohio.  He  spent 
some  time  in  explaining  why  Benjamin  Franklin  had  not  been  bom  in  that 
state.  "  It  was  his  principle,"  said  the  speaker,  "  never  to  seek  office,  never  to 
refuse  one,  and  never  to  resign  one."  The  first  of  these  three  principles,  said 
Mr.  Beck,  excluded  the  theory  that  Franklin  might  have  been  a  Buckeye 
citizen. 

Toward  Mr.  Hanna  Mr.  Beck  directed  some  of  his  wit.  He  said  that  the 
Senator  had  become  such  a  great  man  in  his  native  state  that  Ohioans  no 
longer  reckoned  time  in  the  usual  way,  but  that  they  had  come  to  speak  of  this 
year,  for  instance,  as  "  Hanna  Domini,  1902." 

Augustus  Thomas,  the  famous  playwright,  made  a  most  admirable  and 
witty  speech  in  response  to  the  toast  "  Our  Sister  Societies."  Mayor  Low, 
Governor  Odell,  Lieutenant  Governor  Woodruff  and  Senator  Spooner  of 
Wisconsin,  all  of  whom  were  expected  to  speak,  were  not  present. 

When  the  speeches  were  finished,  Mr.  Hoyt  dismissed  the  audience  with 
these  words :  "  The  time  has  now  come  for  us  to  draw  the  sixteenth  annual 
banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  to  a  close;  and  I  am  sure  that  we 
have  all  had  a  good  time,  and  I  am  equally  sure  that  every  member  of  the 
Society  desires  to  extend  to  all  our  honored  guests  their  thanks  for  being 
present  with  us;  and  their  thanks  also  to  those  who  have  so  entertained  us 
by  speaking  to-night.  We  only  regret  that  the  time  was  so  short  that  it 
has  been  impossible  to  hear  from  all  of  our  guests,  and  with  thanks  to  all 
who  have  aided  us  in  making  this  a  most  agreeable  evening,  we  will  now 
adjourn.'* 

In  the  meeting  of  March  10th,  Mr.  Parsons  spoke  of  the  great  success 
of  the  annual  banquet,  which  was  due,  he  said,  more  than  anything  else,  to 

S64! 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  energy  and  hard  work  of  President  Hoyt.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  ten- 
dered to  President  Hoji;,  Treasurer  Parsons  and  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  chairman 
of  the  house  committee,  for  their  services  in  connection  with  the  banquet,  and 
also  to  William  S.  Hawk,  proprietor  of  the  Manhattan  hotel,  for  his  generous 
hospitality  in  entertaining  at  his  hotel  the  guests  of  honor  from  Washington 
who  attended  the  banquet.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  also  extended  to  Ernest  A. 
Foye,  chairman  of  the  reception  committee,  for  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
performed  the  duties  assigned  to  him. 

Judge  Higley  moved  that  the  Society  give  a  dinner  at  the  Manhattan 
Hotel  on  the  second  Monday  in  April;  that  this  be  complimentary  to  the 
members,  and  that  the  members  be  permitted  to  invite  guests.  Carried. 
On  motion,  the  details  of  this  dinner  were  left  to  the  chairman  of  the  house 
committee,  Mr.  Foye.  There  being  no  further  business,  the  meeting  ad- 
journed to  enjoy  the  entertainment  prepared  for  them  by  Judge  Higley  and 
his  committee,  as  follows: 

Banjo  Duett — (a)  La  Cinquantine,      .  .  Gabriel 

(6)   Senegambian  March,  .         Rosey 

Song — "  Come  out  Dinah  on  the  Green." 

Banjo  Duett — (a)  Ripple  Dance,     .  .         Friedman 

(6)  Mosquito  Parade,  .         Whitney 

Humorous  Song — "  Rip  Van  Winkle  was  a  Lucky  Man." 

Banjo  Duett — (a)   Salambo,  .  .  .  Morse 

(b)  High  Society  March,     Porter  Steele 

(Yale  '02) 
Humorous  Song,  "  Can't  You  Take  My  Word?  " 
Banjo  Duett — (a)  "Pretty  Maiden,"  Florodora,  Stuart 
(b)  Salome,  .         .         .         Loraine 

Coon  Song,  "  Go  'Way  Back  and  Sit  Down." 

Brooks  &  Denton,       .  .  .         Ban  joists 

Mr.  Dan  W.  Quinn,       .  .  .         Vocalist 

Mr.  Frank  K.  Banta,     .  .  .  Pianist 

The  governing  committee,  in  its  meeting  of  April,  ordered  that  hereafter 
the  speeches  delivered  at  the  annual  banquets  be  taken  down  by  a  stenographer, 
and  in  the  discretion  of  the  governing  committee,  pubhshed  in  the  annual  year 
book  and  sent  to  each  member,  together  with  the  programme  of  the  banquet.  It 
was  also  ordered  that  the  matter  of  ordering  further  year  books  be  left  to 
the  treasurer,  with  power.  It  was  moved  by  Mr.  Penfield  and  carried  that 
the  governing  committee  recommend  to  the  Society  that  the  president  be  given 
power  to  appoint  an  historian  of  the  Society. 

365 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  evening  of  April  14th  was  designated  as  "  ladies'  night."  The 
members  and  their  ladies  met  at  the  INIanhattan  hotel,  where  an  excellent  din- 
ner was  served.  When  the  time  for  business  arrived,  Mr.  Stedman,  on  be- 
half of  the  governing  committee,  announced  the  election  of  twenty  resident 
and  fifteen  non-resident  members. 

Then  followed  an  episode  that  gave  pleasure  to  all  who  were  present. 
Ex-President  Southard,  in  a  few  well  chosen  words,  presented  to  Leander  H. 
Crall,  the  recent  treasurer  of  the  Society,  a  handsome  loving  cup,  from  various 
members  of  the  Society,  as  a  token  of  regard  for  him  and  a  slight  apprecia- 
tion of  his  valuable  labors  on  behalf  of  the  Society  during  the  thirteen  years 
in  which  he  had  been  its  treasurer.  Howard  E.  Crall  accepted  the  cup  on 
behalf  of  his  father,  who  was  ill  in  the  South,  and  in  a  most  felicitous  speech 
thanked  the  donors  for  having  remembered  his  father  by  the  presentation  of 
this  beautiful  gift. 

S.  E.  Johnson,  editor  of  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer,  formerly  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  now  of  Washington,  D.  C,  gave  an  interesting  account  of  journalistic 
experience.  Capt.  James  Parker,  a  native  Buckeye — a  veteran  naval  officer 
both  of  the  Mexican  and  civil  wars,  and  counsel  for  Admiral  Schley  in  the 
late  investigation,  related  most  entertainingly  many  incidents  of  his  long 
and  eventful  life.  James  H.  Kennedy  thanked  the  Society  for  having  chosen 
him  as  its  historian.  Stewart  Chisholm,  of  Cleveland,  then  addressed  the 
Society  in  a  happy  vein,  this  closing  the  intellectual  part  of  the  program. 

The  Misses  Hoyt,  Buckeye  girls,  added  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the 
evening  by  their  sweet  singing  and  whistling. 

Mr.  Applegate,  in  the  May  meeting,  reported  on  behalf  of  the  library 
committee.  It  was  the  sense  of  that  committee  that  the  library  should  be 
essentially  an  "  Ohio  Library,"  and  they  recommended  that  the  histories  of 
the  various  counties,  not  already  secured,  be  added ;  also  the  lives  of  prominent 
Ohio  men ;  and  that  a  letter  be  sent  to  the  members  asking  for  the  donation 
of  such  books,  and  that  if  they  are  not  then  forthcoming,  they  could  be  pur- 
chased with  the  appropriation  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  committee  by  the 
governing  board.    Adopted,  and  such  a  letter  was  directed  to  be  sent. 

Col.  Wilson  Vance  then  favored  the  Society  with  a  reading  on  the  battle 
of  Stone's  River,  from  his  book,  "  God's  War."  He  held  the  close  attention 
of  his  hearers  by  his  vivid  and  thrilling  word  picture  of  this  memorable  battle. 

At  the  meeting  in  October,  1902,  the  following  gentlemen  were  selected 
as  the  nominating  committee,  to  recommend  officers  to  be  elected  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  November:  M.  I.  Southard,  H.  H.  Brockway,  E.  L. 
Prentiss,  A.  W.  Gilmore,  P.  Ryan,  George  Follett  and  F.  X.  Butler. 

President  Hoj^t  welcomed  the  members  back  from  their  summer  vaca- 
tion, and  hoped  for  a  better  year's  work  for  the  Society  than  ever  before. 

366 


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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

He  also  spoke  of  the  recent  death  of  a  fellow  member,  ex-Gov.  George  Hoadly. 
Judge  Higley  spoke  feelingly  on  the  subject,  and  moved  that  a  committee  be 
appointed  to  draft  suitable  resolutions.  Carried.  The  chair  named  as  such 
committee  the  following  gentlemen:  Judge  Higley,  General  Burnett,  Mr. 
Southard,  Mr.  Ewing  and  Mr.  Foye. 

President  Hoyt  spoke  of  the  coming  annual  banquet,  and  said  that  he 
would  like  to  appoint  the  banquet  committee  at  the  next  meeting,  and  also 
be  authorized  to  appoint  Mr.  Foye  to  see  the  hotel  people  and  ascertain 
what  night  in  January  they  could  secure  the  banquet  hall.  The  power  was 
confen-ed  upon  him. 

Mr.  Hagar  moved  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  by  the  chair 
to  arrange  for  a  dinner  on  the  29th  of  November,  and  that  the  program  on 
that  occasion  be  arranged  to  bring  out  the  points  of  the  day  we  are  cele- 
brating, i.e.,  the  centennial  of  the  admission  of  Ohio  into  the  Union.  Carried, 
and  the  chair  appointed  as  such  committee  Messrs.  A.  F.  Hagar,  A.  J.  C. 
Foye,  James  H.  Kennedy,  Thomas  Ewing  and  Judge  Warren  Higley,  to 
act  in  conjunction  with  the  house  committee. 

President  Hoyt  spoke  of  his  recent  trip  to  Oeveland  to  attend  the 
"  silver  wedding "  of  the  First  Cleveland  Troop,  of  which  he  had  been  a 
charter  member.  He  said  he  found  several  Ohio  Society  men  there  and 
several  more  who  ought  to  be  Ohio  Society  men.  Major  Abbott  added  some- 
thing which  Mr.  Hoyt  had  omitted,  to-wit,  that  "  Mr.  Hoyt,  of  New  York," 
had  made  a  very  happy  and  brilliant  speech  on  that  occasion.  President 
Hoyt  gave  an  interesting  history  of  the  First  Cleveland  Troop,  the  dis- 
tinguished men  who  had  been  conected  with  it,  and  the  historic  occasions  on 
which  it  had  held  the  post  of  honor. 

Judge  Higley,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  resolutions  on  the  death 
of  ex-Govenior  Hoadly,  offered  a  report  at  the  November  meeting,  paying 
a  high  tribute  to  the  memory  of  this  distinguished  son  of  Ohio,  who  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Ohio  Society.     It  was  adopted. 

Mr.  Southard,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  nominations  for  the  ensu- 
ing year,  read  the  following  names:  President,  Colgate  Hoyt;  Vice-Presi- 
dents, Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  David  Homer  Bates,  John  J.  McCook,  Louis  D. 
Clarke,  Lowell  M.  Palmer;  Secretary,  Francis  M.  Applegate;  Recording 
secretary,  Charles  W.  Morris;  Treasurer,  Samuel  H.  Parsons;  Trustees, 
Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  Leonard  D.  Momson,  Warner  Ells. 

President  Hoyt  appointed  the  following  gentlemen  as  members  of  the 
banquet  committee:  John  J.  McCook,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Samuel  H.  Parsons, 
treas. ;  Leander  H.  Crall,  John  D.  Archbold,  Warren  Higley,  William  S. 
Hawk,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Paul  D.  Cravath,  Samuel  Mather,  Wager  Swayne, 
Milton  I.   Southard,  Anson  G.   McCook,  Andrew  J.   C.   Foye,  Thomas  H. 

367 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Wheeler,  David  Homer  Bates,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  George  E.  Armstrong, 
H.  S.  JuKer,  Mahlon  Chance,  Albert  F.  Hagar,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  E.  B. 
Thomas,  L.  C.  Weir,  E,  A.  Stedman,  Francis  M.  Applegate,  Lowell  M. 
Palmer,  Julius  E.  French,  Henry  D.  Lyman,  Francis  B.  Stedman,  George 
W.  Perkins,  James  H.  Kennedy,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss. 

President  Hoyt  stated  that  it  was  to  be  a  Diplomatic  Banquet,  and  that 
Secretary  Hay  and  the  foreign  ambassadors  would  be  present.  Judge  Hig- 
ley,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  dinner  on  November  29th,  reported  that 
it  would  be  at  the  Manhattan  hotel.  After  the  election  of  officers,  the  event 
of  the  evening  would  be  an  address  by  ex-Governor  Campbell,  on  the  "  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  Ohio  of  1802  and  Its  Personnel." 

The  annual  meeting  for  1902  was  held  at  the  Manhattan  hotel  on  the 
evening  of  November  29th.  A  dinner  was  served.  When  the  hour  for  busi- 
ness arrived,  the  report  of  the  governing  committee  was  presented.  Among 
the  things  said  was  the  following: 

"  One  of  the  most  important  questions  that  have  been  presented  to  your 
committee  is  the  securing  of  new  quarters  for  the  Society.  A  sub-committee 
has  had  this  question  under  advisement,  and  has  given  much  time  and  con- 
sideration to  the  matter.  A  definite  report  from  this  sub-committee  has  not 
as  yet  been  formally  presented,  and  your  governing  committee  is,  therefore, 
only  enabled  to  report  progress ;  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  a  suitable  arrange- 
ment will  be  made  at  a  very  early  date,  whereby  the  present  home  of  the 
Society  will  be  retained,  at  least  for  the  present. 

"  In  the  very  comprehensive  report  of  your  board  at  the  last  annual 
meeting,  the  interest  of  the  members  was  urgently  solicited  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  new  members ;  and  this  suggestion  has  been  fruitful.  Your  committee, 
therefore,  again  urges  the  members  to  interest  themselves  in  increasing  the 
membership  of  the  Society,  both  resident  and  non-resident.  It  is  a  well  estab- 
lished fact  that  there  is  in  our  community  a  very  large  number  of  Ohioans 
eligible  to  membership  in  this  Society,  many  of  whom  would  be  glad  of  an 
invitation  to  enroll  themselves  with  us." 

The  report  of  the  treasurer  showed  that  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Society 
had  been  carefully  conducted  during  the  past  year,  as  evidenced  by  the  large 
increase  in  the  cash  balance.  The  report  showed  that  there  was  a  balance  of 
$7,111.19.  The  surplus  showed  a  gain  for  the  year  of  $3,436.60.  Mr.  Par- 
sons further  said: 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society :  We  have  now  a  membership  of  450, 
of  which  292  are  resident  and  152  non-resident,  and  6  honorary  members, 
against  a  membership  in  1901  of  358.  This  is  no  fictitious  roll.  It  was 
deemed  advisable,  in  justice  to  the  members  who  pay  their  dues,  to  drop 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

those  who  were  in  arrears  for  two  years  or  more,  and  we  start  this  year  with 
only  about  $740  dues  for  the  year  1892  outstanding.  Our  gain  in  numbers 
the  past  year  has  been  extraordinary,  a  net  gain  of  86  to  the  Society.  But 
great  efforts  were  made  by  the  committee  appointed  to  secure  new  members, 
for  wliich  they  are  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  the  Society.  The  result  has 
been  highly  satisfactory  both  in  numbers  and  the  character  of  the  gentlemen 
whom  they  have  secured.  We  should  not  rest  on  our  labors  here,  but  keep 
always  in  mind  the  increase  of  membership,  so  that  at  no  distant  day  our 
roll  may  be  at  least  one  thousand. 

"  The  thanks  of  the  Society  are  due  to  our  very  able  auditors,  Messrs. 
Clarke,  Ells,  Gilmore  and  Fitch,  whose  examination  of  your  treasurer's  ac- 
counts was  most  thorough  and  conscientious.  In  conclusion,  permit  me  to 
thank  you  for  the  honor  you  have  conferred  upon  me  in  electing  me  to  the 
office  of  treasurer,  in  the  exercise  of  the  duties  of  which  office  I  have  endeavored 
to  serve  you  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

"  Very  respectfully, 

"  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Treasurer." 

The  next  order  of  business  was  the  election  of  officers.  A  ballot  was  taken, 
and  the  tellers  reported  that  the  gentlemen  proposed  at  the  last  succeeding 
meeting  had  been  elected. 

Then  followed  the  toasts  and  responses  of  the  evening.  President  Hoyt 
acting  as  toastmaster.  Tlie  programme  that  had  been  arranged  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  One  Hundred  Years  Ago,"  James  H.  Kennedy. 

"  The  New  Municipal  Code  of  Ohio,"  Hon.  George  K.  Nash. 

"  Ohio  in  Virginia,"  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr. 

"  Ohio's  Constitutional  Convention  of  1802,"  Hon.  James  E.  Campbell. 

President  Hoyt  in  opening  said :  "  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society 
of  New  York  and  our  Honored  Guests: — One  year  ago  to-night  you  saw  fit 
to  unanimously  elect  me  to  the  high  office  of  president  of  your  Society.  It 
is  not  necessary  for  me  to  say  that  at  that  time  it  was  with  great  fear  and 
trembling  that  I  accepted  the  responsibility  you  thrust  upon  me,  and  to-night 
as  I  stand  before  you  reelected  president  of  this  Ohio  Society  of  New  York, 
I  hope  you  will  not  consider  it  egotism  when  I  say  that  I  stand  with  greater 
confidence  than  I  did  one  year  ago.  (Applause.)  Then  I  hoped  that  you 
would  support  me  in  my  efforts  to  push  the  Society  forward,  to  make  it  a 
year  of  greater  prosperity  than  any  year  it  had  known  in  the  past.  To-night 
I  know  from  the  past  that  you  will  support  me  for  the  year  to  come.  No 
president  of  any  society  has  had  a  more  loyal  and  honest  and  efficient  faithful 

369 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

'governing  board  than  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  has  had  for  the  past 
year.  No  president  has  had  from  its  standing  committees  more  faithful  and 
honest  and  efficient  service  than  the  president  of  this  Society  has  had  during 
the  past  year.  No  president  of  any  society  has  had  more  loyal  support  from 
its  members  than  I  have  had  from  you,  and  that  is  what  gives  me  courage  to 
press  on  for  the  future.  One  hundred  and  thirty-five  members  have  been 
elected  during  the  past  year  (applause),  more  than  three  times  the  number 
that  were  ever  elected  in  a  single  year  before,  and  we  show  nearly  100  net 
gain  for  the  year  after  cuUing  the  list  as  no  one  but  our  treasurer  knows  how 
to  cull  it,  and  dropping  those  who  were  not  worthy  to  remain. 

"  Gentlemen,  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  celebrates  the  close  of  its 
sixteenth  year  of  history  and  it  has  a  record  of  which  it  may  well  be  proud. 
It  was  the  first  of  the  state  societies  to  be  organized  in  this  city  of  New  York 
and  it  has  been  followed  by  many  others,  but  it  stands  to-day  and  always  will 
stand,  I  believe,  at  the  head  of  them  all.  We  have  on  our  rolls  many  men  of 
national  reputation,  men  in  the  front  rank  in  literature,  finance  and  invention, 
and  on  our  honorary  list  of  members  we  have  had  men  who  have  been  presi- 
dents of  the  United  States.  We  have  had  five  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  the  number  of  senators  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  count.  Only  last  year 
you  will  remember  that  we  found  eleven  senators  serving  in  the  senate  of  the 
United  States,  all  of  whom  came  from  Ohio. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  stands  not  alone  for  the  social  ad- 
vancement of  its  members  in  personal  intercourse  one  with  the  other,  but  it 
stands,  I  am  happy  to  say,  as  well  for  state's  pride,  for  if  ever  there  was  a 
society  which  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  its  birthright  and  its  state,  that  is 
Ohio.     (Great  applause.) 

"  But  we  are  here  not  only  to  celebrate  the  successful  conclusion  of  six- 
teen years  of  our  liistory,  but  we  are  here  to  celebrate  on  this,  the  29th  day  of 
November,  1902,  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  state  of  Ohio.     (Applause.) 

"  But  I  am  not  here  to  make  a  speech  to  you  to-night.  I  could  not  if  I 
tried,  and  if  I  should,  I  fear  you  would  feel  like  the  man  that  came  to  Marshall 
P.  Wilder  when  he  was  about  to  give  an  exhibition  and  a  lecture  in  a  western 
town,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  there  came  a  tramp  with  a  little  yellow 
dog,  and  he  said :  '  jMr.  Wilder,  I  am  ver}'^  anxious  to  see  your  show  to-night, 
but  I  haven't  got  any  money,  and  I  have  got  nothing  but  this  yellow  dog; 
but  I  will  give  you  this  little  dog  if  j^ou  will  let  me  into  the  show,'  and  Mr. 
Wilder  said,  in  his  usual  generosity,  '  Why,  take  your  dog ;  that  is  all  right. 
Take  your  dog  and  go  into  the  show,'  and  he  let  him  in,  and  after  the  show 
was  over  in  the  evening,  as  he  was  coming  out,  Mr.  Wilder  met  him  and  he 

370 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

said,  '  Well,  my  friend,  how  did  you  enjoy  the  show? '  *  Well,'  he  said,  '  to 
be  honest  with  you,  I  am  glad  I  kept  the  dog.'  (Laughter.)  If  I  should 
speak  to  3'ou  longer  I  am  afraid  you  would  want  to  keep  the  dog  and 
everj^tliing  else  that  you  have. 

"  But,  gentlemen,  we  have  some  distinguished  guests  with  us  to-night. 
We  have  our  historian  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  although  there  is  no  consti- 
tutional amendment  3'ct  providing  for  a  historian,  if  I  am  your  president  a 
year  longer  we  will  have  an  amendment  providing  not  only  for  a  historian,  but 
for  a  chaplain  of  tliis  Society.  We  have  among  us  several  clergmen  who  are 
eminently  fitted  for  that  position,  among  them  the  Bishop  of  Ohio,  Bishop 
Leonard,  who  is  a  member  with  us  and  whom  we  ought  to  have  as  chaplain  of 
this  Society,  and  in  the  near  future  an  amendment  will  be  proposed  to  the 
constitution  providing  for  not  only  the  liistorian,  wliich  you  gave  me  authority 
a  year  ago  to  do,  but  also  for  a  chaplain. 

"  To-night  I  have  great  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  our  historian, 
Mr.  James  H.  Kennedy,  who  will  speak  to  us  for  a  few  moments  on  '  One 
Hundred  Years  Ago.'  " 

Mr.  James  H.  Kennedy  said :  "  Mr.  President,  our  Honored  Guests 
of  the  evening.  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York: — The 
earnest  manner  in  which  our  president  pronounced  those  words,  those  sug- 
gestive words,  '  One  hundred  years  ago,'  reminds  me  of  an  old  farmer  I  knew 
in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  a  county  wliich  I  believe  this  Society  has  semi- 
officially endorsed  as  being  the  greatest  county  in  Ohio.  (Laughter.)  He 
used  to  give  utterance  to  this  expression  whenever  he  heard  the  words,  '  one 
hundred  years,'  mentioned.  He  said :  '  If  you  are  waiting  for  a  meal  or 
sparkin'  a  gal,  one  hundred  years  are  a  mighty  long  time,  but  if  you  have  to 
meet  a  note  that  is  coming  due,  it  goes  by  before  3^ou  know  it.' 

"  One  hundred  years  ago,  when  a  century  that  had  set  much  in  motion 
was  but  lately  closed,  a  new-born  nation  was  standing  face  to  face  with  des- 
tiny. 

"  Behind  it  was  an  ocean,  that  separated  it  not  only  from  the  old  world, 
but  also,  in  a  deeper  sense,  from  the  ideals  and  formulas  of  a  civilization  that 
spoke  for  the  past,  rather  than  of  the  future. 

"  Before  it  was  a  ^vilderness  so  vast  and  far  extended  that  the  human  mind 
could  hardly  contemplate  its  subjugation. 

"  Before  it  was  a  future  full  of  hope,  but  with  little  premonition  of  the 
marvelous  things  that  one  hundred  years  were  to  accomplish. 

"  The  people  of  those  crude  and  unfonned  colonies  which  had  raised  the 
banner  of  independence  on  these  shores,  had  by  their  faith  and  courage  set 
much  on  foot  already.     How  much,  they  did  not  dream.     How  were  they  to 

371 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

guess  that  the  century  before  them  was  to  accomplish  more  within  its  busy 
years  than  any  one  of  its  predecessors  since  the  world  began  the  writing  of 
history  ? 

"  How  were  they  to  know  of  the  magnificent  empire  that  would  to-day 
span  the  continent  from;  Boston  harbor  to  the  Golden  Gate  of  the  Pacific? 
That  palaces  on  wheels  would  carry  their  children  across  that  continent  be- 
tween sabbath  and  sabbath?  That  in  even  less  space,  great  ocean  liners 
would  bind  New  York  and  London  together? 

"  Tliis  has,  indeed,  been  a  century  of  many  and  mighty  forces.  A  cen- 
tury of  Anglo-Saxon  brains  and  energy ! 

"  The  Arab  of  the  desert  rides,  and  lives,  and  dreams,  as  did  his  fathers 
a  thousand  years  ago.  The  patient  ox  treads  in  the  mills  of  China,  as  he  did 
when  Columbus  was  in  his  cradle.  There  are  shepherds  watching  their  flocks 
on  Judean  hills,  as  there  were  in  those  days  when  the  wise  men  came  on  their 
pilgrimage  to  Bethlehem.  The  nomad  on  the  high  hills  of  Thibet  follows 
his  herd,  and  turns  his  prayer  wheel,  as  did  his  ancestors  when  London  was  a 
Roman  possession. 

"  The  people  of  the  ancient  nations  sit  dim-eyed  in  the  dust  and  ashes 
of  the  past ;  the  young  giants  of  these  later  days  push  forward  in  lusty 
might,  and  into  their  hands  have  fallen  the  dominating  influences  of  the 
present,  and  the  forecasting  of  the  fortunes  of  the  future. 

"  One  hundred  years  ago  there  was  httle  known  of  any  portion  of  this 
country  beyond  the  Alleghanies. 

"  In  fact,  many  of  the  people  of  the  Atlantic  slope  cared  to  know  Httle 
about  it.  They  believed  that  the  good  of  the  new  nation  did  not  demand 
'  expansion '  to  that  extent.  There  were  many  men — even  wise  men — who 
were  fixed  in  the  belief  that  other  nations  than  their  own  should  possess  and  de- 
velop that  wilderness.  They  looked  upon  the  Ohio  country  as  the  outer  con- 
fines. They  never  dreamed  of  setting  their  bounds  as  far  west  as  the  Missis- 
sippi; while  the  control  of  the  trackless  wilderness  beyond  was  the  dream  of 
ambition  betrayed  to  madness. 

"  When  the  nineteenth  century  dawned  Spain  owned  the  Florida  coun- 
try, nor  had  she  yet  sold  to  France  that  empire  known  as  Louisiana,  that  at 
a  later  day  was  to  come  into  our  possession  through  the  farseeing  and  daring 
statesmanship  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  he  who  confessed  that  in  making  this 
purchase  from  Napoleon  he  had  stretched  the  presidential  power  *  until  it 
had  almost  cracked ! ' 

"  When  that  century  dawned  John  Adams  was  president  and  Jefferson 
vice-president.  Washington  had  been  laid  away  in  the  sacred  shades  of  Mt. 
Vernon  only  a  few  days  before.     Napoleon  was  yet  first  consul  of  France — 

372 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  imperial  throne,  the  tragedy  of  Waterloo  and  the  lonely  rock  of  the  sea, 
yet  wrapped  in  the  clouds  of  the  future.  There  was  war  between  England 
and  France,  even  as  there  had  been  trouble  between  France  and  the  United 
Sta,tes  only  a  short  time  before.  The  alien  and  sedition  laws  were  still  in 
force.  Men  were  yet  exultingly  quoting  Pinckney's  defiance  to  Europe: 
'  Millions  for  defence ;  not  one  cent  for  tribute ! '  Tlie  new  song  of  '  Hail 
Columbia,'  was  being  sung  for  the  first  time  on  the  streets. 

"  Congress  had  not  yet,  by  some  months,  held  its  first  session  in  the  new 
national  capital  on  the  Potomac.  The  receipts  of  our  government  for  the 
whole  year  amounted  to  only  $13,000,000.  The  pirates  of  Algiers  and  Tri- 
poli were  still  levying  tribute  on  our  infant  merchant  marine — an  outrage 
soon  ended  by  the  guns  of  an  American  fleet.  The  state  of  New  York  had 
but  recently  passed  a  law  for  the  gradual  abolition  of  human  slavery  within 
her  borders.  American  citizens  were  still  put  in  prison  for  debt.  The  pillory 
was  in  use  in  the  streets  of  Boston;  the  whipping  post  was  a  fre- 
quent  instrument  of  punishment,  and  the  ears  of  criminals  were  judicially 
cropped. 

"  There  were  few  improved  highways,  no  artificial  canals,  no  railroads. 
Thirty  years  were  to  pass  before  Horatio  Allen  drove  the  famous  '  Stour- 
bridge Lion  '  on  the  first  locomotive  run  of  America.  The  newspapers  were 
printed  by  hand.  America  had  no  art,  no  literature,  no  common  schools. 
The  locomotive,  the  steamboat,  the  electric  telegraph  and  telephone,  the 
mower  and  reaper,  the  sewing  machine,  photography,  and  a  thousand  and 
one  things  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  were  yet  undreamed  of.  The  coal,  the 
iron,  the  oU,  that  have  done  so  much  to  make  America  rich,  were  still  hidden 
in  the  remote  places  of  the  earth. 

"  Where  Ohio  to-day  stands,  in  the  pride  of  one  hundred  years  of  state- 
hood, nature  held  undisputed  sway.  Little  settlements  had  been  planted  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  and  of  the  Cuyahoga.  A  few  venturesome 
traders  could  be  found  here  and  there.  The  log  cabin  and  the  wigwam  stood 
within  hail  of  each  other,  and  it  was  well  for  the  white  man  if  he  were  per- 
mitted to  pursue  his  way  in  peace.  An  unbroken  wilderness  stretched  from 
the  waters  of  Ohio  to  those  of  Erie.  Indian  paths  intersected  it  here  and 
there — and  too  often  the  infant  settlements  awoke  to  find  that  the  path  had 
become  the  bloody  war  trail. 

"  In  all  essential  things  Ohio  was  yet  on  the  outermost  edge  of  her  history. 

"  We  all  understand  the  meaning  of  her  deeds,  the  sentiments  that  actu- 
ated her,  the  ideals  she  had  in  view,  as  well  as  the  deeds  themselves.  No 
commonwealth  whose  fate  is  embedded  in  history  has  sought  more  earnestly 
for  the  light  and  the  right,  than  has  Ohio  during  these  hundred  years. 

S73 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  She  has  endeavored  to  concede  to  each  man  the  natural  rights  of  man 
— she  groped  her  way  dimly  for  a  time  in  the  case  of  the  black  man,  but 
was  true  to  herself  in  the  end. 

"  She  has  given  to  each  the  right  to  worship  God  according  to  his  own 
formulas,  and  to  recite  the  creed  demanded  by  his  conscience. 

"  She  has  fostered  education.  Her  district  schoolhouse  has  been  set  as 
a  beacon  on  every  hill.  She  has  withheld  no  treasure,  has  wearied  in  no  labor, 
that  would  give  to  the  son  of  the  poorest  laborer  enough  of  education  to  make 
him  understand  his  citizenship  and  rightfully  translate  his  belief  into  force, 
through  the  medium  of  the  ballot  box. 

"  She  has  declared  again  and  again  for  honesty  in  the  conduct  of  public 
ajffairs;  has  upheld  the  purity  of  the  franchise;  has  set  this  man  up  because 
he  was  worthy,  and  cast  that  one  down  because  he  had  been  disloyal  to  his 
trust.  She  has  encouraged  those  to  whom  God  had  given  special  gifts,  and 
her  sons  have  been  loyal  to  her,  and  loved  her. 

"  She  has  become  great  in  national  aifairs. 

"  She  has  dignified  the  calling  of  the  husbandman.  She  has  called  wealth 
from  the  forest,  the  tilled  field,  the  pasture;  from  the  mine,  the  furnace,  the 
forge.  The  smoke  of  her  workshops  pours  from  ten  thousand  chimneys. 
She  takes  her  coal,  and  with  it  works  into  marketable  shape  the  ores  that  her 
fleets  have  brought  from  the  northwest  regions,  and  her  finished  products 
are  found  in  every  market  on  the  globe. 

"  She  has  produced  many  notable  things,  but  her  greatest  production  has 
come,  not  from  her  furnaces  or  been  grown  in  her  fields. 

"  It  has  come  from  the  loins  of  her  founders — from  that  sacred  spot, 
the  American  home — from  the  little  red  school  house — the  college — the  sab- 
bath school — the  town  meeting — from  personal  touch  with  the  people — from 
a  mart  where  brains,  and  courage,  and  high  ideals  are  the  things  that  men 
prize! 

"  Her  best  production  is  the  Ohio  Man.  And,  Mr.  President,  the  great- 
est collection  of  Ohio  men  to  be  found  upon  the  face  of  this  earth  is  the  Ohio 
Society  of  New  York;  and  when  we  find  an  Ohio  man  exceptionably  able, 
exceptionably  fitted  for  the  position,  we  make  him  president  of  the  Ohio 
Society.  (Applause.)  When  we  find  a  man  greater  yet,  better  j^et,  nobler 
yet  in  all  the  essentials  of  manhood,  be  he  Democrat  or  Republican,  we  make 
him  governor  of  the  Buckeye  state." 

President  Hoyt  said :  "  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York, 
we  are  greatly  favored  to-night  in  having  as  our  guest  of  honor  the  chief 
executive  of  the  commonwealth  of  our  fair  state  of  Ohio,  the  Hon.  George  K. 
Nash,  its  governor.      (Great  applause.)     Let  us  all  rise  and  drink  a  toast 

374 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  Governor  Nash,  of  the  state  of  Ohio.  (All  rise  and  drink  a  toast  to  Gov- 
ernor Nash.)  Now,  gentlemen,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  proposing  a  toast  to 
you,  '  The  New  Municipal  Code  of  Ohio,'  a  code  of  which  Governor  Nash  is 
the  father,  the  originator,  and  has  pushed  through  to  a  successful  issue,  and 
at  our  urgent  request  Governor  Nash,  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  will  now  respond 
to  that  toast." 

Governor  Nash  said :  "  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — ^Your  president 
added  to  my  pleasure  when  he  asked  me  to  be  present  at  this  celebration  of 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  adoption  of  the  first  constitution  of  the 
state  of  Ohio.  I  cannot  say,  however,  that  the  pleasure  was  greatly  increased 
by  the  request  that  I  should  talk  to  you  about  the  new  municipal  code  recently 
adopted  in  our  state.  This  law  was  a  work  of  necessity,  hastily  prepared  and 
arising  out  of  an  unlooked  for  emergency.  The  first  constitution  of  the  state, 
in  regard  to  the  powers  granted  to  the  general  assembly,  regulating  the  or- 
ganization and  government  of  municipal  corporations,  differed  very  materially 
from  the  second  constitution,  that  of  1851.  In  the  first,  the  legislature  had  un- 
limited power  in  this  direction,  and  organized  cities  and  villages  by  special 
charters,  granting  to  each  such  powers  as  it  might  wish,  or  as  it  might  seem 
best  to  give.  Acting  under  this  power,  prior  to  1851,  it  followed  that  scarcely 
two  cities  in  Ohio  had  the  same  form  or  kind  of  municipal  government. 
Whenever  any  city  became  dissatisfied  with  its  charter  or  wished  a  change 
therein,  it  went  directly  to  the  general  assembly  and  asked  its  representative 
or  representatives  to  introduce  a  bill  for  that  purpose.  Such  bill,  interesting 
no  one  except  the  locality  involved,  became  a  law  at  the  request  of  its  repre- 
sentative or  representatives  without  careful  consideration  as  to  its  wisdom  or 
usefulness  by  the  entire  membership  of  the  general  assembly.  Under  this 
system  such  evils  had  grown  up,  that  the  subject  became  one  of  intense  and 
long-continued  consideration  by  the  convention  which  framed  the  constitution 
of  1851.  As  a  result  of  such  thought  the  new  constitution  commanded  the 
general  assembly  to  provide  by  general  laws  for  the  organization  of  cities 
and  incorporated  villages.  It  further  commanded  that  it  should  not  pass  any 
special  act  conferring  corporate  powers.  Under  these  limitations  it  was  in- 
tended that  Ohio  should  have  a  uniform  law  for  the  organization  of  cities 
and  a  uniform  law  for  the  organization  of  villages. 

"  Before  many  years,  however,  the  general  assembly  became  restless 
under  these  limitations.  Many  contended  that  it  was  the  height  of  folly  to 
attempt  to  govern  a  city  of  200,000  inhabitants  by  a  charter  with  no  greater 
powers  than  one  which  was  intended  for  the  government  of  a  city  having 
5,000  people,  that  the  wants  and  necessities  of  one  were  very  different  from 
those  of  the  other,  and  could  not  be  met  by  a  general  law.     This  resulted  in 

375 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  gradual  breaking  down  by  the  general  assembly  of  these  restrictions.  The 
violation  of  the  commands  of  the  constitution  began  by  the  classification  of 
cities — organizing  some  cities  in  one  way  and  other  cities  in  another.  The 
evil  grew  rapidly.  Matters  went  from  bad  to  worse,  until  the  time  came  when 
scarcely  two  cities  were  organized  in  the  same  manner  or  under  the  same  law. 
The  police  system  of  one  large  city  differed  entirely  from  the  police  system 
of  another  city  equally  large.  In  one  city  the  executive  officers  consisted  of 
men  appointed  by  the  mayor,  and  in  another  they  were  men,  or  a  board  com- 
posed of  men  elected  by  the  people.  In  one  city  money  could  be  lawfully  bor- 
rowed for  certain  purposes,  while  to  do  so  in  another  city  would  be  illegal. 
In  the  state  we  had  as  many  kinds  of  municipal  government  as  had  ever  been 
conceived  by  the  mind  of  man  and  advocated  by  theorists.  In  fact,  we  had 
greater  evils  than  those  which  existed  under  the  old  constitution  and  all  the  ab- 
surdities, against  which  the  new  constitution  was  intended  to  be  a  perfect 
guard. 

"  These  continued  violations  of  the  law  of  the  constitution  could  not  go 
on  forever.  A  time  must  come  when  a  crisis  would  be  reached.  It  came  in 
June  of  this  year.  Then  the  Supreme  Court  practically  declared  all  the  laws 
relating  to  municipalities  to  be  unconstitutional  and  void.  It  again  re- 
peated the  commands  of  the  constitution  of  1851,  and  said  that  cities  and  in- 
corporated villages  must  be  organized  by  general  laws,  and  not  by  special  acts 
conferring  corporate  powers. 

"  All  our  municipalities  were  left  without  law,  without  government  and 
in  a  state  of  chaos.  To  ameliorate  the  evils  of  the  situation  the  court  post- 
poned the  execution  of  its  decree  until  the  general  assembly  could  provide 
some  sort  of  constitutional  government  for  our  cities  and  villages.  This  was 
a  most  perilous  crisis,  requiring  extraordinary  and  immediate  action.  Only 
one  thing  remained  to  be  done,  and  that  was  resorted  to  when  the  proper 
authority  called  upon  the  general  assembly  to  meet  in  extra  session  on  the 
25th  day  of  August. 

"  When  it  assembled  it  determined  to  draw  the  dividing  line  between 
cities  knd  villages  at  5,000  inhabitants  and  to  make  a  law  providing  that 
aggregations  of  people  of  more  than  5,000,  at  the  last  federal  census,  should 
be  cities,  and  those  with  a  less  -number  of  inhabitants  should  be  villages.  So 
it  happens  that  in  Ohio  we  have  seventy-one  cities  possessing  an  aggregate 
population  of  more  than  1,800,000-,  and  varying  in  size  from  about  5,000 
people  to  more  than  381,000.  To  make  one  law  which  would  provide  for  the 
wants  of  these  unequal  populations  was  indeed  a  great  task.  To  add  to  the 
difficulties  was  the  fact  that  for  years  all  had  been  governed  by  dissimilar 
charters.     The  people  of  each  city  were  more  or  less  attached  to  its  peculiar 

376 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

government.  Each  city  had  a  representative  or  representatives  in  the  legis- 
lative body,  intent  upon  making  effective  the  wishes  of  his  or  their  constituents. 
It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  bring  these  elements  to  the  support  of  one  general 
law  in  sufficient  numbers  to  secure  its  enactment.  To  fail  was  to  leave  our 
state  without  municipal  government. 

"  There  was  one  class  of  sincere  men  who  persistently  advocated  what 
they  termed  the  *  federal  plan  '  for  the  government  of  cities,  and  energetically 
opposed  all  other  schemes.  Several  years  ago  this  plan  was  put  into  the  form 
of  special  charters  or  laws,  having  application  to  two  of  the  large  cities  in 
Ohio.  This  plan  clothed  the  mayor  with  almost  autocratic  power,  giving  him 
the  right,  of  his  own  will  and  without  restriction,  to  appoint  the  chief  executive 
officers  of  the  city,  and  giving  them  the  title  of  a  cabinet.  It  gave  to  the 
mayor  and  his  cabinet  the  right  to  occupy  seats  in  the  legislative  branch  of 
the  government  and  to  discuss  measures  therein  pending.  It  gave  the  mayor 
and  his  cabinet  remarkable  power  over  legislation  for  the  city  by  providing 
that  certain  ordinances  should  not  be  considered  by  the  legislative  branch 
until  they  had  been  approved  by  them.  This  plan  had  as  sincere  and  more 
opponents  than  it  had  advocates,  because  it  violated  many  of  the  vital  prin- 
ciples upon  which  the  federal  government  was  built. 

"  Another  class  of  citizens  advocated  a  plan  which  provided  that  each 
city  should  hold  a  constitutional  convention  and  be  governed  by  the  charter 
framed  and  adopted  by  that  convention.  This  was  called  '  home  rule.' 
Under  it  we  would  have  as  many  forms  of  municipal  government  in  the  state 
as  we  had  cities.  By  its  adoption  the  general  assembly  would  have  attempted 
to  delegate  to  each  city  a  power  which  it  did  not  itself  possess.  Under  it  we 
would  have  all  the  evils  which  the  constitution  of  1851  intended  to  prevent. 
It  had  many  sincere  advocates,  but  others  believed  that  its  adoption  would 
be  quickly  declared  by  the  Supreme  Court  to  be  a  violation  of  the  constitution 
itself. 

"  I  have  called  your  attention  to  these  matters  for  the  purpose  of  por- 
traying the  many  difficulties  which  the  legislature  had  to  meet  and  overcome 
at  its  recent  extra  session.  Tins  continued  until  October  22,  and  the  result  is 
that  we  now  have  a  law  for  the  government  of  our  cities  and  villages,  not 
perfect,  but  uniform  in  its  operation  and  in  strict  compliance  with  the  con- 
stitution. Under  it  we  have  municipal  government  consisting  of  three 
branches — the  legislative,  the  executive  and  the  judicial. 

"  The  legislative  branch  is  a  council,  consisting,  in  cities  of  less  than 
25,000  inhabitants,  of  seven  members,  three  of  whom  are  elected  by  the  people" 
at  large  and  four  of  whom  are  elected  by  wards — in  cities  of  25,000  to 
40,000,  of  nine  members,  three  of  whom  are  elected  by  the  people  at  large 
and  six  by  wards — for  every  15,000  inhabitants  above  40,000,  there  is  one 

377 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

additional  member  of  council,  and  when  the  total  membership  of  council  is 
fifteen  or  more,  one  member  of  every  five  is  elected  at  large  and  the  re- 
mainder from  wards.  The  president  of  the  council  is  to  be  elected  by  the 
voters  of  the  city,  and  in  case  of  disability  of  the  mayor,  he  fiUs  the  vacancy 
in  this  office.  The  thought  which  caused  the  council  to  be  thus  constituted 
was  this:  If  malfeasance  and  corruption  exist  in  a  municipality  it  very  fre- 
quently has  its  origin  in  the  membership  of  the  council.  A  small  legislative 
body  generally  does  better  work  than  a  large  one.  If  the  president  of  the 
council  is  elected  by  the  people  he  wiU  probably  be  a  man  of  high  standing 
and  be  free  from  personal  obligations  to  the  members  who  compose  that  body. 
The  same  is  true  of  councilmen  elected  at  large.  The  wards  are  composed 
of  more  people  than  heretofore,  because  it  is  believed  that  a  larger  constitu- 
ency will  have  a  tendency  to  place  men  of  business  ability,  intelhgence  and 
integrity  in  council. 

"  The  powers  of  taxation,  assessment,  borrowing  money,  of  contracting 
debts  and  of  loaning  the  credit  of  cities  conferred  upon  council  are  restricted. 
In  this  respect,  however,  as  well  as  in  other  matters,  the  council,  of  necessity, 
has  large  discretion,  and  it  is  of  exceeding  importance  that  the  people  should 
secure  good  men  for  councilmen. 

"  The  executive  officers  are  the  mayor,  auditor,  treasurer,  solicitor  and 
a  board  of  public  service,  consisting  of  three  or  five  members,  as  may  be  deter- 
mined by  council,  all  of  whom  are  elected  by  the  people.  The  mayor  is  the 
chief  executive  officer  of  the  city,  and  it  is  his  duty  to  see  that  all  ordinances, 
by-laws  and  resolutions  of  the  council  are  faithfully  obeyed  and  enforced;  to 
supervise  the  expenditures  of  the  revenues  of  the  corporation,  and  if  such  ex- 
penditures exceed  the  revenues,  to  protest  against  such  expenditures  and  cause 
such  protest  and  reason  therefor  to  be  entered  on  the  journal  of  the  council. 
It  is  also  his  duty  to  supei-vise  the  conduct  of  all  the  officers  of  the  corporation 
and  inquire  into  the  grounds  of  all  complaints  against  any  of  them,  and  cause 
all  violations  of  law  or  neglect  of  duty  to  be  promptly  punished  or  reported  to 
the  proper  authority  for  correction.  He  is  given  the  power  to  veto  all  or- 
dinances or  resolutions  of  council,  but  such  veto  may  be  overruled  by  a  two- 
thirds  vote  of  the  council. 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  the  auditor  to  keep  the  books  of  the  city,  and  at 
proper  times  to  exhibit  accurate  statements  of  all  moneys  received  and  ex- 
pended, and,  generally,  to  keep  a  record  of  all  the  financial  affairs  of  the 
city.  The  duties  of  the  treasurer  are  such  as  are  generally  required  of  the 
treasurer  of  any  corporation,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  duties  of  the 
solicitor  or  attorney  of  the  city. 

"  The  directors  of  public  service  are  very  important  officers,  because  this 
board  is  the  chief  administrative  authority  of  the  city,  manages  and  super- 

378 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

vises  all  public  works  and  all  public  institutions,  makes  all  contracts  author- 
ized by  council,  sees  that  the  same  are  faithfully  executed,  may  employ  such 
superintendents,  clerks  and  other  subordinate  officers  as  may  be  necessary  for 
the  execution  of  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  department,  and  it  may  estab- 
lish such  subdepartments  for  the  administration  of  affairs  under  its  control 
as  may  be  deemed  proper. 

"  The  code  also  provides  for  a  department  of  public  safety,  which  shall 
have  the  control  and  management  of  the  police  and  fire  departments.  The 
board  will  consist  of  two  or  four  members  as  may  be  provided  by  council. 
The  directors  will  be  appointed  by  the  mayor  with  the  consent  of  two-thirds 
of  all  the  members  elected  to  council;  not  more  than  half  of  these  direc- 
tors shall  belong  to  the  same  political  party,  and  in  making  appointments 
and  filling  vacancies,  the  mayor  shall'  observe  this  requirement.  The  directors 
of  public  safety  are  clothed  with  all  powers  and  duties  connected  with  and  in- 
cident to  the  appointment,  regulation  and  government  of  the  police  and  fire 
departments,  and  shall  make  all  contracts  with  reference  to  the  management 
of  said  department. 

"  The  police  force  will  be  composed  of  a  chief  of  police  and  such  inspec- 
tors, captains,  lieutenants,  sergeants,  corporals,  detectives,  patrolmen  and 
other  employes  as  shall  be  provided  by  council.  The  fire  force  shall  be  com- 
posed of  a  chief  of  the  department  and  such  marshals,  firemen  and  other  em- 
ployes as  shall  be  provided  by  the  same  authority.  The  provisions  of  the 
code  are  such  that  all  employes  of  the  police  and  fire  departments  must  be 
appointed  upon  their  merits  and  not  for  political  reasons.  No  member  can 
be  dismissed  except  for  cause  after  fair  notice  and  hearing.  The  object  is 
to  make  these  departments  absolutely  non-political  and  to  secure  an  adminis- 
tration of  them  that  will  be  in  the  interest  of  the  public  alone. 

"  Council  has  power  to  fix  the  number  of  members  of  which  the  boards 
of  public  service  and  of  public  safety  shall  consist,  and  to  fix  the  compensa- 
tion for  all  officers.  This  elasticity  is  provided  so  that  the  larger  cities  may 
be  provided  for  and  at  the  same  time  the  code  be  not  burdensome  to  the 
smaller  ones. 

"  In  the  short  time  allotted  to  me  I  cannot  consider  all  the  provisions  of 
this  code.  In  general  terms,  I  desire  to  say  that  under  it  we  will  have  municipal 
government  built  upon  the  same  principles  which  characterize  the  government 
of  the  United  States.  There  will  be  three  branches,  the  legislative,  the  ex- 
ecutive and  the  judicial,  each  independent  of  the  other,  and  each  having  its 
appropriate  duties  to  perform  without  interference  by  the  other  or  others. 
These  principles  have  been  held  sacred  in  the  federal  and  state  governments, 
and  are  just  as  essential  to  the  success  and  well-being  of  municipal  govern- 
ments. 

379 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  It  provides  that  all  contracts  made  and  rights  granted  under  pre- 
existing laws  shall  stand.  This  was  required  by  good  faith  and  of  honest 
men.  It  does  not  make  radical  changes.  It  permits  our  cities  in  so  far  as 
possible  to  have  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as  heretofore  possessed  and  to 
do  about  the  same  things  as  formerly. 

"  It  gives  to  the  people  the  right  to  elect  all  their  principal  executive, 
legislative  and  judicial  officers,  and  does  not  give  to  any  one  man  the  power 
to  construct  a  personal  machine.  That  we  may  have  model  municipal  gov- 
ernment in  Ohio,  but  one  thing  remains  to  be  done. 

"  That  is  for  the  people  to  take  an  interest  in  their  own  business  and  to 
look  after  it  as  they  do  after  their  private  affairs,  and  to  see  that  honest, 
efficient  men  are  elected  as  municipal  officers.  Without  such  intelligent  action 
by  the  people,  no  mere  form  of  government  will  save  their  public  business 
from  disgrace  and  disaster." 

President  Hoyt  said :  "  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York : — We  all  hold  in  precious  memory  our  first  president,  Thomas  Ewing,  of 
Ohio,  and  we  are  favored  to-night  in  having  with  us  our  first  vice-president, 
Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  who  will  now  address  us,  responding  to  the  toast  of 
'  Ohio  in  Virginia.'  "      (Applause.) 

Mr.  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  said :  "  I  thank  you,  Mr.  President,  for  your 
introduction,  and  I  thank  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  for  the  election 
which  they  have  honored  me  with  to-night.  I  may  say  that  it  is  '  Virginia 
in  Ohio '  that  I  am  to  speak  to  and  not  '  Ohio  in  Virginia.'  We  have  heard 
in  this  Society  a  good  deal  of  New  England  in  Ohio.  As  long  ago  as  1886 
Mr.  Mitchell  made  an  address  on  the  First  Settlement  and  he  told  of  the 
formation  of  the  first  Ohio  Society  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern,  in  Boston, 
I  believe,  and  of  the  two  expeditions  that  started  out  the  next  year  under  its 
direction,  one  from  Danvers,  Mass.,  and  the  other  from  Hartford,  Conn. 
Then  our  good  friend.  Judge  Higley,  followed  Mr.  Mitchell  with  an  account 
of  the  Second  Settlement,  which  was  at  Cincinnati,  largely  from  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey.  Now  I  would  not  pluck  one  single  leaf  from  the  garland  of 
honor  of  these  first  settlements  or  of  the  populous  North  which  poured  them 
from  her  frozen  •  loins,  but  I  want  to  say  that  somehow  or  other  the  North 
generally,  and  New  England  in  particular,  manage  to  get  what  they  and  she 
have  done  talked  about  more  than  their  relative  importance  warrants.  Ohio 
has  produced  a  great  historian,  Mr.  James  Ford  Rhodes,  of  Cleveland;  but 
he  had  to  go  to  Boston  and  settle  down  in  order  that  he  might  receive  a  fair 
recognition.  Fame  seems  to  be  a  birthright  of  New  England's  poets  and 
philosophers  and  statesmen,  and  even  of  her  emigrants.  But  in  point  of 
fact  the  part  which  Virginia  played  in  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio  is  more 
important  than  that  of  all  the  rest  of  the  country  put  together.     Before  the 

380 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Revolutionary  War  she  sent  into  the  vast  wilderness  the  Dunmore  expedition, 
which  won  the  great  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  where  the  Kanawha  enters 
into  the  Ohio.  Dunmore  divided  his  troops  into  two  divisions,  passed  up  the 
Hockhocking  and  up  the  Scioto,  and  on  the  Pickaway  Plains  he  made  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  with  Logan,  at  which  time  that  great  savage  warrior  made 
the  speech  which  Jefferson  reported  and  which  we  all  learned  in  our  school 
books,  closing  with  these  proud  and  pathetic  words :  '  Logan  would  not  turn 
on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.    Who  is  there  to  mourn  him  ?     Not  one.' 

"  The  reason  for  the  importance  of  Virginia  in  the  early  settlement  is 
very  easy  to  explain.  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia  were  included  within 
her  temtory.  They  bounded  the  state  entirely  on  the  south  and  half-way  on 
the  east;  they  commanded  all  the  gateways  pretty  nearly  into  Ohio.  Ken- 
tucky was  itself  already  settled  with  a  population  of  nearly  two  hundred 
thousand  souls.  They  poured  into  this  state  their  settlers  from  all  directions. 
Virginia  had  the  best  title  of  any  to  the  Northwest  Territory  and  when  she 
surrendered  it  she  reserved  practically  one-sixth  of  the  state  for  her  Revolu- 
tionary soldiers  in  the  tract  known  as  the  Virginia  Military  Bounty  Lands. 
This  tract  embraces  the  entire  right  bank  of  the  Scioto  and  extends  back- 
wards to  the  line  of  the  towns  of  Springfield  and  Xenia  and  Madisonville 
and  Linwood  along  the  Little  Miami  River.  It  is  a  region  of  great  beauty 
and  of  undying  interest.  The  banks  of  the  Scioto,  the  bottom  lands  there 
and  the  Pickaway  Plains  are  the  greatest  cattle  raising  and  grain  producing 
part  of  the  state.  In  Adams  County  there  is  the  most  remarkable  of  all 
the  Indian  remains  of  the  West,  a  great  mound  1,300  feet  high,  shaped  like 
a  sei-pent  with  an  egg  in  its  mouth — so  remarkable  that  Harvard  College  has 
bought  the  land  and  turned  it  into  a  public  park.  In  Highland  County,  in 
the  Paint  Creek  region,  there  is  a  natural  formation  of  such  beauty  and  ex- 
traordinary character  that  it  is  known  as  the  '  Wonderland  of  Ohio.'  Perhaps 
some  of  the  members  who  visited  the  Pan-American  will  remember  the  exhibit 
of  prehistoric  remains  from  Ross  County.  It  was  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing things  at  the  Exposition. 

"  Now  it  was  into  this  country  that  Virginia  sent  her  settlers.  Three 
of  the  early  governors  of  the  state  went  from  Virginia  together  in  the  year 
1796.  In  fact,  she  supplied  five  of  the  governors  of  the  state,  and  the  names 
of  those  who  came  from  Virginia  or  from  Virginia  families,  names  like  Thur- 
man  and  Allen  and  Harrison,  and  hundreds  of  others  that  might  be  mentioned, 
are  household  words  with  us  all.  If  I  may  take  a  moment  to  refer  to  one  or 
two  of  the  settlers,  one  that  looms  up  above  them  all  I  think  was  old  Simon 
Kenton.  Born  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia,  of  Scotch-Irish  stock,  as  most 
of  these  emigrants  were,  he  went  into  the  back  region  of  Kentucky  and  be- 
came a  great  friend  and  companion  of  Daniel  Boone.     Becoming  tired   of 

381 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

staying  about  in  the  more  settled  part  of  Kentucky  he  went  on  a  horse- 
stealing expedition  into  Ohio;  was  captured  by  the  Indians,  taken  to  Chilli- 
cothe  and  condemned  to  be  burned  at  the  stake.  His  life  was  saved  by  one  of 
the  greatest  scoundrels  and  desperadoes  of  that  time — Simon  Girty — Girty, 
the  man  who  had  stood  by  and  seen  Crawford  burned  at  the  stake  at  Sandusky, 
but  he  had  known  Kenton  as  a  boy  and  saved  his  life  by  artifices,  which  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  speak  about  here. 

"  Kenton  then  after  our  state  was  admitted  settled  down  at  Ravenna, 
entered  the  army  in  the  War  of  1812  under  General  Harrison,  and  died  in 
18S6  at  a  good  old  age.  I  believe  that  one  of  the  first  artistic  efforts  of  our 
distinguished  member,  Mr.  J.  Q.  A.  Ward,  was  a  statue  of  Kenton  in  his 
hunter's  garb. 

"  Massie  was  another  of  the  great  settlers  of  Ohio  who  came  from  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  the  sui'\'eyor  and  the  explorer  of  the  Bounty  Lands.  He  laid 
out  the  town  of  Manchester  in  1791  and  in  1796  laid  out  the  town  of  Chilli- 
cothe.  In  1807  Massie  was  elected — or  ran  for  governor  of  the  state — and 
was  beaten  by  Return  Jonathan  Meigs  on  the  face  of  the  returns,  but  en- 
tered a  contest  and  obtained  the  office,  and  then  with  the  modesty  that  is  a 
part    of    our    priceless    inheritance   as    Ohioans,   he  immediately   resigned. 

"  Now  there  was  grouped  about  Massie  in  Chillicothe  a  band  of  ardent 
young  Democrats  who  were  among  the  most  notable  men  that  Ohio  ever 
knew.  Democrats  in  the  broad  sense — democratic-republicans  or  republican- 
democrats  as  you  choose — tliey  were  at  that  time  Jeffersonian.  Those  of  us 
who  had  the  good  fortune  to  hear  Senator  Foraker  deliver  his  address  at 
the  dinner  will  remember  his  saying  that  while  we  thought  perhaps  he  and 
Senator  Hanna  had  had  some  hard  things  to  say  to  each  other,  it  wasn't  a 
patching  to  what  had  been  said  between  the  different  parties  in  1801.  He 
referred  to  the  great  contest  which  went  on  in  Ohio  between  Massie  and 
Worthington  and  Tiffin  and  those  gathered  about  these  men,  mostly  living  in 
Chillicothe,  on  the  one  hand,  and  Arthur  St.  Clair,  whose  signature  is  on  the 
back  of  those  documents  at  the  end  of  the  table,  on  the  other.  St.  Clair  was 
the  governor  and  he  liked  Ms  job,  had  the  true  Ohio  instinct;  and  these  men 
were  engaged  in  the  effort  to  force  the  state  into  the  Union.  It  was  the 
most  bitter  contest  probably  Ohio  has  ever  known.  The  result  was  that 
in  1802  St.  Clair  was  removed  from  office  by  President  Jefferson  and  the 
state  admitted.  Had  it  not  been  for  that  contest  undoubtedly  this  Centen- 
nial which  we  are  now  celebrating  would  have  been  postponed  some  years. 

"  The  result  was  that  the  state  capital  was  fixed  at  Chillicothe  and 
there  it  remained  until  1816,  when  it  was  removed  to  Columbus.  If  I  may 
be  pardoned  a  moment's  digression,  prompted  by  town  pride,  I  may  say 
that  the  capital  would  have  gone  from  Chillicothe  to  my  old  home  town  of 

382 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Lancaster  if  our  representative  in  the  legislature  had  been  a  little  more 
familiar  with  parliamentary  forms.  The  bill  for  the  removal  of  the  capital 
had  passed  to  its  third  reading.  There  was  a  strong  feeling  in  favor  of 
Lancaster.  Tlie  bill  was  complete  except  that  in  the  place  of  the  name  of 
the  town  for  the  new  capital  there  was  a  blank  and  the  member  rose  and 
moved  to  strike  out  the  blank  and  insert  Lancaster. 

"  But,  gentlemen,  it  is  not  the  beauty  of  this  region  nor  the  interest 
of  it;  it  is  not  the  great  numbers  of  settlers  nor  their  distinctive  character 
nor  their  great  services  that  we  should  fasten  our  attention  on  most  to- 
night in  considering  the  theme,  '  Virginia  in  Ohio.'  It  is  the  fact  that  owing 
to  Virginia's  influence  more  than  any  other  one  thing  Ohio  has  had  free 
labor  and  never  slavery.  Virginia,  the  mother,  weighed  down  with  slavery 
and  unable  to  free  herself  from  it,  with  one  great  magnanimous  act  of 
fostering  care  snatched  for  her  fair  child  the  precious  boon  of  freedom  as 
a  heritage  forever. 

"  I  w^ould  like  to  say  in  closing  that  there  is  to-day  and  to-night  in 
Chillicothe,  Ohio,  a  celebration  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  sign- 
ing of  the  constitution,  and  it  seems  to  me  it  would  be  a  graceful  thing  if 
this  Society  should  send  some  greeting."     (Applause.) 

Chairman  Hoyt  said :  "  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York : 
— I  am  now  going  to  propose  a  wonder  to  you — the  only  living  man  that 
ever  beat  Joseph  B.  Foraker  for  any  office.  Gentlemen,  I  refer  to  ex- 
Governor,  the  Hon.  James  E.  Campbell,  who  will  now  speak  to  you  on 
'Ohio's   Constitutional   Convention   of   1802.'"      (Applause.) 

Ex-Governor  James  E.  Campbell  said:  "I  can  stand  it  just  as  long 
as  the  rest  of  you.  (This  in  response  to  continued  applause.)  Mr.  President 
and  Gentlemen  of  the  Society : — I  have  been  introduced  in  a  variety  of  ways 
in  my  life,  but  I  have  so  seldom  beaten  anybody  I  never  was  introduced  be- 
fore as  'the  man  who  beat.'  (Laughter  and  applause.)  One  of  the  things 
I  am  proud  of,  besides  beating  Governor  Foraker,  is  that  I  am  the  oldest 
honorary  member  of  this  Society,  and  that  I  have  made  more  speeches  to 
the  Society  than  any  man  living  or  dead;  but  I  have  always  made  them  on 
occasions  of  the  annual  banquet,  and  have  never  attended  one  of  these  in- 
teresting business  meetings  with  a  banquet  '  on  the  side.'  I  am  charmed,  I 
may  say  I  am  delighted.  In  all  my  experience  I  have  never  known  dry  re- 
ports that  contained  so  much  juicy  matter.  I  cite,  for  instance,  the  reports 
of  the  treasurer  and  the  auditing  committee.  It  is  the  first  time  I  have 
ever  been  in  any  kind  of  a  business  meeting  where  there  was  so  much  money 
on  hand  and  nobod}''  said,  '  Let's  declare  a  di-vadend.'  Of  course  I  have  no 
legal  right  to  make  that  motion,  not  being  a  resident  member.  (Laughter.) 
I  have  never  heard  of  such  a  remarkable  case  as  that  of  one  Penfield,  who 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

is  holding  the  Society's  cheque.  I  never  held  a  cheque  over  night  in  my 
life,  and  here  is  a  man  who  has  a  cheque — a  good  cheque — ^and  has  held 
it  for  months.  I  cannot  account  for  it  except  upon  the  ground  that  he  is 
an  autograph  collector.  Speaking  of  autograph  collectors  reminds  me  that 
I  have  one  cheque  which  I  have  held.  It  is  about  the  last  cheque  ever  drawn 
by  Andrew  Jackson  upon  a  bank,  and  I  am  keeping  that  for  an  autograph. 

"  The  report  of  the  library  committee  was  something  interesting  and 
the  only  report  that  seemed  to  lack  completeness.  The  gentlemen  report 
how  many  daily  papers  you  had,  and  how  many  semi-weekly  papers,  but 
not  how  many  '  weakly  '  papers.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  There  was  also 
an  interesting  controversy  between  Judge  Higley  and  my  old  friend  Foye 
as  to  which  gave  this  banquet.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  I  am  perfectly 
willing,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  to  sit  on  jury  and  attend  a  banquet  to 
be  given  by  each  of  them  in  the  near  future. 

"  I  am  also  instructed  and  entertained  by  the  speeches  I  have  heard, 
and  I  agree  most  heartily  as  a  son  of  Ohio  who  ought  to  have  a  large  and 
intimate  knowledge  of  Ohio  people  in  your  position,  sir  (to  the  chairman), 
that  if  there  is  anything  needed  in  a  Society  of  Ohio  men  anywhere  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  that  great  necessity  is  a  chaplain.  (Laughter.)  My 
friend,  Kennedy,  who  often  gives  me  a  puff  in  the  Plain  Dealer  (I  am  going 
to  pay  him  back  now,  first  chance  I  have  had),  certainly  made  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  speeches  I  have  ever  listened  to,  if  he  hadn't  prefaced  it  with 
the  ridiculous  assertion  that  Trumbull  was  the  greatest  county  in  Ohio. 
Why,  everybody  knows  that  (until  this  year,  when  it  went  Republican  for  the 
first  time  in  its  history),  Butler  is  the  greatest  county  in  Ohio.  Since  that 
election  I  am  not  claiming  that  it  is  the  greatest;  it  used  to  be  the  greatest. 
The  governor  has  come  here  to-night,  and,  having  been  governor  myself,  I 
sympathize  with  him  in  his  trials  on  the  subject  of  municipal  law.  I  am 
glad,  as  a  citizen  of  tlie  state — for  I  live  there  and  vote  there  if  I  do  stay  in 
New  York  more  than  I  ought  to — that  we  have  at  last  reached  some  system 
of  municipal  law  which  is  likely  to  give  us  honest  and  rigid  municipal  gov- 
ernment, for  if  there  is  any  crying  evil  in  this  country  it  is  the  rottenness, 
the  corruption  and  the  fraud  that  seem  so  far  to  have  been  inseparable  evils 
in  every  great  municipality.  (Applause.)  I  congratulate  the  governor 
and  I  sincerely  hope  that  his  most  sincere  expectations  may  even  be  ex- 
ceeded. I  was  glad  to  see  the  third  Thomas  Ewing  coming  to  the  front. 
(Applause.)  I  knew  his  father  and  admired  and  loved  him,  and  I  am  now 
and  always  have  been  of  the  opinion  that  there  was  truth  in  the  inscription 
emblazoned  on  that  old  picture  of  the  racehorse  you  may  remember  to  have 
seen  in  your  young  days,  in  which  it  says  that  '  Blood  will  tell.'  (Applause.) 
And  I  am  pleaded  with  his  speech  on  Virginians,  because  I  am  a  double 

384 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

grandson  of  Virginia,  that  is  to  say,  my  grandfather  (my  father's  father) 
was  bom  in  Virginia,  and  that  makes  me  once  a  grandson  of  Virginia,  and, 
in  common  with  most  of  you,  I  am  a  son  of  Ohio,  and  Ohio  is  a  daughter  of 
Virginia,  and  that  makes  me  twice  a  grandson  of  Virginia. 

"  I  presume  it  is  time  to  get  aroun,d  to  my  subject.  I  went  into  the 
library  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  where  they  keep  those  '  weakly  ' 
papers  the  other  night,  and  looked  over  such  records  and  books  as  they  had 
bearing  upon  the  constitutional  convention  of  1802 ;  and  then  I  went  to  a 
stenographer  and  dictated  a  speech.  I  read  it  this  evening  before  I  came 
here  and  concluded  it  was  not  worth  reading  to  you;  but  the  subject, 
whether  the  speech  be  interesting  or  not,  is  a  very  interesting  one.  The 
state  of  Ohio  is  simply  a  part  of  that  great  northwest  territory  which  com- 
prised the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  a 
portion  of  Minnesota. 

"  To  understand  the  constitutional  convention  of  1802  you  must  for 
a  moment  go  back  of  that  year.  There  was  a  controversy  as  to  where  this 
northwest  territory  was  to  go  at  the  end  of  the  Revolutionary  War;  and, 
just  twenty  years  before  the  state  constitution  was  made,  in  1782,  the  com- 
missioners on  the  part  of  the  government  of  Great  Britain  and  her  re- 
volted colonies  in  the  United  States  were  endeavoring  to  fix  a  boundary  line. 
The  American  commissioners  said  it  must  be  the  chain  of  the  great  lakes, 
and  the  British  commissioners  said  the  Ohio  River.  Benjamin  Franklin, 
probably  the  most  astute  man  this  country  has  ever  produced,  for  some 
reason  which  at  this  distance  does  not  appear  to  be  clear,  was  in  favor  of 
yielding  to  the  British  commissioners,  and  let  the  boundary  line  be  the  Ohio 
River ;  but  Jay  and  Adams  said,  *  No,  we  will  go  back  to  America  and  carry 
on  war  forever  before  we  will  give  up  the  line  of  the  Great  Lakes.'  (Great 
applause.)  And  they  earned  the  day,  and  that  is  why  Ohio  is  a  part  of  the 
United  States  and  not  a  part  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  Then  five  years 
later  came  the  great  Ordinance  of  1787,  an  Ordinance  sometimes  attributed 
to  Thomas  Jefferson,  but  really  belonging  in  every  essential  to  Nathan  Dane. 
There  are  two  things  in  that  ordinance  that  must  be  mentioned  before  you 
come  to  the  constitutional  convention.  The  first  is  this  declaration :  '  There 
shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude.'  Bear  in  mind  that  slavery 
then  existed  almost  all  over  this  country,  not  as  we  had  it  forty  years  ago 
in  the  South,  but  nearly  every  state  in  the  union  was  a  slave  state.  None 
were  so  strenuous  for  slavery  when  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
was  made  as  the  Northern  states.  The  second  declaration  as  embodied  and 
written  into  that  great  ordinance  is,  '  Schools  and  means  of  education  shall 
be  encouraged  forever.'  That  is  the  language  of  the  ordinance  of  1787 ;  and, 
before  these  great  men  met  at  Chillicothe  in  1802,  there  was  a  chart  laid 

386 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

down  and  this  territory  of  the  Northwest,  and  with  it  the  future  state  of 
Ohio,  was  before  their  day  dedicated  to  freedom  and  intelHgence.  So  in 
1802  the  constitutional  convention  was  called.  Prior  to  that  time,  however, 
the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  had  been  divided  into  two  terri- 
tories. A  line  was  run  north  and  south,  being  the  line  now  between  the 
states  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  but  extending  clear  to  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw. 
There  were  ten  counties  in  the  Eastern  Territory,  nine  counties  included  in 
the  limits  of  the  present  state  of  Ohio,  and  the  county  of  Waj-ne,  which 
now  includes  the  eastern  part  of  IMichigan.  These  two  territories,  so  far  as  I 
know,  had  no  names.  Research  fails  to  discover  that  they  were  named,  and 
the  constitutional  convention  which  met  at  Chillicothe  in  1802  recites  the 
fact  in  these  words :  '  The  people  in  the  Eastern  Division  of  the  territory 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  River.'  But  they  end  that  great  document,  the  con- 
stitution of  1802,  by  declaring  in  the  very  last  words  that  they  create  a 
state  '  by  the  name  of  the  state  of  Ohio.'  (Applause.)  So  that  this  day — 
tlie  29th  day  of  November — is  really  the  day  we  celebrate,  because,  what- 
ever controversy  may  arise  as  to  the  exact  date  when  the  state  was  admitted 
into  the  Union,  it  is  unquestionably  a  fact  that  one  hundred  years  ago  to-day 
the  state  of  Ohio  was  named,  and  christened,  and  we  are  celebrating  now  the 
baptism,  if  you  may  so  state  it,  of  that  great  commonwealth  to  which  we 
all  turn,  whether  far  or  near,  with  so  much  love  and  veneration.  (Applause.) 
"  Mr.  Ewing  has  depicted  accurately  the  controversy  that  raged  in 
the  constitutional  convention.  There  was  a  state  party  and  an  anti-state 
party;  there  was  a  Democratic  party  headed  by  Massie  and  Tiffin,  and  a 
Federalist  party  headed  by  St.  Clair.  There  were  also  personal  animosities, 
for  our  forefathers  were  built  rather  on  fighting  lines.  The  most  curious 
thing  about  the  constitutional  convention  of  1802  is  that  it  was  never  called 
by  any  action  taken  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory.  Con- 
gress early  in  1802  passed  a  law  directing  the  people  of  the  territory  to 
select  delegates  to  a  constitutional  convention,  but  the  law  was  passed  against 
the  active,  vigorous,  determined  opposition  of  the  delegate  from  the  territory ; 
and  there  was  much  rancor  in  the  debate  over  the  idea  that  Congress  should 
in  a  highhanded  manner,  and  without  previous  notice  on  the  part  of  anybody, 
direct  the  people  of  the  territory  to  do  thus  and  so.  It  was  unfortunately 
on  the  States  Rights  idea,  then  existing  in  Connecticut  and  other  northern 
states  as  well  as  the  South,  that  Mr.  Griswold,  of  Connecticut,  a  member  of 
Congress,  upon  the  floor  of  the  house  declared  that  the  passage  of  that  bill 
meant  the  destruction  of  all  the  states.  Congress,  however,  after  directing  the 
people  to  organize  the  state,  gave  them  the  privilege  of  selecting  their  dele- 
gates ;  but  that  is  all  the  privilege  the  people  ever  had.  They  were  never 
permitted  to  ratify  the  constitution — never  permitted  to  say  whether  the  con- 

386 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

stitution  as  made  suited  them  or  not.  The  convention  met  on  the  first  day  of 
November,  labored  industriously  for  four  weeks,  adopted  the  constitution  on 
the  29th,  and  by  a  vote  of  27  to  7  that  they  would  not  let  the  people  ratify  it, 
and  went  home — never  said  as  much  as  '  by  your  leave '  to  their  trusting  con- 
stituents. I  can  imagine  that  if  a  constitutional  convention  in  Ohio  to-day 
would  go  off  in  that  happy  fashion  and  say  to  the  people,  '  You  can  take 
tliis  or  do  something  better,'  what  would  be  said  and  what  would  be  done 
by  the  people  of  Ohio.  So  looking  back  over  one  hundred  years  we  must 
say  to  ourselves,  and  say  it  with  some  pleasure  and  exultation,  that  we  have 
done  a  good  deal  in  the  last  century  in  the  direction  of  the  '  reign  of  the 
common  people.' 

"  Of  the  thirty-five  men  sent  to  this  convention  from  the  nine  counties  of 
the  state,  all  of  them,  except  two  from  the  great  county  of  Trumbull  (laugh- 
ter), lived  in  the  southern  half  of  the  state,  which  would  indicate  that  the 
northern  half  of  Ohio  was  lagging  behind.  Whether  it  does  now  or  not 
(having  come  from  the  southern  part  of  the  state)  I  am  not  called  upon  to 
say.  They  were  nearly  all — perhaps  all — Revolutionary  soldiers,  and  every 
one  was  a  man  of  high  personal  character.  I  cannot  stop  in  the  brief  space 
here  to  name  you  the  list,  but  there  are  a  dozen  perhaps  who  have  made 
such  a  mark  in  the  history  of  Ohio  that  they  ought  to  have  some  larger  men- 
tion. 

"  The  president  of  the  convention  was  Edward  TifEn.  Tiffin  was  an 
Englishman  by  birth — and,  by  the  way,  the  only  man  bom  off  of  our  soil 
who  was  ever  governor  of  Ohio.  He  was  a  doctor,  and  he  had  also  taken 
holy  orders  as  a  deacon — ordained  by  Bishop  Asbury.  I  find  that  several 
other  members  of  that  convention  had  been  ordained,  from  which  I  infer 
that  the  average  of  piety  was  higher  in  that  day  than  now.  He  came  to 
Chilhcothe.  He  must  have  had  some  high  notions  of  labor,  for  he  manu- 
mitted his  own  slaves — he  was  a  slaveholder — before  he  came  there,  and  at 
once  took  active  rank  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  state.  WTien  the 
constitution  was  adopted  he  became  the  first  governor.  He  resigned  that 
office  to  become  United  States  senator.  Subsequently  he  became  commis- 
sioner of  the  general  land  office  and  was  the  only  public  officer  in  Wash- 
ington when  the  capitol  was  burned  in  1814  who  saved  all  of  his  archives. 
This  shows  that  the  Ohio  man  was  just  as  active  in  that  day  as  he  is  now. 

"  Thomas  Worthington  was  another  governor.  Worthington  and  Tif- 
fin were  brothers-in-law.  Tiffin  became  first  governor  and  Worthington  one 
of  the  first  senators.  Then  Tiffin  went  to  the  senate  and  Worthington  became 
governor,  and  it  was  those  two  men,  and  with  them  Trimble,  afterwards  also 
governor,  let  us  remember,  who  came  to  Chillicothe  together.  If  we  had 
three  young  fellows  come  to  Ohio  now,  and  all  three  of  them  got  to  be  gov- 

387 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

emors  we  would  call  that  a  '  Trust.'     (Laughter.)     I  don't  know  what  they 
called  it  then. 

"  Samuel  Huntington,  another  member  of  that  convention,  became  gov- 
ernor. Huntington  was  from  Trumbull  county — I  feel  I  ought  to  mention 
Trumbull  county  as  often  as  possible.  Huntington  was  first  a  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  afterwards  became  governor;  and  was  a  rigid  Puritan 
of  the  most  ultra  type.  He  came  there  from  Connecticut.  Worthington,  I 
may  say,  came  from  Virginia. 

"  Thomas  Kirker  became  governor  in  an  odd  way.  When  Governor 
Tiffin  resigned  to  go  to  the  United  States  Senate  Kirker  was  Speaker  of 
the  House,  and,  by  virtue  of  that  office,  became  governor,  and  he  held  onto 
that  governorship  until  the  next  election.  Then  when  that  modest  Virginian 
who  emigrated  to  Ohio — and  when  I  speak  of  emigrate  that  makes  me  think 
how  appropriate  it  is  that  you  gentlemen  who  have  emigrated  from  Ohio 
here  deposit  your  money  in  the  'Emigrants'  Bank.'  (Great  laughter.) 
When  Nathaniel  Massie  declined  the  governorship,  Kirker  still  held  on  an- 
other year  until  the  next  election. 

"  The  fifth  member  of  that  convention  who  became  governor  of  Ohio 
was  Jeremiah  Morrow.  Morrow  went  out  of  the  convention  into  Congress 
and  for  ten  years  was  the  sole  Representative  from  the  state  of  Ohio  to 
the  Federal  Congress  and  then  became  governor.  The  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar, 
who  visited  him  at  his  country  place  down  in  Warren  county  in  that  crude  and 
early  day,  when  he  went  back  to  Europe,  said  that  he  had  found  in  the  wilds 
of  Ohio  a  '  veritable  Cincinnatus.'  Governor  Morrow  undoubtedly  was  as 
near  a  type  of  Cincinnatus  as  modem  days  have  produced;  probably  the 
ablest  and  greatest  man  in  that  convention. 

"  Nathaniel  Massie,  a  Virginian  of  the  cavaher  type,  was  a  very  prom- 
inent member.  He  was  noted  for  his  graceful  manners  and  high  bred  cour- 
tesy. He  was  the  first  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  General 
Joseph  Darlington,  also  a  Virginian,  had  been  a  soldier  of  distinction.  Ben- 
jamin Ives  Gilman  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  handsomest  and  most 
dignified  member.  John  Reily,  a  South  Carolinian,  had  participated  in 
many  Revolutionary  battles.  John  Goforth,  a  Jerseyman,  was  later  largely 
instrumental  in  establishing  the  present  system  of  selling  government  lands. 
John  Smith,  while  living  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  went  to  the  United  States 
Senate  and  became  intimate  with  Aaron  Burr,  who  was  then  vice-president 
of  the  United  States  and  president  of  the  Senate.  Smith  became  a  great 
friend  to  Burr  and  was  fascinated  by  Burr's  personality,  which  according  to 
all  historians  and  biographers  was  almost  irresistible.  They  were  so  in- 
timate that  when  Burr's  treason  developed  Smith  was  indicted.  He  never 
was  tried,  and  the  verdict  of  posterity  is  that  he  was  not  guilty. 

388 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

•  "  I  might  go  on  and  name  others.  Take,  for  instance,  those  two  great 
members  of  the  Oliio  Company  that  came  to  Marietta — Rufus  Putnam  and 
Ephraim  Cutler.  Why,  the  early  history  of  Ohio  could  not  be  written  with- 
out the  names  of  Rufus  Putnam  and  Ephraim  Cutler,  who  were  here  at  the 
very   beginning   of  the  'Bucke3'e   state. 

"  But  3'ou  do  not  want  to  know  altogether  the  personahty  of  these  men — ■ 
a  few  words  only  as  to  what  they  did.  Right  here  I  will  digress  just  a 
moment.  They  adjourned  on  the  29th  day  of  November  and  the  controversy 
has  raged  from  that  day  to  this  as  to  whether  that  was  the  day  that  Ohio 
became  a  state.  I  find  that  the  Federal  Census  Reports  put  down  Ohio  as 
admitted  to  the  Union  on  November  29,  1802,  but  my  own  opinion  is  that 
(except  infcrentially)  Ohio  never  was  formally  admitted  to  the  Union.  The 
convention  adjourned  on  the  29th  of  November,  On  the  first  Tuesday  in 
January,  1803,  the  state  elected  a  governor  and  other  officers,  and  a  legisla- 
ture. On  the  last  day  of  March,  1803,  the  legislature  began  its  session,  and 
on  the  3d  day  of  March  the  governor  was  inaugurated.  In  the  meantime, 
on  the  19th  of  February",  Congress  passed  a  law — what.'' — to  admit  the  state 
of  Ohio?  No,  the  title  of  the  Act  is  to  '  extend  the  federal  laws  to  the  state 
of  Ohio.'  That  is  the  title  of  the  Act,  which  recites  the  existing  situation  by 
saying,  '  Ohio  has  become  one  of  the  United  States  of  America,'  but  as  to 
whether  Oliio  was  in  existence  on  the  19th  day  of  February,  1803,  whether  it 
was  bom  that  day  or  some  other  day,  the  controversy  will  rage  forever.  My 
own  opinion  is  that  the  state  was  like  Topsy — it  never  was  born,  it  '  just 
growed.' 

"  There  were  some  curious  things  in  the  constitution  of  1802.  Tlie  one 
that  was  most  remarkable  was  the  adoption  of  a  constitution  without  giving  to 
the  governor  the  veto  power.  That  is  an  anomaly,  absolutely  an  anomal}^ 
under  our  political  system.  No  one  at  this  date  pretends  to  defend  or  up- 
hold a  proposition  of  that  kind,  and  so  far  as  I  know  there  are  not  more  than 
two  or  three  states  in  the  Union  where  the  governor  does  not  have  the  veto 
power.  The  veto  is  to  a  constitution  what  the  brake  on  the  coach  and  the 
hold-back  strap  on  the  harness  are  to  a  stage  coach,  and  four  horses  going 
down  hill  on  a  full  gallop.  Without  the  veto  power  you  have  practically 
changed  your  form  of  government.  There  must  be  some  explanation.  You 
must  not  jump  to  the  conclusion  that  the  fathers  of  the  constitution  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  checks  and  balances  that  ought  to  exist  in  a  republican 
form  of  government,  but  they  were  led,  as  most  men  are  and  alwa3S  will  be 
by  bitter  personal  feelings,  surroundings  and  animosities.  It  arose  in  this 
wav.  Arthur  St.  Clair  had  been  territorial  governor — was  governor  of  the 
territory  when  this  convention  met.  Most  of  these  men  had  served  in  the 
territorial  legislature.     St.  Clair  Avas  a  great  soldier,  in  spite  of  some  vicis- 

389 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

situdes  in  liis  career,  a  bom  general  and  an  honest  man.  He  was  a  favorite 
of  G€orge  Washington,  but  he  was  a  stubborn,  hard-headed  Scotchman — I 
do  not  speak  in  derogation  of  the  Scotch  for  I  am  Scotch  myself,  but  you  know 
the  Scotch  have  a  reputation  of  being  a  little  '  sot  in  their  way  '  and  St. 
Clair  was  one  of  the  most  stubborn  type.  The  first  session  of  the  legislature 
passed  thirty  laws  and  Governor  St.  Clair  vetoed  eleven  of  them,  annulled 
more  than  one-third  of  the  legislation  of  a  new  territory  starting  on  its  career. 
He  not  only  vetoed  laws,  but  refused  to  return  them  to  the  House  from  which 
they  originated  within  ten  days,  although  they  requested  him  to  return  them 
to  see  if  they  could  not  be  amended  to  suit  his  views.  On  the  contrary,  he 
rated  them  soundly  for  their  impertinence  to  the  governor.  His  idea  of  the 
veto  power  was  that  there  were  three  Houses — the  House,  the  Senate  and 
St,  Clair;  that  he  was  a  coordinate  branch  of  the  legislature.  As  a  natural 
result  of  his  extraordinary  application  of  the  veto  power  the  idea  of  the 
veto  became  absolutely  hateful  to  the  entire  people  of  the  territory  regard- 
less of  political  convictions.  Then  St.  Clair  made  himself  very  unpopular 
by  controversies  as  to  sub-dividing  counties,  and  as  to  judicial  matters,  and 
kept  up  a  constant  irritation  between  himself  and  members  of  the  legislature. 
An  illustration  of  the  disesteem  in  which  he  was  regarded,  arose  when  the 
convention  met.  He,  being  the  governor,  asked  the  privilege  of  addressing 
the  convention  at  length.  By  the  majority  of  five  they  voted  that  '  Arthur 
St.  Clair,  Esquire,  should  be  permitted  to  address  them,'  which  could  not 
be  called  a  very  warm  and  pressing  invitation.  That  is  the  way  in  which  Ohio 
came  to  have  the  unique  and  unenviable  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  very 
few  states  where  the  executive  does  not  have  the  power  of  veto. 

"  There  was  another  thing  that  caused  probably  as  much  trouble  as  it 
did  forty  years  ago  in  this  country,  and  that  was  the  color  line.  There 
were,  perhaps,  150  free  negroes  in  the  territory  and  the  question  was  what 
to  do  with  them.  Should  they  be  citizens,  and  if  not  what  should  they  be.'' 
At  last  after  much  controversy  the  word  '  white '  was  put  into  the  constitu- 
tion of  Ohio  by  the  narrow  vote  of  19  to  14,  and  there  it  stood  until  it  was 
washed  out  in  the  blood  of  thousands  of  her  best  and  bravest  sons  sixty 
years  afterwards.  But  if  the  free  negroes  made  trouble  those  that  were  in 
slavery,  and  might  be  brought  in,  made  a  lot  more  trouble.  Fortunately 
this  territory  so  far  as  Congress  could  control,  and  so  far  as  Virginia  was 
concerned,  was  dedicated  to  freedom;  but  a  crowd  in  the  legislature — I  am 
sorry  to  say  they  were  known  as  the  Virginia  crowd,  too — wanted  some 
modified  form  or  term  of  slavery;  and,  in  that  convention,  Ohio  was  made  a 
free  state,  but  it  was  by  just  one  vote,  just  one  majority,  that  a  plank  in  the 
constitution  was  defeated  which  provided  that  black  men  should  be  slaves 
until  they  were  thirty-five  and  black  women  until  they  were  twenty-five.    That 

390 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

majority  of  one  was  obtained  because  Putnam  got  Cutler  to  go  to  Milligan 
and  shame  him  by  showing  the  speeches  that  he  (Milligan)  had  made  in  the 
legislature  against  slavery,  and  thus  got  him  to  change  his  vote.  So  our 
heritage  of  freedom  came  pretty  near  slipping  away  from  us.  That  was 
the  history  of  the  colored  man  in  the  days  of  our  forefathers. 

"  In  some  respects  1802  was  a  day  of  small  things.  iVIoney  was  scarce. 
No  scarcer  than  it  is  sometimes  nowadays  when  they  pay  300  per  cent,  for 
money  down  on  Wall  Street;  but  it  was  pretty  scarce,  and  they  fixed  the 
salaries  on  a  scale  tliat  was  in  accordance  with  these  conditions.  They  pro- 
vided that  the  governor  should  not  be  paid  more  than  $1,000,  or  any  mem- 
ber of  the  Supreme  Court  more  than  $1,000.  They  provided  that  the  Su- 
preme Court  should  sit  around  in  the  counties.  The  counties  were  many  of 
them  remote  from  books,  sparsely  settled,  and  the  judges  occasionally  un- 
learned in  the  law.  The  result  was  that  by  holding  the  Supreme  Court  in 
every  county,  the  Court  in  one  county  decided  a  question  in  one  way  and  in 
another  county  another  way,  and  in  some  other  county  they  would  still 
decide  it  in  a  different  way,  and  that  little  discrepancy  had  to  be  wiped  out 
subsequently  by  other  enactments.  But  in  spite  of  the  few  defects  in  that 
constitution  its  excellencies  were  so  great  and  its  results  so  marvelous  that 
we  cannot  but  look  back  one  hundred  years  and  say  to  ourselves,  where 
could  there  be  found  a  population  of  less  than  forty  thousand  (according  to 
the  governor's  speech  just  delivered  there  are  forty-five  times  forty  thou- 
sand people  to-day  in  the  state  of  Ohio  alone ;  there  are  thirty  counties  in  the 
state  that  have  more  than  forty  thousand  people)  a  body  of  men  equal  to 
those  thirty-five  who  gathered  at  Chillicothe  and  completed  their  great  work 
one  hundred  years  ago  to-day.'*  The  quality  of  the  men  that  sent  them  there 
had  something  to  do  with  that.  The  men  that  sent  them  there,  as  well  as 
the  men  who  were  sent,  were  almost  without  exception  soldiers  of  the  Revolu- 
tion; and  they  represented  all  the  great  strains  and  races  that  came  into  the 
state  of  Ohio  immediately  after  that  war.  There  were  from  Virginia  both 
the  Cavalier  and  the  Scotch-Irish  type.  There  were  the  Puritan  from  Con- 
necticut and  Massachusetts.  There  was  the  Knickerbocker  from  New  York; 
the  Pennsylvania  Dutchman  from  the  Keystone  state;  the  sturdy  Jerseyman; 
the  Huguenot  from  South  Carolina.  The  very  best  of  these  races  came  in, 
and  it  must  have  been  a  great  combination  of  blood  because,  after  it  had 
mingled  and  commingled  for  sixty  years,  it  produced  in  a  great  crisis  and 
upfen  a  sudden  call  and  in  one  outburst,  more  generals  and  statesmen  than 
all  the  other  states  in  the  Union  together.  Those  men  of  various  types  picked 
out  their  thirty-five  delegates.  Many  of  the  thirty-five  were  scholars,  men 
of  learning,  and  all  had  been  schooled  in  honor  and  manhood.  They  were 
indeed  a  great  body,  and  we  can  justly  and  proudly  stand  here  to-night  and 

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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

say :  '  Men  of  1802,  we  salute  you.  We  shall  ever  keep  your  memory 
green.'  "     (Great  applause.) 

President  Hoyt  said :  "  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  had  hoped 
that  a  committee  might  be  appointed  to  escort  the  governor  of  the  state  of 
New  York  to  the  Ohio  Society,  from  a  club  on  Fifth  Avenue  where  he  is  be- 
ing entertained,  and  it  is  with  great  regret  that  we  have  not  been  able  to 
succeed.  We  shall  hope  most  sincerely  that  he  may  be  with  us  at  our  annual 
banquet  on  the  17th  of  January.  Just  one  word  for  the  benefit  of  the  gentle- 
man who  has  just  spoken  (Governor  Campbell)  and  who  seems  to  think  that 
the  northern  counties  were  very  backward  in  their  progress  in  the  past. 
Gentlemen,  for  his  benefit  I  wish  to  say  that  of  the  members  in  the  Ohio 
Society  of  New  York,  112  of  them  come  from  the  city  of  Cleveland  alone, 
on  the  bank  of  Lake  Erie,  and  nearly  one-half  of  the  number  elected  during 
this  past  year  came  from  that  city,  and  Cincinnati  is  only  a  good  second, 
with  71.  It  behooves  ex-Governor  Campbell  to  see  that  Cincinnati  keeps  up 
her  quota,  for  the  northern  portion  of  the  state  wiU  always  take  care  of  her 
share. 

"  Gentlemen,  one  word  before  we  part.  Under  your  constitution  I,  as 
president,  have  the  duty  of  appointing  your  several  committees  for  the  com- 
ing year,  except  the  house  committee,  which  is  appointed  by  your  governing 
board.  I  believe  in  new  blood.  I  believe  also  in  not  losing  the  old  blood.  I 
want  any  suggestions  from  any  member  between  now  and  the  middle  of 
December,  and  I  assure  you  that  it  will  receive  careful  consideration  on  my 
part.  In  this  vast  metropolis,  no  one  man  can  be  expected  to  know  all  others 
or  what  they  can  do,  and  I  rely  upon  you  to  let  me  know  the  men  who  are 
capable  of  filling  positions  on  these  different  committees  and  to  write  me 
suggestions  in  that  respect,  and  I  can  assure  you  they  will  receive  careful 
consideration,  and  when  I  get  through  with  my  woi'k  and  the  committees 
are  appointed  I  am  sure  that  you  will  grant  me  indulgence  if  all  the  sug- 
gestions have  not  been  carried  out. 

"  Just  one  word  further.  We  are  through  with  our  set  speeches,  but 
we  have  to-night  with  us  a  new  vice-president,  the  Hon.  John  J.  McCook, 
one  of  the  '  Fighting  McCooks  '  from  Ohio.  I  saw  him  one  moment  ago.  I 
know  he  is  not  so  modest.  I  want  him  to  say  a  word.  We  want  to  hear, 
gentlemen,  from  our  vice-president.  Col.  John  J.  McCook,  before  we  go." 
( Applause. ) 

Colonel  McCook  said :  "  At  this  hour  of  the  night  it  would  be  an  act 
of  unkindness  and  not  a  proper  return  for  the  consideration  that  this  Society 
has  shown  me,  by  addressing  j^ou  to  say  anything  more  than  to  thank  them 
most  heartily  for  the  great  honor  they  have  done  me.  When  I  came  into  the 
room  to-night  and  took  my  seat  at  the  table  I  looked  at  gentlemen  on  the 

392 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

platform  and  I  thought  they  were  the  finest  looking  set  of  men  I  had  ever 
seen.  A  few  minutes  later  I  spoke  to  the  governor  and  I  began  to  think 
what  a  wonderful  state  Ohio  was.  If  all  the  men  bom  there  had  stayed 
there,  there  would  not  have  been  room  to  stand  up ;  and  if  all  these  men  had 
stayed  there  It  is  a  question  how  the  rest  of  the  world  would  have  been  able 
to  struggle  along  with  the  remainder. 

"  I  am  very  proud  to  have  been  here  to-night.  I  appreciate  the  work 
Virginia  did  in  the  convention.  Let  us  not  forget  thc^t  the  clause  that  pro- 
hibited slavery  In  the  Ordinance  of  1787  was  the  sixth  clause  In  order;  the 
one  that  was  inserted  at  the  end  of  the  debate  and  at  the  end  of  a  very  hard 
fight  by  members  from  Virginia;  but  do  not  let  us  forget  what  was  in- 
volved In  that  awful  curse  of  slavery  which  came  to  us  from  the  North  or 
from  the  South  or  wherever  It  came — It  called  for  the  blood  of  Ohio  as  well 
as  the  other  states,  and  the  Southern  states  as  well,  to  wipe  it  out.  Don't  let 
us  have  any  false  ideas  or  any  false  laudation  of  praise  for  those  men  that 
left  us  that  curse,  from  which  Ohio  was  saved  by  this  6th  Section  and  was  a 
free  state  from  the  beginning,  and  may  God  ever  keep  her  free."  (Great 
applause. ) 

President  Hoyt:  "Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York: — 
Your  chairman  fully  appreciates  the  work  of  your  banquet  committee  in 
preparing  for  our  annual  banquet,  and  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  an- 
nounce that  the  seventeenth  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York 
will  take  place  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  on  Saturday  evening,  January  17th, 
next." 

On  December  8th  James  G-  Newcomb  was  unanimously  elected  chair- 
man of  the  governing  committee.  The  following  gentlemen  were  appointed 
to  the  house  committee:  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Leonard  D.  Morrison  and 
Evarts  L.  Prentiss.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  the  same  date,  Mr. 
Southard,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  to  report  on  a  change  in  the  by- 
laws to  provide  for  a  historian  and  chaplain,  reported  Article  VIII  as  fol- 
lows, which  was  adopted: 

"  Article  VIII — At  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Society  in  December 
of  each  year,  three  standing  committees  of  five  members  each  shall  be  ap- 
pointed, viz. :  a  committee  on  literature  and  art,  an  entertainment  committee, 
an  auditing  committee,  a  historian  and  a  chaplain." 

President  Hoyt  appointed  the  following  commitlecs  to  serve  for  the  en- 
suing year,  they  to  select  their  own  chairman,  regardless  of  the  order  in 
which  they  are  named:  Literature  and  art:  R.  C.  Penfield,  Chas.  H.  Nie- 
haus,  George  D.  M.  Peixotto,  William  S.  Hawk,  James  G,  Newcomb:  en- 
tertainment: Oscar  B.  Thomas,  A.  W.  Gillmore,  Men-Ill  Watson,  Warren 
Higley,  David  Homer  Bates,   Jr.;   library:  Winchester  Fitch,   J.    Sherlock 

393 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Davis,  Mahloii  Chance,  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman,  Orrel  A.  Parker;  auditing: 
Louis  D.  Clarke,  Charles  L.  Paar,  Warner  Ells,  E.  H.  Childs. 

President  Hoyt  announced  that  he  had  previously  appointed  James  H. 
Kennedy  as  first  official  historian  of  the  Society,  and  Bishop  William  A. 
Leonard,  of  the  Northern  (Episcopal)  diocese  of  Ohio,  the  first  official  chap- 
lain. The  historian  was  directed  to  have  the  speeches  delivered  at  the  next 
annual  banquet  stenographically  reported,  that  they  might  be  preserved  in 
permanent  and  accurate   form. 

Mr.  Ewing  called  the  attention  of  the  Society  to  the  fact  that  at  Chilli- 
cothe  in  the  succeeding  May  there  would  be  held  an  elaborate  celebration 
of  the  admission  of  the  state  of  Ohio  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  he  moved 
that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  the  chair  to  look  after  the  matter,  so  that 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  might  be  properly  represented.  Mr.  Ewing 
suggested  that  Mr.  Southard  be  made  chairman  of  this  committee.  The 
motion  was  carried  and  the  chair  said  that  he  would  appoint  the  committee 
later. 

At  the  gathering  of  January  12,  1903,  the  following  resolutions  in 
honor  of  the  memory  of  Gen.  Wager  Swayne,  one  of  the  former  presidents, 
were  read  by  Judge  Higley,  in  the  absence  of  General  Burnett,  chairman  of 
the  memorial  committee: 

"  Whereas,  General  Wager  Swayne,  who  has  been  an  active  member  of 
this  Society  from  its  organization,  its  second  honored  president  for  three 
years,  and  foremost  in  every  good  word  and  work  looking  to  the  happiness 
and  bettennent  of  his  fellow  members  and  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the 
Society  which  he  so  much  loved,  after  a  lingering  Illness  which  he  passed 
through  with  remarkable  Christian  fortitude  and  resignation,  departed  this 
life  on  the  18th  day  of  December,  1902,  to  the  Inexpressible  sorrow  of  all 
those  who  had  for  long  years  admired  and  loved  him  for  his  noble  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart, 

"  Therefore,  be  it  resolved  by  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  that  In 
the  death  of  G^n.  Wager  Swayne,  this  Society  has  sustained  a  great  and 
Irreparable  loss.  That  by  his  death  his  beloved  state  of  Ohio,  this  city  of 
his  adoption  and  the  whole  nation  have  lost  a  most  distinguished  and  loyal 
citizen,  who  was  ever  faithful  and  active  In  promoting  civic  reform,  and 
improving  the  condition  of  his  fellowmen. 

"  That  his  devotion  to  his  church  and  the  exemplification  of  her  teaching 
In  his  life,  were  unfailing  at  all  times,  yet  wholly  unostentatious  and  simple, 
while  they  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  his  perennial  hope  and  abiding 
faith. 

"  That  General  Swayne's  high  ideals  of  honor.  Christian  charity  and 
personal  purity,  his  devotion  to  his  duty,  his  kind,  generous,  loving,  helpful 

394 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

nature,  won  for  him  the  respect  and  affectionate  regard  of  all  who  kneAv  him. 
"  His  love  for  his  country,  his  enthusiastic  patriotism,  was  a  most  prom- 
inent attribute  of  his  splendid  manhood,  and  obedient  to  its  call,  he  bravely 
fought  for  the  honor  of  the  flag  on  many  a  bloody  battlefield  and  fairly 
won  the  laurels  that  justly  belong  to  the  brave  soldier  and  chivalrous  leader 
of  men.  When  the  Avar  was  over  and  the  victory  won,  and  this  brave  and 
crippled  soldier  retired  to  private  hfe  and  the  duties  of  his  profession,  his 
devotion  to  humanity,  to  his  country  and  to  his  God,  continued  with  in- 
creasing measure  to  the  end. 

"  Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  recorded  in  the  minutes  of  the 
Society,  and  an  engrossed  copy  of  the  same  be  sent  to  Mrs.  Swayne. 

"  Heney  L.  Burnett, 
"  Warren  Higi^ey, 
"  M.   I.   Southard, 
"  H.  B.  Brundrett, 
"  Andrew  J.   C.  Foye,   Committee." 

These  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  and  engrossed  and  sent 
to  the  family  of  General  Swayne,  President  Hoyt  announced  the  death 
of  Gen.  Samuel  Thomas,  a  member  of  the  Society,  and  the  following 
were  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  in  honor  of  his  memory :  Messrs. 
L.  D.  iM'orrison,  Emerson  jMcINIillin,  James  H.  Kennedy  and  David  Homer 
Bates. 

Mr.  Kennedy,  the  historian,  suggested  that  a  brief  and  comprehensive 
history  of  the  Society  be  prepared  and  printed  some  time  in  the  next  year 
or  two,  in  a  modest  but  artistic  manner,  and  that  future  historians  add  a 
monograph  each  year  of  succeeding  proceedings.  Mr.  Watson  moved  that 
the  committee  on  library  cooperate  with  the  historian  and  report  a  definite 
plan  of  action  at  the  next  meeting.     The  motion  was  carried. 


395 


CHAPTER    XVIII 
1903 

IT  detracts  in  no  degree  from  the  successful  character  of  the  historic 
value  of  the  sixteen  previous  banquets  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York, 
to  say  that  the  one  given  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  New  York,  on  the 
evening  of  January  17,  1903,  was  the  largest  and  perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant of  any  in  a  long  series  of  notable  events. 

It  was  given  to  the  Hon.  John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State  for  the  United 
States,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society,  and  for  some  years  an  honored 
and  beloved  son  of  Ohio  by  adoption.  This  eminent  statesman,  diplomat, 
poet,  and  man  of  letters  was  present  and  spoke,  and  the  occasion  was  also 
made  memorable  by  the  presence,  as  guests  of  the  Society,  of  the  Ambassa- 
dors from  Russia,  Mexico,  Italy,  Great  Britain  and  Austro-Hungary ;  of  the 
Charge  d' Affaires  of  the  French  Embassy;  and  the  Charge  d' Affaires  of 
the  German  Embassy — the  two  distinguished  gentlemen  last  named  repre- 
senting their  nations  in  the  absence  from  the  United  States  of  the  Ambassa- 
dors from  France  and  German3\  The  official  titles  of  the  distinguished 
diplomatic  guests  were  as  follows: 

Comte  Cassini,  Russian  Ambassador,  and  Acting  Dean  of  the  Diplomatic 
Corps. 

Senor  de  Azpiroz,  Mexican  Ambassador. 

Signor  Edmondo  Mayor  des  Planches,  Italian  Ambassador. 

Sir  Michael  H.  Herbert,  British  Ambassador. 

Mr.  Ladislaus  Hengelmuller  von  Hengervar,  Austro-Hungarian  Am- 
bassador. 

Mr.  Pierre  de  Margerie,  Charge  d' Affaires  of  French  Embassy. 

Count  A.  von  Quadt  Wykradt  Isny,  Charge  d' Affaires  of  the  German 
Embassy. 

There  were  also  present,  as  other  distinguished  guests  and  orators  of 
the  evening,  the  Hon.  Marcus  A.  Hanna,  Senator  from  Ohio;  the  Hon. 
Chauncey  M.  Depew,  Senator  from  New  York;  and  the  Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt, 
of  Cleveland.  The  names  of  those  invited  to  seats  at  the  right  and  left 
of  Colgate  Hoj't,  president  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  and  toastmaster 
of  the  evening,  were  as  follows: 

396 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

PRESIDENTS  TABLE 

Mr.  Butler  Duncan,  President  St.  Andrew's  Society 

General  Henry  L.  Burnett,  of  New  Yorii 

Hon.  Francis  B.  Loomis,  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan,  of  New  York 

Bishop  William  A.  Leonard,  of  Ohio,  and  Chaplain  of  the  Society 

Mr.  Samuel  Mather,  of  Cleveland 

Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland 

Governor  George  K.  Nash,  Governor  of  Ohio 

Dr.  David  J.  Hill,  Assistant  Secretary  of  State 

Mr.  Pierre  de  Margerie,  Charge  d'Affaires  of  French  Embassy 

Hon.  M.  A.  Hanna,  U.  S.  Senator,  Ohio 

Sir  Michael  H.  Herbert,  British  Ambassador 

Senor  de  Azpiroz,  Mexican  Ambassador 

Hon.    John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State 

Mr.  Colgate  Hoyt,  President 

Comte  Cassini,  Russian  Ambassador,  and  Acting  Dean  of  Diplomatic  Corps 

Signor  Edmondo  Mayor  des  Planches,  Italian  Ambassador 

Mr.  Ladislaus  HengelmuUer  von  Hengervar,  Austro-Hungarian  Ambassador 

Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  U.  S.  Senator,  New  York 

Count  A.  von  Quadt-Wykradt-Isny,  Charge  d'AfFaii-es  of  German  Embassy 

Hon.  Andrew  Carnegie,  of  New  York 

Mr.  J.  D.  Rockefeller,  of  Ohio 

Hon.  Seth  Low,  Mayor  of  New  York 

Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid,  of  New  York 

Mr.  Edmund  C.  Stedman,  President  of  the  New  England  Society 

General  William  H.  Seward,  of  New  York 

Mr.  Allan  C.  Blakewell,  Vice-President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Society 

Mr.  George  D.  Stewart,  Vice-President  of  the  Canadian  Society 

Mr.  Augustus  Thomas,  President  of  the  Missouri  Society 

The  Diplomatic  Dinner  was  not  only  a  great  success  in  this  wider  mean- 
ing of  the  word,  but  in  point  of  attendance  it  was  the  largest  of  any  of 
the  annual  dinners  given.  Tickets  for  members  and  their  friends  were  sold 
to  the  number  of  537,  and  the  total  number  of  those  who  sat  down  in  the 
banquet  hall  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria  was  567 ;  exclusive  of  the  350  ladies  who 
at  a  later  hour  of  the  evening  graced  the  occasion  by  their  presence  in  the 
boxes. 

The  first  steps  taken  in  preparation  for  the  event  assumed  the  form  of 
a  suggestion  made  by  President  Hoyt,  in  the  stated  meeting  for  October, 
1902,  that  the  time  had  come  for  the  appointment  of  a  special  committee  to 
take  charge  of  this  event.  Authority  was  conferred  upon  the  president  by 
vote  to  name  a  banquet  committee,  and  at  the  meeting  of  November  Mr.  Hoyt 
obeyed  these  instructions  by  announcing  that  the  gentlemen  named  below 
had  been  selected  to  serve  in  that  capacity: 

Milton  I.  Southard,  chainnan ;  Whitelaw  Reid,  Warren  Higley,  David 
H.  Bates,  Leander  H.  Crall,  John  D.  Archbold,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Samuel 
INIather,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  L.  C.  Weir,  Albert  F.  Hagar,  Lowell  M. 
Palmer,  Mahlon  Chance,  George  E.  Armstrong,  PI.  S.  Julier,  Emory  A. 
Stedman,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  treas. ;  Henr}'  L.  Burnett,  Colgate  Hoyt, 
Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  John  J.  McCook,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Anson  G.  Mc- 

397 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Cook,  Paul  D.  Cravath,  William  S.  Hawk,  Evarts  L.  Prentiss,  George  W. 
Perkins,  Francis  B.  Stedman,  Julius  E.  French,  Jay  O.  Moss,  Henry  D. 
LjTnan,  E.  B.  Thomas,  James  H.  Kennedy,  Francis  M.  Applegate,  secretary. 

The  reception  and  other  committees,  appointed  at  a  later  date,  were 
constituted  as  follows: 

Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid,  chairman;  Samuel  Mather,  Warren  Higley,  Fla- 
men  B.  Candler,  John  T.  Granger,  P.  S.  Jennings,  J.  Sherlock  Davis,  S. 
Frederick  Taylor,  Orrel  A.  Parker,  Warner  Ells,  H.  H.  Brockway,  P. 
Tecumseh  Sherman,  Willard  Abbott,  Francis  X.  Butler,  Charles  D.  Hilles, 
J.  M.  Chandler,  C.  B.  Brown,  Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  secretary ;  H.  B.  Brund- 
rett,  A.  D.  Juilliard,  E.  C.  Bodman,  Cass  Gilbert,  L.  D.  Morrison,  Patrick 
Ryan,  Charles  A.  Clegg,  E.  J.  Wheeler,  Addison  W.  Gilmore,  N.  C.  RafF, 
Winchester  Fitch,  Men-ill  Watson,  William  H.  Caldwell,  L.  C.  Ruch,  E.  H. 
Childs,  J.  J.  Crawford. 

A  sub-committee  to  look  after  the  lady  guests  in  the  galleries:  Andrew 
Ernest  Foye,  chairman;  Warner  Ells,  Francis  X.  Butler,  Charles  D.  Hilles, 
Addison  W.  Gilmore,  L.  C.  Ruch. 

Committee  to  act  as  special  escorts  of  the  ambassadors : 

John  Hay,  Colgate  Hoyt. 

Comte  Cassini,  Whitelaw  Reid. 

Senor  de  Aspiroz,  Warren  Higley. 

Signor  des  Planches,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr. 

Sir  Michael  H.  Herbert,  Henry  L.  Burnett. 

M.  von  Hengervar,  Milton  I.  Southard. 

M.  de  Margerie,  A.  D.  Juilliard, 

Count  von  Quadt  Isny,  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman. 

An  attempt  had  been  made  upon  several  previous  occasions  to  secure  the 
attendance  of  Secretary  Hay  as  the  guest  of  the  Society,  but  other  engage- 
ments had  prevented  his  acceptance.  When  President  Hoyt  received  instruc- 
tions and  authority  from  the  Society  to  proceed  with  the  arrangements  for 
the  banquet  of  1903,  he  immediately  proceeded  to  Wasliington  and  called 
upon  the  distinguished  head  of  tlie  State  Department.  His  mission  upon  this 
occasion  was  a  success.  But  the  acceptance  was  coupled  with  the  condition 
that  he  must  not  be  expected  to  speak ;  a  hard  condition,  indeed,  that  was 
eventually  removed.  With  this  acceptance,  IMr.  Ho3't  and  his  loyal  associates 
of  the  committee  proceeded  upon  their  equally  difficult  task  of  securing 
the  attendance  of  the  ambassadors  of  the  great  nations  represented  in  Wash- 
ington. 

The  first  call  was  made  upon  Herr  von  HoUeben,  ambassador  from  Ger- 
many, and  dean  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  who  was  found  to  be  most  cordial, 

398 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  entered  heartily  into  the  plans,  largely  out  of  his  admiration  and  affec- 
tion for  Secretary  Hay.  By  personal  calls  upon  each  ambassador  before  the 
formal  invitations  were  sent,  assurances  were  received  of  their  universal  ac- 
ceptance. As  the  representative  of  Austro-Hungary  had  not  yet  been  made 
an  ambassador,  no  invitation  was  sent  to  him  until  he  had  been  received  and 
accredited  by  our  government.  The  absence  from  the  country  of  the  ambassa- 
dors of  France  and  Germany  at  the  time  of  the  banquet,  led  to  invitations 
being:  extended  to  the  charge  d'affaires  of  each  of  these  nations.  It  was 
afterwards  found  that  the  ladies  of  the  diplomatic  corps  would  be  glad  to 
come  over,  and  they  were  invited,  and  accepted,  with  the  exception  of  the  wife 
of  Baron  Hengelmuller,  the  ambassador  from  Austro-Hungary,  who  was 
prevented  by  indisposition.  A  box  in  the  gallery  of  the  Waldorf  was  set 
apart  for  their  use. 

President  Hoyt  went  to  Wasliington  a  number  of  times  and  performed  no 
end  of  labor  before  the  thousand  and  one  details  of  an  affair  of  this  importance 
could  be  arranged.  When  the  day  set  for  the  banquet  arrived,  it  found  him 
in  Washington  with  his  private  car  for  the  transportation  of  the  guests  to 
New  York.  He  was  met  there  by  Whitelaw  Reid,  chairman  of  the  reception 
committee,  who,  with  Mrs.  Reid,  was  the  guest  of  President  Roosevelt  at  the 
White  House, 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Hoj't's  car,  a  Pullman  chair  car  was  chartered,  in 
order  to  give  ample  accommodations  to  the  party,  and,  through  the  courtesy 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  a  combination  baggage  car  was  pro- 
vided for  the  serv^ants  and  baggage,  and  the  train  was  run  as  a  special  all  the 
way  from  Washington  to  New  York.  The  departure  was  made  at  10  a.  m., 
and  this  city  was  reached  at  3:15  p.  m..  The  guests  were  met  by  the  special 
committee  and  escorted  to  the  IManhattan  Hotel,  where,  through  the  generous 
courtesy  of  tlie  proprietor,  William  S.  Hawk,  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Society, 
they  were  entertained  free  of  charge. 

It  may  be  said  here  that  the  chairman  of  the  reception  committee,  Mr. 
Reid,  did  not  content  himself  with  most  admirably  fulfilling  the  duties  of  that 
position,  but  on  Sunday  following  the  banquet  entertained  the  guests  from 
Washington  with  a  luncheon  at  his  city  home.  They  then  returned  to  Wash- 
ington in  Mr.  Hoyt's  car,  and  their  expressions  of  pleasure  at  all  that  had  be- 
fallen them  were  the  crowning  features  of  a  most  happy  event. 

When  the  members  and  their  guests  began  to  arrive,  they  found  gentle- 
men of  the  banquet  committee  and  of  the  reception  committee  on  hand  to  make 
them  welcome.  The  badges  worn  by  those  first  named  consisted  of  a  buckeye 
with  ribbons  of  red,  green  and  gold.  Those  of  the  other  committee  consisted 
of  a  buckeye,  and  colors  of  white,  green  and  gold.  As  this  was  a  dinner  to 
diplomats,   the   buckeyes   that   served   with    such   honorable   distinction   were 

399 


^  OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

secured  from  a  tree  grown  upon  the  farm  at  Mansfield;  Ohio,  of  Hon.  John 
Sherman,  once  secretary  of  state  for  the  United  States. 

Each  gentlemen  present  received  a  handsome  souvenir  which  he  will 
cherish  and  hand  down  to  his  descendants  as  a  precious  heirloom.  It  was  a 
plate  in  colors  manufactured  in  Ohio  especially  for  this  occasion,  from  Ohio 
materials,  by  the  hands  of  Ohio  artists  and  workmen.  It  came  from  the  fac- 
tory of  the  Knowles,  Taylor  &  Knowles  Company,  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio. 
On  one  side  was  a  portrait  of  Hon.  John  Hay,  with  buckeyes  around  the  bor- 
der.    On  the  reverse  was  this  inscription: 

The  Seventeenth  Annuai.  Banquet 

OF    THE 

OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

AT    THE 

Waldorf-Astobia 
New  York 

IN  HONOR   OF 

Hon.  JOHN  HAY 

Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States 
January  17,  1903 

The  progi-amme  which  each  found  at  his  plate  was  a  neat  and  artistic 
piece  of  work,  prepared  by  Thomas  A.  Sindelar,  an  Ohio  man  in  New  York. 
It  consisted  of  heavy  cardboard,  ten  by  tAvelve  inches  in  size,  the  leaves  of 
which  were  held  together  by  a  white  silk  ribbon.  On  the  front  was  the 
United  States  coat-of-arms  in  red,  white,  blue,  gold  and  green.  The  frontis- 
piece was  a  fine  portrait  of  Colonel  Hay,  and  opposite  this  was  an  engraved 
order  of  toasts.  Then  followed  the  names  of  the  banquet  committee  and  the 
menu,  while  on  the  final  outside  page  was  the  seal  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York. 

Across  the  farther  end  of  the  banquet  hall  was  a  dais  for  the  toastmaster 
and  the  guests.  The  room  was  filled  with  round  tables,  and  all  were  decorated 
with  flowers.  The  Star  Spangled  Banner  was  in  evidence.  A  solid  wall 
composed  of  national  flags  was  behind  the  chair  of  the  president.  Immediately 
back  of  Secretary  Hay  hung  his  portrait  framed  in  American  flags.  The 
shields  of  Ohio  and  New  York  were  displayed  to  the  right  and  left,  also  sur- 
rounded by  flags,  as  were  also  the  national  insignia  of  those  great  countries 
whose  representatives  were  among  the  guests  of  the  evening. 

400 


^e^enteepfn  /innlia 


2vdiseL 


Z  At^efeet?  I?an(ired  and  Orr 


^ree 


Tke  T^rej-icieni:   o\    the  United   vS{a(ex 

Kjcjpondcd  to  D/^  Hon  John  Hay 
■^  -^  uecrc^ary  a 

Tne  5overei^nx    anJ  CliieC    o^Sfafc 
Tleprejeni:cd  ty   our  Gue/lj" 

l^S^onJed  /o  t>\^    COMTE.    Ca.SSINI 

yia^er  ^tne  Impertaf  CourfrRitssianyimbaJsa^or 
CO meZ/nitedJta^eSj andj/^cftnc^ean  ofDip/oma^c  Corbr 

The  oecrcfary  ot  ^fatc 

RcjponJeJ  ^o  ^\r-  HON   JaMELS  H.HoYT 

'  ^  y  OLo 

TKe  orate  otOliio 

^T^j^onJcJ  to  A^  Senator^  Marc  US  A  Hanna 

o/^  Ohio 

Tne  otaie  of  Ncw^York_ 

l^esponJcc/  /o  /k'J^ELNATOP^  CHAUNCE.Y  M  D£P£.\v^ 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

While  the  Society  members  and  their  guests  were  enjoying  the  more 
material  portions  of  this  buckeye  feast,  the  ladies  who  had  accompanied  the 
guests  from  Washington  were  entertained  at  dinner  at  the  Manhattan  Hotel. 
At  8 :45  they  Avcre  called  for  by  members  of  the  special  sub-committee  of  the 
reception  committee,  named  heretofore,  and  escorted  to  the  Waldorf-Astoria, 
and  shown  into  the  boxes  reserved  for  their  use. 

Immediately  preceding  the  speechmaking,  the  ladies,  who  had  come  also 
as  guests  of  the  members,  took  their  seats  in  the  boxes,  each  seat  and  each  box 
being  numbered,  coupon  tickets  for  the  same  having  been  issued  in  advance. 
It  was  a  brilliant  scene  that  confronted  the  toastmaster  when  he  arose.  The 
floor  of  the  banquet  hall  was  filled  with  expectant  men.  Tlie  two  spacious  gal- 
leries were  filled  with  hundreds  of  beautiful  women,  adorned  with  brilliant  cos- 
tumes and  flowers  and  gems.  A  string  orchestra  in  the  upper  gallery  had  fur- 
nished delightful  music  all  through  the  feast. 

When  the  hour  for  dinner  arrived  tlie  members  and  their  guests  entered 
the  banquet  hall,  and  each  finding  his  place,  stood  until  the  president  and  the 
distinguished  guests  at  his  table  had  entered  and  taken  their  places.  The 
Right  Rev.  William  A.  Leonard,  bishop  of  Ohio,  the  first  chaplain  of  the  Ohio 
Society  of  New  York,  said  grace,  and  all  were  seated. 

When  the  material  feast  was  concluded  President  Hoyt  arose  and  opened 
the  intellectual  portion  by  a  few  words  of  introduction,  as  follows : 

Mr.  Hoyt  said :  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  our  Honored  Guests,  and  Fellow 
Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York :  In  the  name  of  the  Society  I  bid 
3^ou  a  most  cordial  welcome  to  this,  its  seventeenth  annual  banquet.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  ladies,  I  am  reminded  of  what  a  toastmaster  said  presiding  at  one  of 
the  banquets  I  attended  this  winter.  In  looking  up  at  the  ladies  in  the  gal- 
leries he  spoke  of  them  as  being  in  heaven.  With  that  sentiment  I  most  de- 
cidedly disagree,  for  two  reasons :  First,  if  the  ladies  are  up  in  heaven  the  infer- 
ence is  quite  strong  that  we  men  down  below  here  must  be  in  the  other  place. 
And  second,  while  we  are  all  free  to  acknowledge  that  the  ladies  are  always 
nearer  heaven  than  we  men,  we  most  sincerely  hope  that  none  of  them  will 
reach  the  Celestial  City  until  we  men  may  have  the  opportunity  of  accompany- 
ing them  also.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  The  Ohio  Societj^  of  New  York  was  the  first  state  organization  formed 
in  this  city,  and  it  is  by  far  the  strongest,  and  the  year  just  closed  marks  the 
most  successful  year  in  its  history.  During  the  past  year  twice  as  many  mem- 
bers have  been  added  to  its  rolls  as  in  any  previous  year;  more  than  fifty  per 
cent,  has  been  added  to  its  cash  assets,  and  to-night  it  greets  you  without  a 
dollar  of  debt  and  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars  in  its  treasury. 

"  Death  has  taken  from  us  during  the  past  j^ear  six,  one  of  them  the 

401 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

second  president  of  this  Society,  General  Wager  Swayne,  whom  we  all  miss  so 
much  and  loved  so  well. 

"  We  Ohio  men  believe  in  spelling  Nation  with  a  capital  N,  but  we  also 
believe  in  spelling  Ohio  with  a  very  large  O.  We  are  proud  of  our  native  state, 
and  well  we  may  be,  for  all  she  has  accomplished  in  the  past;  for  what  she  is 
accomplishing  in  the  present,  and  for  what  she  will  accomplish  in  the  future. 
We  most  decidedly  believe  in  these  state  organizations.  We  believe  in  the  love 
of  country,  but  we  beUeve  in  the  love  of  home  equally,  and  these  state  organiza- 
tions help  to  keep  alive  and  to  foster  in  our  hearts  the  good  that  our  mothers 
and  fathers  and  early  associates  taught  us  in  the  homes  of  our  childhood.  As 
another  has  well  said,  '  Give  me  the  first  seven  years  of  the  education  of  a  boy 
and  the  molding  of  his  character  and  I  care  little  who  has  him  thereafter.' 
There  is  nothing  truer  than  the  fact  that  whatever  honor  Ohio  men  have 
brought  to  their  country,  that  whatever  creditable  service  they  have  been  en- 
abled to  render  to  this,  their  adopted  city,  has  been  due  in  no  small  measure  to 
the  training  and  early  influences  of  those  dear  to  us  in  our  Ohio  homes.  (Ap- 
plause. ) 

"  As  I  said  before,  therefore,  we  heartily  believe  in  these  state  organiza- 
tions in  this  great  city,  and  while  we  congratulate  ourselves  on  what  this  Society 
has  done  and  is  doing,  we  should  by  no  means  be  satisfied  with  the  present. 
It  is  estimated  that  there  are  over  fifteen  thousand  Ohioans  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  instead  of  resting  on  our  laurels  with  a  membership  of  five  hundred, 
we  ought  not  to  be  satisfied  until  at  least  the  better  portion  of  these  fifteen 
thousand  are  on  our  rolls.  We  love  our  country  and  our  flag  and  we  love  this 
our  adopted  city,  but  may  God  grant  we  may  never  love  less  the  homes  of  our 
childhood  and  the  associations  for  good  clustering  about  them. 

"  The  world  knows  that  the  Ohio  men  are  a  most  modest  body  of  men,  but 
notwithstanding  our  great  modesty  we  cannot  help  being  very  proud  of  this 
magnificent  gathering  to-night.  We  are  doubly  proud  of  the  honored  guests 
that  grace  our  presence  this  evening,  and  we  defy  any  other  society  to  gather 
together  in  this  or  any  other  banquet  hall  such  an  array  of  distinguished  men 
as  are  here  to-night.  (Applause.)  I  have  a  telegram  of  regret  from  Gov- 
ernor Nash  stating  that  official  business  at  the  last  moment  detained  him  so 
that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  be  present  and  wishing  me  in  his  name  to  ex- 
tend his  warm  wishes  to  all  the  Buckeye  friends  gathered  here  to-night.  I  also 
received  this  afternoon  a  note  of  regret  from  Mr.  Carnegie  stating  that  he  was 
exceedingly  anxious  to  be  here  to-night,  but  at  the  last  moment  his  physician 
would  not  allow  him  to  come;  and  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Sr.,  only  two 
hours  ago  had  to  send  a  telegram  declining  to  be  here  to-night.  There  is  one 
other,  Mr.  Augustus  Thomas,  that  some  of  you  heard  from  a  year  ago,  the 
president  of  the  Missouri  Society,  who,  unfortunately,  is  confined  to  his  house 

402 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

with  grip  and  therefore  cannot  be  here.  With  these  exceptions  all  our  invited 
guests  are  with  us,  and  I  am  happy  to  say,  and  it  is  a  inile  of  the  Ohio  Society, 
that  we  have  no  blanks  among  the  speakers.     (Applause.) 

"  The  first  toast  of  the  evening  is  '  The  President  of  the  United  States.' 
(Great  applause.  Band  played  the  '  Star  Spangled  Banner.')  You  will  please 
fill  3'our  glasses,  and  all,  while  standing,  drink  now  to  the  health  of  our  Presi- 
dent." (AH  stand  and  drink  to  the  health  of  the  President.  Band  plays 
"  My  Country  'Tis  of  Thee.") 

"  No  body  of  men  know  how  to  do  honor  to  the  President  better  than  do 
tlie  men  from  Ohio,  for  have  we  not  given  this  country  six  presidents  in  the 
past,  and  the  Lord  and  Senator  Hanna  only  know  how  many  more  we  will  give 
in  the  future.  (Gtreat  applause  and  laughter.)  The  gentlemen  who  will  re- 
spond to  this  toast  is  the  first  member  of  the  President's  cabinet,  the  secretary 
of  state,  and,  by  the  way,  he  is  also  an  honorary  member  of  this  Society.  We 
know  the  modesty  of  this  great  man,  and  when  first  securing  him  as  our  special 
guest  of  the  evening,  I  had  to  promise  that  he  should  not  be  called  upon  to 
make  any  speech ;  but  with  many  years  of  exceptionally  useful  service  behind 
him,  and  never  having  been  known  to  flinch  from  a  duty  thi*ust  upon  him,  he 
aftenvards  consented  to  respond  to  this  toast,  and  it  is  with  delight  and  gTeat 
satisfaction,  fellow  members  of  this  Society,  that  I  now  have  the  honor  to 
present  to  you  the  Honorable  John  Hay,  the  secretary  of  state,  who  will  re- 
spond to  the  toast,  '  The  president  of  the  United  States.'  "  (Tremendous 
applause. ) 

After  the  applause  ceased,  Colonel  Hay  said :  "  Ladies,  Your  Excellen- 
cies, Fellow  Citizens :  A  very  eminent  American  and  one  of  the  wittiest  of  men 
leaped  some  time  ago  into  quite  unmerited  fame  by  saying, '  Some  men  are  bom 
great ;  others  are  bom  in  Ohio.'  (Laughter.)  This  is  mere  tautology,  because 
a  man  who  is  bom  in  Ohio  is  bom  great.  I  can  say  that,  as  the  rest  of  you  can- 
not, without  any  imputation  of  egotism,  for  I  have  labored  all  my  life  under 
the  serious  handicap  of  not  ha^'ing  been  bom  in  this  fortunate  state.  Indeed, 
when  I  look  back  on  the  shifting  scenes  of  my  life,  although  I  am  not  that  alto- 
gether deplorable  creature  a  man  without  a  country,  yet  from  the  point  of  view 
of  pull  and  prestige  I  am  almost  equally  bereft,  for  I  am  a  man  without  a  state. 
I  was  bom  in  Indiana.  I  grew  up  in  Illinois.  I  was  educated  in  Rhode  Island, 
and  it  is  not  the  fault  of  that  scholarly  community  that  I  know  so  little.  I 
learned  my  law  in  Springfield  and  my  politics  in  Washington  and  my  drplo- 
macy  at  the  hands — always  friendly,  but  not  too  indulgent — of  these  masters 
of  the  art  whom  we  have  with  us  to-night.  (Applause.)  I  have  a  farm  in 
New  Hampshire  and  desk  room  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

"  When  I  look  at  the  sources  from  which  my  blood  descends,  the  first 
ancestors  of  whom  I  ever  heard  were  a  Scotchman  who  was  half  English  and 

403 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  German  woman  who  was  half  French.  (Laughter.)  Of  my  immediate  pro- 
genitors my  mother  was  from  New  England  and  my  father  from  the  South. 
Now  in  all  this  bewilderment  of  origin  and  experience  I  can  only  put  on  an 
aspect  of  deep  humility  in  any  gathering  of  favorite  sons  and  confess  that  I 
am  only  an  American.  (Applause  and  cries  of  '  Good.')  But  after  all,  the 
place  where  a  man  happened  to  be  born  is  no  justification  of  personal  boasting. 
I  never  knew  a  man  who  chose  his  own  birthplace,  but  the  man  is  indeed  fortu- 
nate who  chooses  the  right  place  to  be  married  in.  This  Mr.  Hoyt  and  I  did, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  owing  to  this  lucky  chance — for  lucky  chances  are 
gregarious,  they  like  to  flock  together — that  he  and  I  enjoy  to-night  the  great- 
est honor  of  both  our  lives — that  he  is  your  president  and  that  I  am  your 
guest.  But  that  you  may  not  regard  me  as  altogether  destitute  of  respectable 
antecedents  I  did  live  for  some  years  in  Ohio,  and  was  very  happy  there,  and 
when  in  obedience  to  what  seemed  an  imperative  duty,  I  went  to  Washington, 
some  twenty  years  ago,  I  might  have  been  pardoned  for  not  recognizing  the 
fact  that  I  had  left  Ohio,  for  every  department  of  the  national  power  and 
activity  was  then  in  the  hands  of  a  citizen  of  that  imperial  state.  The  President 
was  an  Ohio  man,  equally  distinguished  in  character  and  achievement.  The 
finances  were  in  the  strong  and  capable  hands  of  John  Sherman.  The  army 
gladly  obeyed  the  orders  of  Tecumseh  Sherman,  with  Phil  Sheridan  as  second 
in  command,  while  at  the  head  of  that  august  body,  the  Supreme  Court,  sat 
Chief  Justice  Waite.  The  executive,  the  purse,  the  sword  and  the  scales  of 
justice,  all  in  the  hands  of  functionaries  from  the  state  which  knows  naturally 
how  to  breed  men  who  make  war  and  make  money  and  make  laws,  and  as  I 
ought  before  I  sit  down  to  make  some  reference  at  least  to  the  subject  of  the 
toast  to  which  I  am  supposed  to  be  responding,  where  is  there  a  more  glorious 
roll  call  of  names  than  in  the  Presidents  from  Ohio  ?  The  two  Hamsons — old 
and  young  '  Tippecanoe ' ;  Girant,  one  of  those  simple  great  men  for  whom 
history  has  so  sure  a  partiality ;  Hayes,  the  ideal  Republican  citizen ;  and  those 
two  twins  in  fate  and  fame,  so  alike  in  destiny  and  so  different  in  methods  and 
in  temperament — Garfield  and  McKinley.  (Great  applause.)  All  of  them 
Ohio  men  by  birth  or  adoption,  all  of  them  equally  illustrious  in  peace  and  in 
war — soldiers  and  citizens  without  reproach. 

"  But  I  imagine  that  the  especial  subject  of  the  toast  assigned  to  me  this 
evening  is  that  of  our  actual  President,  the  young,  gallant,  able,  brilliant 
President  Roosevelt.  (Great  applause.)  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  a  word 
about  him  in  his  absence  which  few  men  would  be  hardy  enough  to  say  to  his 
face,  for  like  all  men  of  high  courage  and  manliness,  he  is  not  hospitable  to 
flattery.  In  the  long  roll  of  our  Presidents,  all  of  them  men  of  mark  (looking 
at  Senator  Hanna;  great  applause  and  laughter),  I  see  you  have  come  sponta- 
neously to  the  conclusion  that  long  and  great  as  the  list  of  our  Presidents  is,  it 

404 


Hon.  John  Hay 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

is  still  open  to  indefinite  expansion.  They  are  all  men  of  lofty  character  and 
lofty  ideals,  not  a  name  among  them  smirched  by  the  slightest  stain  of  corrup- 
tion or  A\Tongdoing,  all  of  them  showing  to  the  world  clean  hands  and  high 
aims.  President  Roosevelt  holds  and  will  always  hold  a  distinguished  place. 
The  most  famous  of  German  poets  has  said  that  talent  is  formed  in  the  soH- 
tudes,  character  in  the  torrent  of  the  world.  Our  President  has  had  the  advan- 
tage of  both  these  environments.  From  the  cloistered  life  of  an  American  col- 
lege boy,  sheltered  from  the  ruder  currents  of  the  world  by  the  ramparts  of 
wealth  and  of  gentle  nurture,  he  passed  still  very  young  into  the  wide  expanse 
of  the  hills  and  plains.  In  that  environment  a  man  grows  to  his  full  stature  if 
the  original  stuff  is  good.  He  came  back  to  the  East  bringing  with  him,  as 
Tennyson  sang,  '  The  wrestling  thews  that  throw  the  world.'  From  that  time 
his  career  has  been  onward  and  upward,  for  that  is  the  law  of  his  being.  He 
does  not  disdain  the  garland  of  fame,  but  his  greatest  enjoyment  is  in  grasping 
the  tools  that  fit  his  hand.  His  ideal  of  public  work  is  that  set  forth  by  the 
greatest  teacher  and  ruler  that  ever  lived — '  Whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you 
let  him  be  your  servant.'  It  is  no  distinction  to  an  American  President  to  be 
honest,  nor  to  be  brave,  nor  to  be  intelligent,  nor  to  be  patriotic — they  have  all 
been  all  of  these;  all  these  attributes  are  postulates  of  the  position;  but  the 
country  is  indeed  to  be  congratulated  when  all  of  these  high  qualities  are 
heightened  and  tinged  by  that  ineffable  light  which  for  want  of  a  more  descrip- 
tive term  we  call  genius.  It  is  this  which  makes  honesty  a  scorching  flame  to 
fraud  and  corruption,  which  makes  courage  and  inspiration  in  battle  or  in 
council,  which  raises  intelligence  to  the  lightning  flash  of  intuition  and  patriot- 
ism to  a  religious  fervor  of  consecration,  and  it  is  this  which  makes  Theodore 
Roosevelt  the  man  and  the  President  he  is.     (Applause.) 

"  And  finally  I,  whose  memories  are  of  a  generation  of  which  few  survivors 
remain,  feel  like  congratulating  you,  who  are  young,  in  the  words  of  the  dying 
Voltaire  on  the  eve  of  the  splendors  and  the  marvels  of  the  French  revolution, 
which  he  was  not  to  witness :  '  You  young  men  are  fortunate,  you  will  see  fine 
things.' 

"  In  the  six  years  that  remain  of  President  Roosevelt's  term — if  my  arith- 
metic is  faulty  it  is  subject  to  correction — you  will  see  what  a  stout  heart  and 
active  mind,  a  vital  intelligence,  that  wide  experience  of  the  world,  a  passion  for 
truth  and  justice,  and  a  devoted  patriotism  can  accomplish  at  the  head  of  a 
nation  Avhich  unites  the  strength  of  a  mighty  youth  to  the  political  sense  which 
is  the  priceless  inheritance  of  centuries  of  free  government.     (Great  applause.) 

"  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  for  this  kind  reception.  I 
thank  our  distinguished  guests  for  the  honor  they  have  done  us  in  being  with 
us  to-night,  and  I  will  delay  you  no  longer  from  the  real  enjo^^ments  of  the 
evening."     (Tremendous  applause.) 

405 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mr.  Hoyt  then  said :  "  We  are  favored  in  having  gathered  around  our 
board  to-night  the  representatives  of  seven  great  nations,  and  I  propose  now 
that  you  all  fill  your  glasses  and  rise  again  and  drink  to  the  health  of  their  aug- 
ust and  imperial  sovereigns  and  their  two  presidents." 

(All  rise  and  drink  to  this  toast.) 

"We  welcome  most  cordially  to-night  the  ambassador  from  Russia  (ap- 
plause), representing  his  imperial  majesty  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russians.  We 
welcome  also  the  ambassador  from  the  Republic  of  Mexico  (applause),  that 
friendly  republic  on.  our  southwest  border.  We  welcome  also  the  ambassador 
from  Italy  (applause),  representing  his  majesty  the  King  of  Italy  (applause), 
and  we  welcome  the  ambassador  from  Great  Britain  (applause  and  cheers), 
representing  his  majesty  the  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Emperor  of  all  the 
Indies.  (Applause.)  We  are  also  most  glad  to  welcome  the  charge  d'affaires 
of  the  French  embassy  (great  applause),  representing  the  great  French  Re- 
public (applause),  and  only  regret  that  his  chief,  the  ambassador,  could  not 
be  with  us  to-night,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  has  not  yet  reached  our  friendly 
shores.  We  welcome  also  the  charge  d'affaires  of  the  German  embassy,  and 
we  had  hoped  until  the  last  moment  that  his  excellency  the  ambassador  of  Ger- 
many might  be  with  us,  and  we  deeply  regret  that,  owing  to  illness,  he  is  pre- 
vented from  being  with  us  to-night. 

"  The  next  and  second  toast  on  our  proramme,  members  of  the " 

(Senator  Depew  calls  Mr.  Hoyt's  attention  to  the  fact  that  he  has  omitted  to 
welcome  the  ambassador  from  Austro-Hungary. )  "  I  beg  ten  thousand  par- 
dons. I  don't  know  why  it  is,  but  unfortunately  I  am  blind  in  my  left  eye,  and 
I  have  been  from  my  youth  up,  and  I  owe  ten  thousand  apologies  for  not  wel- 
coming most  cordially  the  ambassador  from  Austro-Hungary  (tremendous  ap- 
plause and  cheers),  representing  his  imperial  majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austro- 
Hungary.     (Great  applause.) 

"  The  second  toast  on  our  programme  is  '  The  Sovereigns  and  Chiefs  of 
State  Represented  by  Our  Distinguished  Guests.'  This  will  be  responded  to  by 
his  excellency  the  ambassador  from  Russia,  and  whom  I  can  assure  from  the 
members  of  this  Society  and  all  the  guests  present  will  receive  a  warm  and  most 
cordial  welcome  in  whatever  language  he  may  see  fit  to  address  us.  Members 
of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  and  our  guests,  it  is  my  honor  now  to  intro- 
duce to  you  his  excellency  Count  Cassini,  the  Russian  ambassador,  who  will 
now  respond  to  his  toast." 

Count  Cassini  said :  "  In  the  absence  of  the  dean  of  the  diplomatic  corps, 
Herr  von  Holleben,  there  devolves  upon  me,  by  right  of  seniority,  the  duty  and 
the  pleasure  of  responding  to  the  toast  which  you  are  here  to  propose  to  the 
health  of  the  august  soverigns  and  the  chiefs  of  state  represented  at  this  hos- 
pitable table. 

406 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  The  eagerness  with  which  my  colleagues  and  I  have  come  to  this  banquet 
in  honor  of  Secretary'  of  State  Hay  evidences  better  than  all  that  I  might  be 
able  to  say  the  high  esteem  in  which  we  hold  the  eminent  statesman  who  directs 
with  an  enlightened  patriotism,  tact,  and  a  remarkable  ability,  and  with  that 
exquisite  courtesy  which  never  offends,  the  diplomatic  relations  between  this 
grand  country  and  the  powers  of  the  entire  world.  In  thanking  you  for  your 
gracious  invitation  which  permits  us  to  pass  these  channing  hours  with  you  and 
to  render  sympathetic  homage  and  esteem  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of 
3'our  fellow  citizens,  I  ask  j'ou,  gentlemen,  in  the  name  of  my  colleagues  and  on 
my  own  behalf,  to  rise  and  drain  our  cups  to  the  health  and  the  prosperity  of 
the  secretary  of  state,  the  Hon.  John  Hay."     (Great  applause.) 

(All  rise  and  drink  to  the  health  of  Secretary  Hay.) 

Toastmaster  Hoyt  then  said :  "  The  next  toast  of  the  evening  is  '  The  Sec- 
retary of  State.'  Thirty-eight  men  have  filled  that  high  office,  from  Thomas 
Jefferson,  the  first,  down  to  the  gentleman  who  sits  at  my  right  this  evening, 
and  three  of  those  thirty-eight  men  have  come  from  the  state  of  Ohio  (laugh- 
ter), and  I  am  sure  that  I  but  voice  the  sentiment  of  every  gentleman  here  to- 
night when  I  say  that  of  all  the  thirty-eight  men  who  have  filled  this  great 
office  none  have  filled  it  with  more  honor  or  with  greater  ability  than  the 
Honorable  John  Hay  (tremendous  applause  and  cheers),  who,  though  bom  in 
Indiana,  spent  several  years  in  Ohio,  and  like  many  other  wise  men  found  his 
better  half  in  that  state.  The  gentleman  who  is  to  respond  to  this  toast  is 
known  to  quite  a  number  of  you.  INIore  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  when 
living  in  Cleveland,  one  summer's  night,  I  drove  out  to  a  town  hall  in  one  of  the 
suburbs  of  that  city  to  hear  two  young  men  make  each  a  political  speech.  Those 
two  young  men  were  the  present  secretary  of  state  and  the  gentleman  who  is  to 
respond  to  this  toast,  and  ever  since  that  night,  more  than  twenty-five  years 
ago,  he  has  made  many  speeches,  and  is  still  making  them.  Further  remark 
from  me  being  entirely  unnecessary,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you 
now  the  Hon.  James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Ohio,  who  will  respond  to  the  toast,  '  The 
Secretary  of  State.'"     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Hoyt  said :  "  Mr.  Toastmaster,  Your  Excellencies,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men, and  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society :  Your  worthy,  though  somewhat 
automobilistic,  toastmaster  has  failed  to  disclose  in  his  opening  remarks  one- 
peculiar  distinction  enjoyed  by  this  Society.  Owing  to  my  propinquity  to  him 
— and  the  definition  of  that  word  is  broad  enough  to*  indicate  that  I  am  his 
brother  (laughter),  of  course  it  goes  without  saying  it  is  apparent  that  I  am 
his  vounger  brother  and  also  that  I  am  within  easy  throwing  distance  of  him, 
and  under  these  circumstances  it  might  be  more  cautious,  if  not  more  prudent, 
for  me  to  follow  his  example  and  to  remain  silent  on  a  subject  of  considerable 
delicacy;  but,  ladles  and  gentlemen,  how  can  I  do  this.^     How  can  I  forbear.'' 

407 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

My  pulses  are  swelled  by  a  feeling  of  family  pride  akin  to  that  which  mantled 
the  brow  and  flushed  the  cheek  of  the  small  boy  who  effectually  silenced  the 
vauntings  of  a  playmate  who  was  boasting  that  his  father  had  lately  been 
elected  to  Congress.  '  Pooh,  that's  nothing ;  my  dad  is  out  on  bail.'  So  at  the 
risk  of  being  presumptuous  let  me  tell  you  for  a  moment  what  your  president, 
but  my  brother,  has  done  for  you.  This  is  the  only  Society  that  I  know  any- 
thing about  the  chief  executive  officer  of  which  is  possessed  of  an  inappropriate 
cream-colored  devil  of  a  machine  by  which  he  is  transported  from  his  country 
place  to  his  office,  a  distance  of  something  like  thirty-five  miles,  if  I  am  cor- 
rectly informed,  in  less  than  an  hour,  while  the  speed  of  the  machine  at  no  time 
exceeds  the  legal  limit  of  twenty  miles.  (Great  laughter  and  applause.)  The 
fact  that  the  Long  Island  magistrate  found  to  the  contrary  is  a  mere  incident ; 
it  is  evidence  rather  of  the  slowness  of  his  mental  processes  than  an  evidence  of 
the  speed  of  the  machine. 

"  I  was  very  greatly  encouraged  and  reassured  at  learning  from  the  toast- 
master  to-night  how  large  a  cash  balance  you  have  in  the  bank,  because  feeling 
sure  of  your  generosity,  as  I  am  of  that  of  all  Ohioans,  I  know  that  you  will 
spend  it  all  rather  than  to  permit  your  president  and  my  brother  to  languish 
in  the  ill-ventilated  and  vermin-infested  jails  of  Long  Island.  (Great  laughter 
and  applause.) 

"  A  close  searcher  after  truth  has  lately  remarked  that  the  Scriptural 
reference  to  the  roaring  lion  going  up  and  down  the  earth  seeking  whom  he 
may  devour  is  not  mere  hyperbole  or  persiflage  more  or  less  airy ;  it  is  in  fact  a 
truth — downright  prophec}',  and  that  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled  and  the  eter- 
nal verity  of  the  Scriptures  triumphantly  vindicated  by  the  definition  of  your 
president's  graceless  automobile. 

"  Now,  it  is  proper,  and  for  two  reasons,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  the 
Ohio  Society  should  pay  our  secretary  of  state  the  striking  compliment  of  this 
dinner — I  say  our  secretary  because  the  members  of  the  Society  are  all  patriotic 
Americans,  and  by  reason  of  his  glorious  achievements.  Secretary  John  Hay  has 
become  ours  in  a  very  real  sense.  Neither  his  family,  his  close  friends,  nor  he 
himself  even,  can  lay  claim  to  any  monopoly  of  his  fame.  What  he  has  done 
he  has  done  not  only  for  his  country,  but  for  mankind,  and  because  he  is  an 
American  all  of  us  Americans  pai-take  somewhat  of  his  shining  and  imperishable 
renown.    We  are  all  illumined  by  the  lustre  of  it. 

"  I  have  said  that  this  testimonial  in  his  honor  is  proper  for  two  reasons. 
In  the  first  place  it  is  fitting  we  should  pay  him  unique  honor,  and  in  returning 
to  him  our  heartfelt  thanks  for  what  he  has  accomplished,  as  I  have  said,  not 
only  for  the  republic,  but  for  mankind,  I  am  sure  I  voice  the  sentiments  of  all 
of  you  when  I  say  we  are  simpl}^  giving  to  the  secretary  what  is  justly  his 
due  and  no  more.    We  are  but  obeying  the  divine  injunction  to  '  Render  unto 

408 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Ca'sar  the  things  that  are  Ca;sar's,'  for  the  enthusiastic  commendation  not  only 
of  his  own  countrymen,  but  all  good  people  the  world  over,  is  his  by  right,  by 
the  highest  and  most  dominant  right,  by  the  right  of  glorious  and  successful 
achievements.    He  has  compelled  our  praise;  he  does  not  ask  for  it.  (Applause.) 

"  But  again,  secondly,  if  it  had  not  been  for  Ohio  the  secretary  of  state 
could  not  have  accomplished  what  he  has  accomplished.  I  will  prove  that  if  you 
will  bear  with  me  for  a  moment.  When  Mr.  Hayes  made  him  his  first  assistant 
secretary  of  state,  and  another  and  lamented  one  made  him  secretary,  as  has 
been  said  by  the  toastmaster,  he  found  his  wife  in  Ohio,  and  I  am  sure  even  on  so 
public  an  occasion  as  this  I  may  be  pardoned  for  respectfully  and  reverently 
noting  how  inspiring  and  constant  assistance  has  been  rendered  to  her  distin- 
guished husband  by  that  daughter  of  the  Buckeye  state.  (Applause.)  I  have 
got  to  contradict  the  secretary  for  a  moment.  He  said  that  a  man  was  wise 
who  chose  his  wife  in  Ohio — and  that  is  true ;  but  he  obj  ected  on  the  occasion  of 
my  wedding  to  my  choosing  a  wife  at  all,  because  I  remember  when  he  came 
up  to  shake  hands  with  me  he  said,  '  Why  are  you  getting  married  .'*  You  have 
no  right  to  do  it.  Marriage  is  a  right  of  Hymen,  and  you  are  a  short  man.' 
(Applause.) 

"  We  citizens  of  Ohio,  especially  those  of  the  northern  part  of  the  state, 
are  responsible  in  no  small  measure  for  furnishing  the  secretary  with  an  essential 
preparation  for  his  momentous  work.  It  was  while  he  lived  amongst  us,  on  the 
borders  of  the  great  lakes  and  on  the  bank  of  the  crooked  river,  that  he  acquired 
his  skill  in  negotiations  from  several  astute  Cleveland  gentlemen,  whom  I  see 
present  here,  and  that  he  learned  the  invaluable  lessons  in  tact  and  diplomacy 
from  the  then  Mister,  but  now  Senator,  Hanna,  and  that  he  caught  the  inspira- 
tion of  a  graceful  and  enduring  modesty  from  one  who  shall  be  nameless. 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  It  has  been  sometimes  said,  and  quite  generally  believed,  I  fear,  that 
the  term  '  American  Diplomacy  '  is  a  misnomer.  In  our  relations  with  other 
nations  we  are  said  to  be  rather  blunt  than  tactful;  aggi-essively  aggressive 
sometimes  instead  of  persuasive;  and  candid  often  instead  of  diplomatic.  A 
story  which  I  have  lately  heard,  and  which  perhaps  you  have  not  heard  at  all : 
Some  little  time  ago  a  dinner  was  given,  a  diplomatic  dinner,  in  Europe,  at 
which  the  representatives  of  all  the  great  powers  were  present.  The  ambassa- 
dor from  Great  Britain  was  lamenting  to  the  ambassador  from  France  that  on 
the  occasion  of  his  last  visit  to  Paris  he  had  failed  to  purchase  some  very  rare 
and  beautiful  pieces  of  tapestry  that  were  offered  for  sale  at  a  marvelously 
small  price,  and  had  thus  lost  an  opportunity  to  acquire  these  valuable  objects 
of  art  for  a  comparatively  small  outlay.  The  commercial  side  of  the  transac- 
tion appealed  to  the  American  minister.  It  awakened  his  interest  and  erected 
his  ears,  as  the  Greeks  used  to  say,  so  he  leaned  over  and  said :  *  Excellency,  no 

409 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

use  crying  over  spilled  milk ;  we  have  aU  lost  lots  of  chances  to  make  bargains 
in  our  lifetime.  After  the  Chicago  fire  I  could  have  bought  the  whole  windy 
city  for  a  pair  of  rubber  boots.'  '  And  why  didn't  you  make  the  purchase .? ' 
suavely  asked  the  French  ambassador.  '  Why  did  I  not  make  the  purchase,' 
said  the  American  diplomat.     '  Hell,  I  didn't  have  the  boots.' 

"  No  such  criticism,  my  friends,  can  be  made  of  American  diplomacy  while 
Col.  John  Hay  stands  forth  as  the  chief  exponent  of  it.  He  not  only  dis- 
charges the  duties  of  his  high  office,  but  he  adorns  them.  (Applause.)  I  am 
sure  that  I  can  say  without  wounding  the  sensibilities  of  any  of  our  guests 
here  that  our  seci'etary  of  state,  the  poet,  the  scholar,  historian,  the  virile  but 
exquisite  and  graceful  and  tasteful  orator,  the  trained  diplomat,  and,  above  all, 
the  wise,  discriminating,  but  just,  statesman,  is  the  peer  of  any  minister  for 
foreign  affairs  now  living.  ( Great  applause  and  cheers. )  It  is  true,  of  course, 
that  we  Americans  are  an  aggressive  people  and  like  push  and  dash  and  cour- 
age and  pluck,  but  after  all  there  is  a  strong  strain  of  conservatism  in  us. 
Paradoxical  as  it  may  appear,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  he  who  would  lead 
the  sober  second  judgment  of  the  American  people  must  also  follow  it.  The 
trouble  with  us  over  here,  my  friends,  is  that  we  are  interfered  with  too  much. 
We  are  lectured  too  much,  and  legislated  for  too  much,  alas !  If  you  search 
through  the  three  imposing  volumes  of  Bates'  Annotated  Statutes  of  the  State 
of  Ohio,  you  will  find  but  one  provision  in  the  law  which  stands  out  preeminently 
as  a  piece  of  humane  and  eminently  beneficial  legislation.  Of  course  you  know 
the  section  to  which  I  refer.  It  is  that  one  which  prescribes  that  the  legislature 
of  the  state  shall  hold  biennial  instead  of  annual  sessions.  How  the  general 
assembly  of  Ohio  were  ever  induced  to  adopt  that  law  is  a  mystery  to  me.  Oh, 
if  the  legislatures  of  all  the  states,  and  if  even  Congress  itself,  after  making 
adequate  appropriations  for  say  ten  or  even  fifty  years,  would  then  adjourn 
sine  die,  we  would  have  a  period  of  solid  prosperity  in  this  country,  my  friends 
(applause),  compared  with  which  the  enormous  strides  we  have  made  forward 
in  the  last  few  years  would  be  but  as  pigmy  steps — and  the  steps  of  a  lame 
pigmy  at  that.  I  can  see  from  the  anxious  look  on  Senator  Hanna's  face  that 
he  fears  that  any  such  plan  as  this  would  prevent  his  re-election  to  the  senate 
of  the  United  States.  He  need  not  be  alarmed ;  no  successor  to  him  could  be 
created.  His  right  to  hold  over  would  be  indisputable.  Nobody  could  oust  liim 
— well,  nobody  can  oust  him  now  for  that  matter.  What  I  am  coming  to  and 
may  later  on  get  to  say  was  this,  that  way  down  in  our  hearts  we  Americans  ad- 
mire and  love  a  safe  man.  When  one  of  our  public  servants  has  gained  our 
absolute  confidence  in  his  wise  discretion,  he  always  becomes  deservedly  great 
in  our  estimation.  It  was  because  of  his  possession  of  that  indomitable  quality 
of  discretion,  because  of  his  admirable  poise,  that  the  lamented  McKinley  will 
always  stand  in  history  by  the  side  of  the  calm  and  majestic  Washington,  by 

410 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  side  of  the  sagacious  and  patient  Lincoln.  It  was  because  the  guest  of  the 
evening  possessed  that  quality  in  large  measure  that  the  illustrious  McKinley 
selected  him  as  prime  minister  and  that  the  present  honored  President  of  the 
United  States  retains  him  as  such.  While  John  Hay  remains  at  the  head  of  our 
state  department  we  Americans  can  sleep  nights.  We  feel  perfectly  sure  that 
under  liis  administration  of  foreign  affairs  no  encroachment  upon  the  rights,  no 
impairment  of  the  dignity  and  the  majesty  of  the  Republic,  will  be  for  a  mo- 
ment tolerated ;  but  we  feel  equally  sure  that  no  unwarranted  and  unfair  claims 
on  the  part  of  the  Republic  will  ever  be  put  forward  or  made.  We  know  that 
in  every  juncture  he  will  hold  the  Stars  and  Stripes  aloft  with  a  firm  unshaking 
hand,  with  a  courage  unflinching  and  indomitable ;  but  we  know  also,  and  we 
are  thankful  to-night,  that  he  will  never  lower  the  dignity  of  that  majestic  em- 
blem by  needlessly  flaunting  it  in  the  face  of  the  world.     (Applause.) 

"  But  I  must  not  in  his  presence  dwell  too  much — and  I  am  already  tak- 
ing up  more  time  than  I  should — I  must  not  in  his  presence  dwell  too  much 
upon  the  diplomatic  triumphs  of  our  secretary.  If  I  did  I  might  be  stirred  by 
the  glories,  and  the  fear  that  I  might  unwittingly  say  something  which  he  him- 
self would  wish  I  had  not  said — constrains  me.  I  know  if  I  wound  the  sensibili- 
ties of  any  of  our  guests  here  I  would  most  grievously  wound  the  secretary  him- 
self. But  this  I  can  say,  and  I  am  justified  in  saying,  that  under  his  wise  ad- 
ministration of  foreign  aff'airs,  while  the  prestige  of  the  United  States  has  been 
greatly  enhanced,  the  prestige  of  no  other  nation  has  been  unduly  diminished. 
When  he  opened  with  diplomatic  key  the  closed  doors  of  China  and  made  them 
open  doors,  those  portals  were  flung  wide  not  to  admit  American  capital  and 
American  products  alone — when  they  were  opened  they  disclosed  the  promised 
land  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  and  all  are  permitted  on  fair  and  equal 
terms  to  enter  there.  After  the  Boxer  outbreak  the  action  of  the  United  States 
under  his  leadership  has  always  stood  on  the  side  of  a  great  forbearance  and  a 
large  magnanimity.  The  treaty  which  supersedes  the  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty 
has  made  the  isthmian  canal  possible  without  a  jar  of  trouble  or  a  breach  of 
faith.  That  canal  will  undoubtedly  promote  the  interests  of  this  country,  but 
it  will  also  grant  large  opportunities  to  all  the  rest  of  the  world. 

"  His  services  in  favor  of  the  Hague  tribunal,  making  war  less  probable 
and  peace  more  possible,  were  made  not  for  us  alone,  but  unselfishly  for  all  man- 
kind. The  eloquent  appeal  which  he  made  on  behalf  of  the  downtrodden  of 
Roumania  voiced  not  only  the  sentiments  of  his  own  countrymen,  but  the  senti- 
ments of  the  enlightened  civilized  world,  and  in  the  present  juncture  of  aff^airs, 
happily  no  longer  critical,  we,  his  countrymen,  are  serenely  confident  that  the 
]\Ionroe  Doctrine  on  which  the  Republic  for  years  has  stood,  and  will  forever 
stand,  will  be  maintained  inviolate ;  but  we  are  also  as  serenely  confident  that 
that  doctrine  will  not  be  unwarrantably  or  unduly  extended  by  our  secretarj'^  of 

411 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

state,  as  his  mission  first  of  all  has  been  to  discover  the  just  thing,  and  when  he 
has  found  that  he  has  done  it  courageously  and  unflinchingly.  I  have  said  that 
his  late  chief,  the  lamented  McKinley,  has  joined  the  great  triumvirate  of 
American  Presidents,  for  Washington  and  Lincoln  and  McKinley  will  always 
stand  together  in  one  immortal  group,  and  so  I  may  well  say  of  the  guest  of 
the  evening  that  when,  may  the  day  be  far  distant,  he  exchanges  his  bright 
laurel  wreath  for  the  imperishable  crown  which  God  Himself  places  upon  the 
brows  of  those  who  have  unselfishly  labored  for  mankind,  he  himself  will  join  a 
great  American  triumvirate,  a  triumvirate  of  American  secretaries  of  state,  for 
Webster  and  Seward  and  Hay  will  always  stand  together  in  Columbia's  Temple 
of  Fame.  The  fame  of  our  secretary,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  stands  upon  jus- 
tice, for  its  broad  foundation  stone,  and  as  his  illustrious  predecessor,  Mr.  Web- 
ster has  well  said:  '  Justice,  sir,  is  the  greatest  interest  of  man  on  earth.' 

"  Now,  one  word  more  and  I  am  done.  You  all  know  the  famous  state- 
ment which  one  great  Enghshman  made  of  another.  The  first  was  famous  as 
an  orator  and  an  author  and  the  other  one  of  the  foremost  of  Great  Britain's 
secretaries  of  state  for  foreign  affairs.  At  a  time  when  all  Englishmen  were 
fearful,  the  great  minister  alone  was  undaunted.  At  a  time  when  veniality  was 
too  common  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  incorruptibility,  and  so  his  wise  but 
gentle  and  discriminating  countryman  said  of  him — and  well  said  of  him — • 
*  the  secretary  stood  alone.  Modern  degeneracy  did  not  reach  him.'  Such  a 
statement  as  that,  my  friends,  can  never  be  correctly  or  appropriately  said  of 
Secretary  Hay,  for  while  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  degeneracy,  whether 
ancient  or  modern,  has  never  reached  him,  and  will  never  reach  him,  he  does  not 
stand  alone,  for  eighty  million  of  his  enthusiastic,  approving  and  grateful 
countrymen  stand  with  him  upon  the  place  he  will  claim."     ( Great  applause. ) 

Mr.  Colgate  Hoyt  then  said :  "  I  understand  now  why,  when  the  gentle- 
man who  last  spoke,  in  reading  his  speech  to  me  a  day  or  two  ago,  turned  over 
the  first  two  or  three  pages,  he  said,  '  That  is  onl};-  a  preamble  and  prelude  and 
introduction  and  I  won't  bother  you  to  read  that  to  you.'  He  reminds  me  of  a 
story  of  two  Germans.  One  was  trying  to  get  another  to  sign  a  very  important 
contract,  and  he  brought  it  to  him  and  he  said,  *  Now,  mein  frent,  dis  iss  a  con- 
tract, und  I  am  going  to  read  it  to  you  voord  for  voord,  but  der  first  two  pages 
iss  the  preamble  und  dat  I  will  leave  out,  und  I  vill  dell  you  vy,  because  I  may 
vant  to  change  it.'  (Laughter.)  This  same  speaker  has  also  stated  that  he 
was  the  younger  brother  of  your  president  with  an  emphasis  on  the  younger. 
I  want  to  say  that  his  figures  and  facts  with  regard  to  automobiling  are  very 
far  from  correct ;  but  he  has  youth  in  his  favor,  and  I  belieA^e  he  will  yet  be 
running  an  automobile  himself.  Why,  only  a  few  years  ago,  with  several 
horses  in  his  stable,  he  would  only  drive  one  horse  at  a  time,  and  now  when  he 
gets  on  his  native  soil  in  Ohio  he  is  not  satisfied  with  less  than  four,  and  he  has  a 

412 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

relay  of  four  at  that,  and  I  expect  very  soon  to  hear  that  he  has  got  not  only 
the  automobile  fever,  but  is  going  it  with  two  abreast. 

"  Tlie  next  toast  on  the  programme  is, '  The  State  of  Ohio,'  the  state  we  all 
love  so  much.  The  souvenir  which  you  have  received  to-night,  the  plate  with 
the  picture  of  our  special  guest,  Mr.  Secretary  Hay,  on  it,  was  manufactured 
by  an  Ohio  firm.  The  buckeyes  which  the  reception  committee  are  wearing  on 
the  lapels  of  their  coats  to-night  were  gathered  from  the  front  lawn,  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  of  that  gi'eat  statesman  and  once  secretary  of  state,  John  Sher- 
man. Why,  fellow-members  of  this  Society,  the  state  is  big  enough  and  it  is 
square  enough  for  almost  any  speaker,  and  I  know  of  no  one  who  can  better 
respond  to  that  toast  than  that  sturdy  son  of  Ohio,  most  successful  in  business, 
pre-eminent  in  politics,  and  while  not  ignoring  the  value  of  capital,  is  still  the 
staunch  friend  of  labor,  the  Honorable  Marcus  A.  Hanna  (  great  applause  and 
cheers),  of  Ohio,  and  who  needs  no  introduction  here."     (Great  applause.) 

Senator  Marcus  A.  Hanna  then  said :  "  Mr.  Toastmaster,  Your  Excellen- 
cies, Members  of  the  New  York  Ohio  Society,  and  Ladies :  I  can  tell  you  no  new 
story  about  Ohio.  The  fact  is,  I  have  but  very  little  to  tell  after  those  who  have 
preceded  me,  and  yet  it  is  fitting  on  this  occasion  to  pay  tribute  to  our  state  in 
this  the  anniversary  year  of  her  centennial  existence.  A  hundred  years  old ! 
Dear  old  mother,  how  we  love  you !  Bright  star  in  the  galaxy  of  states,  we  look 
heavenward  when  we  contemplate  you!  Sons  of  Ohio  by  birthright,  men  of 
New  York  by  adoption,  I  bring  greeting  to  you  from  the  boys  at  home  and  wish 
you  all  a  Happy  New  Year.  (Applause.)  We  have  been  busy  since  you  left 
us.  The  grand  old  state  has  kept  pace  in  the  march  of  progress  and  to-day 
we  are  proud  of  her  position  and  influence.  May  I  quote  a  few  figures  to  show 
what  we  have  done  while  you  have  been  making  money  in  New  York.''  Our 
population  in  1800  was  45,365 ;  in  1900,  4,157,545.  We  have  grown  some,  our 
cities  have  grown  and  developed.  In  1802  they  were  enumerated  by  Marietta, 
Chillicothe  and  Cincinnati,  with  a  population  of  1,000  each.  In  1902  seventy- 
one  cities  over  five  thousand  and  the  largest  381,000 — Cleveland,  Ohio.  Our 
manufacturing  industries  employ  345,809  men,  our  wages  $153,935,330.  The 
number  of  employees  in  our  coal-mining  interests  24,901,  producing  20,321,- 
290  tons,  value  $33,000,000.  Our  railroads  8,791  miles,  employees  67,834, 
wages  paid  $42,334,484 — I  won't  read  the  gross  income  owing  to  the  present 
condition.  (Laughter.)  Blessed  as  Ohio  is  by  nature,  with  fertile  soil  and  a 
diversitv  of  climate,  peopled  by  a  race  of  men  who  came  from  all  quarters  of  the 
East,  and  when  we  remember  that  that  emigi'ation  came — started  toward  the 
West  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  when  the  Northwest 
Territory  was  put  upon  the  calendar  as  forever  opposed  to  slavery  in  any 
form,  the  inspiration  called  forth  that  character  of  men  calculated  to  make  any 
country  great,  and  it  was  unique  that  that  emigration  started  along  parallel 

413 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

lines  from  the  South,  in  the  South  from  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia,  in  the  Mid- 
dle from  Pennsylvania  and  on  the  North  from  New  England,  going  West, 
keeping  to  the  parellels  and  establishing  zones  of  population,  characteristic  and 
distinct.  Those  hardy  pioneers  hewed  their  way  through  the  great  forests  of 
Ohio,  and  when  in  after  years  the  population  became  greater  the  lines  merged 
and  the  zones  came  together  and  the  intermingling  of  the  blood  of  those  almost 
distinct  classes  produced  a  race  of  men  and  a  people  whose  natural  result  was, 
as  it  has  become,  a  great  state  and  a  great  people.    (Applause.) 

"  We  hke  to  speak  of  our  state  as  having  for  fifty  years  held  the  third 
place  in  the  Union.  The  reason  we  do  not  hold  it  now  is  because,  appreciating 
the  importance  of  a  higher  civilization  in  the  West,  we  sent  our  people  west- 
ward to  build  up  states  like  ours.  The  mud  was  so  deep  in  Illinois  that  most  of 
them  stuck  there  (laughter),  and  therefore  Illinois  got  the  start  of  us.  I  don't 
want  to  rob  the  old  state  of  Virginia  of  her  prerogative,  known  so  long  as  the 
'  Mother  of  Presidents,'  but  having  surrendered  that  prerogative  and  it  having 
drifted  west,  we  in  Ohio,  undertaking  to  supply  the  demand,  which  became  so 
great  that  we  adopted  that  modern  method  and  have  become  the  incubator  of 
Presidents.     (Laughter.)     The  industry  still  thrives. 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  better  express  my  appreciation  of  these  happy 
gatherings  of  the  sons  from  my  native  state,  with  their  guests,  than  to  apply 
to  you  the  well-known  motto  that  in  union  there  is  strength.  It  is  a  characteris- 
tic of  Ohio  men  to  stand  together  whenever  important  events  or  necessities  arise 
to  need  hearty  co-operation.  Although  large  in  membership  as  a  Society,  small 
in  numbers  with  regard  to  the  population  of  this  great  metropolitan  city,  but 
the  character  of  Ohio  will  leaven  even  a  larger  lot ;  we  congratulate  New  York 
that  this  Society  is  growing  and  that  there  is  such  a  large  element  from  the 
Buckeye  state  among  you. 

"  This  subject  of  Ohio,  so  often  repeated  and  worn  almost  threadbare, 
finds  little  interest  to  an  Ohio  Society  only  in  this  wonderful  productiveness  of 
our  state,  combining  so  many  elements  of  prosperity,  so  co-operative  in  all  its 
industries,  so  rich  in  soil  and  mineral  deposits,  gives  us  the  opportunity  for  a 
larger  diversity  of  interest  than  any  other  state  in  the  Union;  we  farm,  we 
mine  and  we  manufacture,  and  we  support  our  population.  We  are  prosperous 
because  we  are  industrious,  we  are  happy  because  we  are  peaceful.  (There's 
a  good  many  Quakers  among  us.)  We  have  always  responded  to  the  call  of  our 
country  in  her  emergencies ;  we  have  always  rallied  to  the  support  of  all  the 
people  our  full  quota  for  all  such  emergencies,  and  we  believe  that  we  have  the 
right  to  be  proud  of  the  record  of  the  past,  and  I  might  say,  my  friends,  that 
although  in  this  souvenir  which  has  been  presented  to  us  our  reputation  is  not 
worldwide,  because  in  examining  that  beautiful  plate  which  will  perpetuate  the 
honor  and  glory  of  our  secretary,  if  you  do  not  break  it  (laughter),  one  of  my 

414 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

distinguished  friends  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  and  I  do  not  mention  names,  after 
gazing  in  rapture  upon  the  face  and  the  ornaments,  asked  if  those  nuts  were 
chestnuts.  (Laughter.)  I  bring  that  in  just  now  because  I  don't  want  to  be 
styled  as  a  chestnut,  and  in  closing  may  I  note  tlie  absence  of  one  who  has  fre- 
quently been  your  honored  guest,  who  has  been  torn  from  us  by  the  ruthless 
hand  of  a  dastardly  assassin.  Did  it  need  that  sacrifice  to  emphasize  the  char- 
acter of  tliat  man,  a  type,  the  highest  type  not  only  of  a  citizen  and  son  of 
Ohio,  but  of  America.'*  Did  it  need  that  to  bring,  to  refresh  our  memories,  and 
to  typify  and  idealize  the  character  that  I  portray.'*  Did  it  need  all  this  to 
bring  to  us  a  realization  of  that  type  of  American  manhood,  an  example  which 
will  stand  ever  before  us  in  colors  bright.''  Then,  indeed,  Thy  will,  not  ours,  be 
done."     (Great  applause.) 

Mr.  Hoyt  said :  "  The  last  toast  of  the  evening  is  '  Tlie  State  of  New 
York,'  the  adopted  state  of  so  many  of  us,  and  what  shall  I  say  of  the  gentle- 
man who  is  to  respond  to  this  toast.''  Surely  I  can  say  what  another  said  a  year 
ago  of  the  senator  from  Ohio.  He  is  IT,  for  if  ever  a  man  in  the  Empire 
state  of  New  York  was  It,  it  is  the  Honorable  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  a  man 
who  receives  more  invitations  to  banquets  in  one  year  than  most  other  men  in 
their  entire  lives,  a  man  whose  kindly  heart  and  bubbling  wit  cheers,  and  whose 
graceful  but  forceful  eloquence  inspires  everybody.  A  man  who  has  responded 
probably  to  more  toasts  tlian  any  otlier  man  in  this  United  States  and  yet  under 
such  circumstances  has  never  disappointed  an  audience.  It  is  with  supreme 
satisfaction,  therefore,  that  I  now  have  the  honor  of  introducing  to  you  the 
senator  from  New  York,  the  Honorable  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  who  will  respond 
to  this,  our  last  toast  of  the  evening."     (Applause.) 

Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew  said :  "  Mr.  Chairman,  Your  Excellencies,  La- 
dies and  Gentlemen:  I  feel  after  what  has  been  said  by  the  secretary  of  state, 
that  after  twenty  years  of  indignation  I  am  forgiven  for  having  said  that  some 
men  are  born  great  and  some  in  Ohio. 

"  I  discover  that  the  Bucke3^e  still  lives  and  that  he  makes  everybody  paj' 
tribute  to  his  greatness.  It  was  only  after  the  secretary  of  state  had  made 
that  little  slip  which  expressed  his  convictions,  that  I  knew  that  he  thought  that 
Hanna  had  created  all  the  Presidents  of  the  United  States.  It  is  an  extraor- 
dinary event  that  calls  us  here  to-night.  We  are  not  only  honoring  Ohio  and 
the  secretary  of  state,  but  all  the  great  powers  of  the  world  are  present  here  to 
celebrate  Ohio.  After  to-night  the  various  distinguished  diplomats  will  say 
in  writing  to  their  august  sovereigns  or  to  their  chancelleries :  '  You  make  a 
mistake  in  giving  our  credentials  to  Washington ;  you  should  have  sent  them  to 
Ohio.'  You  have  not  recognized  the  imperium  in  imperio ;  and  then  the  humili- 
ation of  my  positiom.  Not  only  does  Ohio  stand  here  to-night  the  one  state 
which  makes  august  Presidents,  the  one  state  that  commands  all  the  great  na- 

415 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tions  of  which  we  have  just  become  a  family  to  be  here,  but  they  hold  that  cele- 
bration in  New  York,  and  the  hospitalities  of  the  occasion  prevent  me  from  ex- 
pressing my  feelings.  I  was  glad  to  hear  the  brother  brag  of  the  improvement 
in  the  legislative  methods  of  Ohio  by  which  they  escaped  the  dangers  of  having 
the  elect  of  her  people  made  to  do  what  the  people  wanted,  because  it  was  only 
once  in  two  years ;  but  the  Ohio  method  of  meeting  that  reform  is  that  the  leg- 
islature invariably  takes  a  recess  until  the  next  year  and  so  they  have  a  legis- 
lature every  year.      (Laughter.) 

"  As  a  student  of  our  country  I  have  noticed  that  we  develop  by  our  en- 
vironment and  our  education.  That  environment  and  that  education  is  local, 
for  we  are  in  our  several  states  in  their  peculiarities  the  most  provincial  people. 
It  is  not  the  school  that  educates  the  citizen,  nor  the  academy,  nor  the  univei^ 
sity ;  it  is  the  country  store,  where  every  night,  and  every  Saturday  night  espe- 
cially, public  affairs  are  discussed.  It  is  beyond  all  controversy  that  the  best 
club  in  the  United  States  is  the  gathering  under  the  horse-shed  of  the  members 
of  the  congregation  of  the  country  church  between  the  morning  and  evening 
services,  when  all  questions,  local,  state  and  national,  are  discussed  and  decided. 
Now,  traveling  around  the  country  as  I  do,  and  stopping  everywhere,  I  attend 
these  congresses  which  create  public  opinion.  Outside  of  my  own  state  they 
have  not  materialized  particularly  yet,  but  I  am  cultivating  Hanna.  Ybu 
will  notice,  as  I  have  noticed,  that  in  New  York,  wherever  you  may  go,  the  dis- 
cussion is,  at  the  country  store,  or  under  the  horse-shed  on  Sunday,  about 
stocks,  the  influences  of  legislation,  or  the  foreign  markets  of  the  world,  or 
what-not,  upon  the  different  markets  in  which  securities  are  sold  and  bought. 
As  you  go  West  you  will  find  in  the  mountain  states  it  is  mines,  gold  and  silver 
— prospects  of  keeping  those  which  are  good  for  something,  of  selling  in  New 
York  those  that  are  good  for  nothing,  and  of  finding  others.  As  you  get  on 
the  slope  of  the  Sierra,  and  come  down  toward  the  Pacific  ocean,  you  will  find 
they  everywhere  say  what  is  said  they  say  in  another  place :  '  Wliat  we  would  be 
if  we  only  had  water.'  When  you  get  to  New  Jersey  you  discover  that  the  one 
subject  everwhere  is  how  the  state  taxes  are  paid  and  the  local  taxes  are  re- 
lieved by  making  that  commonwealth  the  hospitable  home  of  the  trust.  But 
when  you  come  to  Ohio,  the  sole  subject,  whether  it  be  in  the  school-house  or 
the  kindergarten,  whether  it  be  in  the  academy  or  the  university,  whether  it  be 
at  the  country  store  or  the  cross-road,  or  the  church  or  the  prayer-meeting,  the 
discussion  is  politics  (laughter),  practical  politics,  theoretical  politics.  It  is 
thus  that  this  great  state,  now  grown  to  four  millions  of  people,  has  created 
four  millions  of  politicians  (laughter  and  applause),  and  what  chance  is 
there  for  the  rest  of  us  who  are  attending  to  the  ordinary  duties  of  taking  care 
of  our  families  and  supporting  the  country  ? 

"  Not  only  have  they  outstripped  us  in  securing  offices  by  this  pursuit  of 

416 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

office  and  the  means  to  secure  it,  but  now  has  come  in  for  several  generations 
heredity,  and  so  they  breed  politicians. 

"  Darwin  advances  the  theory  that  if  you  mate  a  fantail  pigeon  with  a 
fantail  pigeon  and  continue  that  thing  indefinitely,  there  would  be  more  fan- 
tails  and  more  fantails,  until  as  a  final  result  the  pigeon  would  be  nothing 
but  a  fantail.     Gentlemen,  there  you  are. 

"  Just  after  the  recent  election  I  was  hurrying  along  Broadway,  when  a 
dignified  and  impressive  gentleman  stopped  me  and  said,  '  Senator,  a  moment. 
Are  you  satisfied  with  the  result.? '  '  Perfectly,  perfectly.'  '  But  didn't  the  re- 
markable slump  in  New  York  discourage  you.? '  '  No,  because  we  carried  the 
state.'  '  Then,  notwithstanding  your  disappointments  here,  because  the  coun- 
try is  safe,  you  are  content.?  '  '  Absolutely.'  '  Would  you  mind,  then,  loaning 
me  half  a  dollar?  '  That  gentleman  was  a  New  Yorker.  He  mingled  with  the 
discussion  of  great  questions,  finance. 

"  A  gentleman  present  here  to-night  went  from  Maine  and  after  winning 
distinguished  success  in  every  line  for  twenty-five  years  in  the  world,  returned 
to  his  native  place  and  at  night  went  down  to  the  country  store,  listened  to  the 
congress  that  had  struck  him  with  awe  in  his  youth — apparently  the  same  men ; 
told  them  who  he  was.  One  of  the  old  leaders  said,  *  Is  it  true  that  you  are  get- 
ting $10,000  a  year.?  '  My  friend  was  getting  many  times  that.  He  said,  '  It 
is  true.'  '  Then,'  said  the  leader,  '  that  shows  what  cheek  and  circumstances  will 
do  for  a  man.'  That  was  the  New  England  youth,  who  discusses  nothing  but 
what  has  become  of  the  man  who  was  glad  he  was  bom  in  New  England  but  had 
the  sense  to  live  somewhere  else. 

"  Now,  one  cannot  contemplate  Ohio,  what  has  been  said  of  her  to-night, 
without  wondering  at  the  success  of  American  public  life.  We  have  no  educa- 
tion in  this  country  for  great  offices  of  state,  of  executive,  or  of  diplomacy.  In 
every  other  country  of  the  world  there  are  classes,  except  France  of  to-day, 
classes  who  are  hereditary  legislators,  who  are  taken  for  public  life,  and  who 
have  the  heredity  of  government.  That  is  particularly  the  case  in  Groat 
Britain,  where  not  only  the  older  sons,  but  the  younger  sons,  unless  they  have 
gone  to  distant  colonies,  to  build  up  their  country  in  those  distant  places,  are 
to  be  found  in  the  house  of  commons,  in  the  departments,  or  in  the  public  life 
of  Great  Britain.  But  we  have  no  heredity,  no  schools,  no  education  for  govern- 
ment, and  yet  our  young  men  go  to  the  legislature,  they  go  to  the  house  of 
representatives,  they  go  to  the  senate,  they  go  to  the  cabinet,  they  become 
Presidents,  become  diplomats  abroad — I  ask  you  to  look  over  the  hundred  years 
of  our  existence  as  a  nation,  to  compare  our  executives,  our  cabinet  ministers, 
our  diplomats,  our  legislators,  with  those  of  other  countries  where  this  educa- 
tion is  complete,  and  I  think  that  we  will  have  no  occasion  to  be  other  than 
proud  of  the  men  who  have  come  from  the  workshop,  from  the  farm,  from  the 

417 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

professions  all  over  the  country,  and  have  been  equal  to  the  best  of  diplomacies 
and  diplomatics  in  foreign  countries,  and  to  the  best  of  legislators,  executives 
and  cabinet  ministers  in  their  own.  John  Jay,  who  had  never  been  in  diplo- 
macy, negotiated  that  first  treaty,  which  is  still  the  foundation  of  our  relations 
with  Great  Britain,  and  as  you  go  down  the  list  we  have  the  Adamses,  and  we 
have  Jefferson,  and  we  have  Daniel  Webster,  and  we  have  Clay,  and  we  have 
Seward,  and  we  have  Lincoln,  and  we  have  Garfield,  and  we  have  McKinley,  and 
I  think  in  view  of  what  we  are  gathered  here  to-night  to  express  and  to  worthily 
compliment,  that  in  that  great  cabinet  stands  equally  John  Hay.  (Great 
applause.)  It  is  the  American  growth  of  American  expression,  not  of  educa- 
tion for  public  life — an  editor,  a  man  of  letters,  a  traveler  from  journalism  to 
literature,  and  successively  from  literature  to  the  chancelleries  of  our  govern- 
ment abroad  and  successively  in  the  secretary  of  state,  first  as  assistant — and 
successfully,  to  find  at  last  his  proper  place  when  he  becomes  the  head  of  our 
foreign  affairs. 

"  Mark  Hanna,  whose  judgment  is  accurate  and  perfect  on  men  in  the 
places  which  they  should  occupy,  said  to  me  ten  years  ago :  '  There  is  one  man 
and  one  place  that  I  intend  to  work  for  and  only  one,  and  that  is  John  Hay  as 
secretary  for  state.' 

"  But  of  all  the  triumphs  of  our  guests  of  to-night,  the  one  which  we  honor 
him  most  for  is  what  he  has  done  for  arbitration.  Arbitration  is  the  greatest 
force  in  the  world  to-day.  In  the  old  days,  and  until  this  year  almost,  nations 
could  diplomatize,  and  if  they  failed  they  could  resort  to  what  Sherman  said 
was  '  hell ' — and  that  was  war,  which  decided  nothing  except  that  might  won. 
In  the  older  daj^s  all  individual  disputes  were  settled  on  the  theory  that  G<jd 
would  protect  the  right,  but  the  Almighty  held  off  and  might  and  skill  won,  and 
from  that  evoluted  the  law  from  which  we  have  justice  and  protection  for  the 
weaker.  The  great  forces  in  our  country  to-day — new  forces,  but  gigantic  and 
mighty  forces,  are  Capital  and  Labor.  So  long  as  they  are  harmonious  Ave 
have  peace  and  prosperity.  When  they  are  at  war  society  is  disintegrated,  in- 
dustries are  paralyzed  and  if  it  proceeded  far  enough  we  would  have  anarchy. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  only  solution  of  our  difficulties,  national  as  well  as  in  our 
own  domestic  affairs,  is  that  for  which  our  secretary  has  stood,  and  that  is  arbi- 
tration. These  great  forces  of  Capital  and  Labor  now  settle  their  differences 
by  strikes  and  by  lock-outs.  It  is  a  return  to  the  old  medieval  method  of  en- 
durance, of  courage  and  of  strength.  It  is  barbarous.  The  medieval  warrior 
litigant  could  do  it — it  harmed  no  one  but  himself  or  his  friends;  but  when 
associations  upon  which  we  all  depend  for  our  safety  and  our  comfort  are 
assailed,  we  are  all  interested.  The  Civic  Association,  happily  gotten  up  and 
happily  led  by  our  friend.  Senator  Hanna,  is  doing  a  good  work,  but  if  the 
church,  politicians,  everybody,  should  move  to  have  such  processes  adopted, 

418 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

then  hereafter  there  could  be  no  strikes  because  the  genius  of  the  American 
people,  when  once  these  things  are  understood,  is  equal  to  devising  the  means, 
and  when  the  means  are  devised  by  wliich  such  questions  can  be  settled  without 
creating  such  a  cataclysm  as  we  have  had  recently,  public  opinion  Avill  compel 
obedience  to  the  judgment  which  has  once  been  arrived  at  for  these  solutions. 
(Cries  of  '  Good,'  and  great  applause.) 

"  Now,  I  think  I  can  claim  for  New  York,  notwithstanding  the  claim  which 
is  made  abroad,  because  we  all  claim  good  things,  and  I  mean  no  disrespect  to 
the  representative  of  the  august  Czar,  our  distinguished  representative  from 
Russia,  who  has  so  gracefully  and  so  admirably  complimented  our  guest  and 
pleased  us  here  to-night  in  all  languages,  but  when  the  Venezuela  trouble  arose 
in  Cleveland's  administration  I  had  the  honor  to  deliver  an  oration  before  the 
New  York  State  Bar  Association.  The  acute  question  then  was  how  to  avert 
war  and  whether  war  was  necessary.  I  took  the  position  of  an  international 
court  of  arbitration.  Our  New  York  State  Bar  Association,  our  court  of  ap- 
peals, and  all  our  judicial  bodies  in  this  state,  formulated  a  plan  for  an  inter- 
national court  of  arbitration.  They  called  a  national  congress  at  Washington 
in  order  to  put  that  into  effect.  It  amounted  to  just  this,  that  if  right  itself 
it  would  ultimately  crystallize  into  good  works  and  that  good  results  would 
develop  in  the  course  of  years;  but  we  have  gone  along,  we  have  finally  got, 
on  the  initiative  of  the  Czar  of  Russia,  we  did  finally  get,  a  tribunal  at  the 
Hague.  Unless  called  by  a  great  European  power  like  the  Czar,  that  tribunal 
would  never  have  met.  Having  met,  it  formulated  the  processes  by  which  a 
court  was  established,  and  then  that  court  seemed  to  disappear;  it  seemed  to 
go  into  oblivion,  and  it  would  have  died  of  innocuous  desuetude,  but  there  came 
up  this  other  question  of  the  great  nations  of  Great  Britain  and  Germany  to 
appeal  to  that  court.  Instantly  that  court  had  dignit}',  had  power,  had  posi- 
tion, and  it  had  that  place  which  by  a  court  once  gained  is  never  lost  again.  I 
think  that  we  can  say  that  in  the  processes  by  which  that  happy  result  which 
creates  this  court  and  makes  it  forever  a  tribunal  of  peace,  forever  a  tribunal 
where  public  opinion  will  order  contending  nations  to  come — not  to  the  battle- 
field, but  to  justice,  that  the  fact  that  he  did  more  than  any  other  to  bring 
about  that  happy  result  to  pass,  declared  his  position  among  the  diplomats  who 
are  around  about  him  here  to-night — our  honored  guest  of  the  evening,  the 
United  States  secretary  of  foreign  affairs  (cheers  and  cries  of  '  Good  ') — and  I 
want  to  say  that  when  fhe  verdict  comes  to  be  written  there  will  be  an  abroga- 
tion of  the  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty,  there  will  be  by  happy  and  successful  diplo- 
macy the  removal  of  those  obligations,  obligations  most  dangerous,  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  which  ought  to  be  entirely  removed  be- 
tween these  two  great  countries,  and  there  will  be  those  negotiations  which  make 
possible  that  inter-oceanic  canal,  the  dream  of  our  nation  for  fifty  years,  and 

419 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

all  of  them  will  be  kgions  upon  the  shield  of  our  secretary  of  state.  '  A  man 
without  a  country,'  he  said.  A  man  without  a  country !  Thank  God  he  is  our 
country,  our  countryman.  He  may  have  no  state,  and  having  this  distinction 
which  all  the  world  recognizes  it  is  characteristic  of  Ohio  that  she  claims  him 
before  New  York  could  get  a  chance  at  him. 

"  Ohio  and  New  York.  The  last  contribution  of  Ohio  to  the  Republic  of 
the  United  States  and  the  American  people  was  William  McKinley.  (Ap- 
plause.) The  prosperity  which  came  with  him  and  has  continued,  the  placing 
of  our  credit  and  our  currency  upon  an  impregnable  basis  in  harmony  with  the 
great  commercial  nations  of  the  world,  the  conduct  of  a  great  war  with  a  vigor 
and  a  humanity  never  known  before,  and  the  Republic  of  Cuba  will  remain  for- 
ever his  imperishable  monument. 

"  We  have  for  our  present  President  a  New  Yorker  of  New  Yorkers.  He 
has  no  blood  in  his  veins  but  that  which  flows  from  the  old  Dutch  Colonial  times 
of  the  New  Amsterdam  down  to  his  own  blue  and  strenuous  vigor.  He  stands 
to-day  New  York's  President  of  the  United  States.  When  the  great  nations 
gathered  around  little  Venezuela  and  he  marked  the  boundaries  beyond  which 
they  could  not  go,  he  set  forever  the  seal  of  victory  and  perpetuity  upon  the 
Monroe  Doctrine.  When  he  declined  the  tempting  offer  to  become  arbitrator 
between  these  great  powers  he  pointed  their  way  to  the  Hague  convention.  He 
did  much,  he  did  everything  for  the  peace  of  the  world,  and  in  a  recent  cata- 
clysm of  industries,  where  not  only  the  comfort  but  the  safety  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States  was  at  stake,  where  conditions  were  likely  to  arise — and  the 
present  situation  emphasizes  they  might  arise — where  in  our  great  centres  of 
population  we  might  have  riots,  possibly  revolution,  he  did  the  one  wise  and 
courageous  act  which  saved  the  situation  and  did  most  for  the  peace  and  har- 
mony of  our  people  in  the  country  everywhere.  Ohio  has  a  right  to  be  proud 
of  McKinley  and  for  what  he  did,  and  to  revere  his  memory,  but  we  of  New 
York  are  proud  of  the  President  we  have  furnished  to  the  United  States.'* 
(  Great  applause. ) 

Mr.  Hojt  then  said :  "  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York : 
The  time  has  come  to  draw  this  seventeenth  annual  banquet  to  a  close.  We  feel 
that  before  parting  we  certainly  want  to  thank  their  excellencies  and  all  our 
other  distinguished  guests  for  making  this  seventeenth  annual  banquet  one  so 
memorable,  and  with  the  thanks  especially  to  the  speakers  who  have  so  enter- 
tained us  we  will  now  bid  you  all  good-night." 

It  involves  no  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  work  done  by  all  the  members  of 
the  Society  in  preparing  for  this  banquet,  and  in  carrying  out  the  plans  made 
for  the  same,  to  add  a  brief  mention  of  action  taken  at  the  meeting  of  the  So- 
ciety held  on  the  evening  of  February  9,  1903.  Resolutions  of  thanks  were 
offered  and  unanimously  carried  to  Colgate  Hoyt,  president ;  Samuel  H.  Par- 

420 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

sons,  treasurer ;  A.  J.  C.  Foye,  chairman  of  the  house  committee ;  and  Andrew 
Ernest  Foye,  chairman  of  the  sub-reception  committee  in  charge  of  the  ladies 
and  the  galleries,  for  their  most  faithful  and  successful  labors ;  to  William  S. 
Hawk,  proprietor  of  the  Manhattan  Hotel,  for  his  free  entertainment  of  the 
guests  from  Washington,  and  to  Joseph  G.  Lee,  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Knowles,  Taylor  &  Knowles  Company,  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio,  for  the 
generous  care  he  lavished  upon  the  preparation  of  the  souvenir  plates. 


421 


CHAPTER    XIX 
1903 

WINCHESTER  FITCH,  chairman  of  the  library  committee,  and 
James  H.  Kennedy,  historian,  were  invited  to  meet  with  the  govern- 
ing committee  on  February  9th,  and  report  upon  the  matter  com- 
mitted to  their  hands  in  connection  with  a  liistory  of  the  Society.  They  ex- 
plained that  a  meeting  had  been  held  and  that  it  was  the  recommendation  of 
the  committee  and  historian  that  the  proceedings  of  the  Diplomatic  Ban- 
quet of  1903  be  published  in  pamphlet  form,  and  that  a  similar  publication 
be  made  annually.  Also  that  steps  should  be  taken  soon  for  a  comprehensive 
history  of  the  Society.  The  publication  of  the  banquet  proceedings  was 
authorized,  and  subsequently  appeared,  with  those  of  the  annual  dinner  of 
November  29,  1902,  under  the  general  title,  "  No.  1.     Annual  Publications 

On  February  9th  President  Hoyt  stated  that  the  Italian  ambassador  had 
had  received  notice  from  the  other  ambassadors  expressing  their  thanks  and 
pleasure  at  their  entertainment  at  the  banquet.  He  stated  that  he  had  also 
presented  his  thanks  to  the  Society,  his  wife  joining  with  him,  and  that  he 
Ohio  Society  of  New  York.     1902-1903." 

received  a  very  cordial  note  from  Bishop  Leonard,  of  Ohio,  accepting  the 
position  of  chaplain  the  Society  had  tendered  him,  and  expressing  great  pleas- 
ure at  having  been  able  to  be  present  at  the  banquet.  The  private  secretary  of 
the  Third  Assistant  Secretary  of  State,  who  was  at  the  banquet,  sent  a  letter 
in  which  he  reiterated  the  statement  that  all  of  the  guests  had  personally  ex- 
pressed to  him  unqualified  thanks  for  their  entertainment,  and  especially  for 
the  courtesy  and  attention  shown  them  at  the  Manhattan  Hotel,  and  also  for 
their  transportation. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  business  meeting,  the  Society  was  entertained 
by  vocal  and  instrumental  music  from  Messrs.  Fitch,  Nichols,  Sadler  and 
Drake.  Also  by  an  affecting  address  by  a  gentleman  who  was  introduced  by 
Merrill  Watson,  of  the  entertainment  committee,  as  "  A  Long  Lost  Son  of 
Ohio." 

It  was  the  story  of  an  Ohio  boy  kidnapped  by  Asiatic  brigands  when  a 
child;  his  father  and  mother,  missionaries,  killed;  his  recognition  as  a  son  of 
Ohio  by  an  indelible  mark  upon  him ;  his  escape,  his  toil  in  reaching  America, 
his  search  for  even  one  friend  of  his  parents.     It  was  told  simply,  touchingly 

422 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  in  the  presence  of  one  hundred  men  who  stood  ready  to  give  him  money 
for  the  further  prosecution  of  his  search.  When  Mr.  Watson  introduced  him, 
he  recalled  the  murder  in  Asiatic  Turkey  of  Lenz  Lens,  the  American  bi- 
cyclist who  set  out  to  ride  from  Constantinople  to  Hong  Kong.  Two  other 
Americans  were  later  sent  to  learn  the  facts  of  his  fate. 

"  Those  two  men,"  said  Mr.  Watson,  "  fell  in  with  a  band  of  brigands. 
It  was  too  late  for  them  to  retreat,  and  they  escaped  from  robbery  and  death 
only  because  these  ignorant  men  who  had  never  heard  of  a  bicycle  took  them 
for  wizards  with  supernatural  gifts. 

"  Among  these  terrible  men  was  a  small  white  boy  who  knew  a  few  words 
of  English  and  whom  they  were  sure  was  of  American  birth.  They  managed  to 
converse  with  him  several  times  and  finally  by  accident  discovered  a  small 
tatooed  mark  upon  his  shoulder.  A  closer  examination  showed  them  that  it 
was  the  seal  of  Ohio,  undoubtedly  placed  there  by  his  parents  as  a  mute  wit- 
ness of  his  citizenship  under  the  stars  and  stripes  and  of  his  Christian  birth. 

"  They  dared  not  lift  a  finger  to  help  him  or  their  own  lives  would  have 
been  in  danger.  But  they  told  him  as  best  they  could  of  the  great  world  from 
which  they  had  come  and  of  the  friends  that  would  aid  him  if  he  could  make 
his  escape.     Then  they  left  him  and  wheeled  away. 

"  Now  for  a  curious  coincidence,"  Mr.  Watson  continued.  "  I  was  at 
luncheon  at  my  club  a  few  days  ago  and  happened  by  some  chance  to  tell 
this  story,  as  one  of  these  returned  wheelmen  had  told  it  to  me.  A  gentle- 
man whom  I  knew  only  by  sight,  sitting  at  the  next  table  turned  to  me  and 
said :  '  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  I  was  so  interested  that  I  took  the  liberty 
of  listening  to  your  tale.'  *  You  are  welcome  to  your  share  of  it,'  I  answered. 
'  May  I  ask  you  one  question  ?  '  he  continued.  '  Certainly ! '  Do  you  know  that 
the  boy  made  his  escape  and  is  in  this  country  to-day  ?  '  Then  he  told  me  a 
wonderful  story  of  persistence  and  pluck.  To  make  a  long  story  short,  I 
hunted  up  this  boy — now  a  man — and  he  is  here  to-night.  In  his  old  life  he 
was  known  as  Gorges  Stanapolis.  He  has  taken  the  name  of  Charles  Ander- 
son, which  he  has  discovered  to  be  his  own.  I  now  take  pleasure  in  introducing 
him  and  he  will  tell  his  own  story." 

Mr.  Anderson  was  a  dark,  slim  young  man,  with  a  sombre  face,  as  of 
one  who  had  known  misfortune,  and  was  not  unacquainted  with  grief.  He 
spoke  with  a  decidedly  foreign  accent,  and  his  story,  condensed,  was  as 
follows : 

"  When  my  parents  and  their  escorts  were  murdered,  one  little  girl  and 
myself  were  spared  and  taken  captive  by  these  brigands.  In  three  years  she 
died.  I  remembered  only  a  few  words  of  English.  My  life  has  been  one  of 
privation  and  unhappiness.  If  I  should  tell  you  all  the  things  I  heard  and  saw 
— the  horrors  and  the  awful  cruelties — it  would  stagger  your  belief." 

423 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

He  told  of  the  visit  of  the  wheelmen  and  of  the  inspiration  and  hope  it 
gave  him.  He  watched  his  chance.  One  day  he  saw  a  caravan  afar  off. 
At  night  he  escaped  and  followed  it  for  two  days.  He  was  taken  on  as  a 
camel  boy.  At  Cabool  the  caravan  broke  up ;  he  worked  as  a  coolie  for  a 
few  cents  a  day.  Then  he  managed  to  reach  Calcutta,  where  an  Enlishman 
took  him  as  a  servant.  He  worked  his  passage  on  a  ship  to  Amsterdam.  Then 
to  London,  and  from  thence  took  ship  to  America. 

"  On  that  ship,"  he  said  impressively,  "  I  met  a  steward  who,  when  he 
learned  my  story,  told  me  that  he  knew  my  parents ;  they  had  come  across  with 
him,  when  I  was  a  boy  in  arms.  He  knew  my  name,  and  that  was  all  he  did 
know. 

"  And  that  is  all  I  have  ever  learned.  Whether  my  father  was  a  mis- 
sionary of  some  great  denomination,  or  a  zealot  who  went  forth  alone,  I 
do  not  know.  I  have  searched  for  some  trace  of  my  parents'  family  or  friends, 
but  it  is  all  in  vain.    I  am  alone,  utterly  alone  in  this  world. 

"  Misfortune  seems  to  come  to  me  in  small  as  in  great  things,"  Mt.  Ander- 
son continued.  "  Only  to-night  as  I  was  coming  to  this  meeting,  a  man  ac- 
costed me,  as  I  stood  waiting  for  a  car.  '  Do  3'ou  chew  ?  '  he  asked.  I  said  I 
did.     It  was  one  of  the  old  habits  that  hung  to  me. 

"  I  handed  him  my  plug.  He  said :  '  Do  you  care  where  I  bite  this  ?  ' 
'  I  do  not.'  '  Then  I'll  bite  it  on  Brooklyn  Bridge,'  and  away  he  walked  with  it. 
"  Last  night  I  took  a  Brooklyn  girl  named  May  out  to  supper.  I  said, 
'  What  will  you  have.'* '  *  A  large  cold  bottle  and  a  small  hot  bird.'  She  took 
three  birds ;  and  I  took  a  sandwich  to  even  up.  And  as  we  went  out,  what  do 
you  think  an  organ  grinder  on  the  street  had  the  cheek  to  play  ?  '  How  Happy 
are  the  Birds  in  May ! '  " 

Well,  the  house  was  in  a  roar. 

Mr.  Anderson  put  on  a  look  of  extra  solemnity.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  as 
you  seem  to  be  '  on  '  I'll  drop  back  to  American  talk ;  as  I  have  never  been  out 
of  the  United  States  in  my  life." 

It  was  a  complete  sell.  The  professional  monologist  and  the  entertainment 
committee  had  sold  every  man  in  the  house.  "  I  was  just  ready,"  said  Presi- 
dent Hoyt  afterwards,  "  to  propose  that  we  raise  $100  to  aid  the  young  man 
in  his  search."  "  If  a  paper  had  been  handed  around  before  that  bird  story," 
said  another  member,  "  a  pretty  big  sum  of  money  could  have  been  raised." 
A  half  hour  of  story  telling  followed,  from  the  "  lost  son  of  Ohio  "  who 
had  been  so  strangely  found. 

James  H.  Kennedy  suggested  in  the  March  meeting  that  it  would  be  a 
good  idea  to  appoint  a  special  committee  to  secure  the  names  of  every  eligible 
Ohioan  in  the  City  of  New  York,  who  might  become  a  member  if  properly 
approached,    and    at   the   April   meeting   to   tender   a    formal    reception    or 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  smoker  "  to  the  gentlemen  on  such  eligible  list.  On  motion,  it  was  agreed 
that  such  committee  be  appointed,  and  the  chair  designated  Charles  W. 
Lefler,  W.  H.  Blymyer,  F.  M.  Applegate,  the  treasurer  and  secretary,  with 
power  to  add  to  their  number. 

When  the  business  of  the  evening  was  concluded,  a  most  interesting  ad- 
dress was  delivered  by  David  Homer  Bates,  manager  of  the  War  Department 
telegraph  office  during  the  Civil  War,  entitled,  "  A  Rebel  Cipher  Despatch 
Which  Did  Not  Reach  Judah  P.  Benjamin." 

A  most  successful  reception  to  the  ladies  was  given  at  the  rooms  in  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  on  the  evening  of  March  23d,  and  was  largely  attended. 
An  excellent  programme,  which  is  here  given,  was  rendered,  followed  by  a 
collation : 


Polonaise,  ......  Chopin 

Mr.  Ernest  R.  Ball. 
When  all  the  World  is  Young,       .  .  .  Rogers 

Ode  to  Bacchus,  .....  Chaminade 

Daphne's  Love,       ......       Ronald 

Mr.  Francis  J.  Sadlier. 
Reading,  ......  Selected 

Miss  Marion  Short. 
Before  the  Dawn,     .....  Chadzviclc 

A  Pastoral,  ......  Ver acini 

A  Winter  Song,       ......     Rogers 

Miss  Jessamine  Pike. 
Invocation,       .......     Huhay 

Scherzo,         .......  Goens 

Herr  Hans  Kronold. 
Haymaking,        .  .  .  Alice  Adelaide  Xeedham 

Die  Lerche,       ......       Rubinstein 

Miss  Pike. 
Toreador's  Song,  "  Carmen,"  .  .  .  Bizet 

Mr.  Sadlier. 
Reading,       .......       Selected 

Miss  Short. 
Traumerei,  .  .  .  .  .  Schumann 

Tarantelle,  ......  Popper 

Herr  Kronold. 

Passage  Bird's  Farewell Hildach 

Miss  Pike,  Mr.  Sadlier. 

425 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  committee  appointed  to  arrange  for  a  reception  to  Ohioans  in  New 
York  who  were  ehgible  to  membership  in  the  Society,  organized  by  electing 
Charles  W.  Lefler  chairman.  Members  were  requested  to  send  in  the  names 
of  their  friends,  and  to  each  of  these  the  following  invitation  was  sent: 

Me.  (Name  of  guest) 

THE  OHIO   SOCIETY  OP  NEW  YORK  REQUESTS 
THE   PLEASURE  OF   YOUR   COMPANY 
AT  A 

RECEPTION  TO  OHIOANS 

TO  BE  HELD  AT  ITS  ROOMS 
AT 

The  Waldorf-Astoria 

ON  MONDAY  EVENING,   APRIL  13tH,   1903 
AT  8   P.   M. 

Colgate  Hoyt, 

president 
Francis  M.  Applegate, 

secretary 

R.    S.    V.    P. 
TO 

Charles  W.  Lefler 

chairman 

no.  25  broad  st.,  n.  y. 

compliments  of 

{Name  of  Member) 

There  was  a  large  attendance  of  members  and  guests  at  the  reception, 
which  took  the  form  of  a  smoker,  given  on  the  evening  of  April  13th.  The 
programme  consisted  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  and  recitations,  and 
was  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  all,  even  the  wind-up  of  "  Roasted  Buckeyes  in 
the  Shell,"  and  certainly  none  of  the  Buckeyes  could  complain  that  the 
"  roast "  was  underdone. 

At  the  meeting  of  June  8th  Vice-President  Ewing,  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  Ohio  centennial  at  Chillicothe,  was  unable  to  be  present,  but  his 
brother,  Hampton  Ewing,  made  a  full  and  able  report  on  the  centennial,  and 
also  presented  as  a  gift  from  his  brother  a  beautiful  souvenir  of  the  occasion. 
Mr.  Jones  offered  the  following  resolution: 

426 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  desire  to  express  its 
hiffh  sense  of  the  honor  in  the  erection  and  dedication  of  the  St.  Gaudens' 
statue  to  the  name  and  fame  of  Gen.  William  Tecumsch  Sherman."  Presi- 
dent Hoyt  and  others  spoke  eloquently  on  the  subject,  and  the  resolution  was 
adopted. 

In  the  meeting  of  October  12th  the  following  gentlemen  were  elected  a 
committee  to  nominate  officers  for  the  ensuing  year:  Milton  I.  Southard, 
James  G.  Newcomb,  Warren  Higley,  S.  Frederick  Taylor,  L.  C.  Ruch,  Elmer 
O.   Evans,  Francis  X.   Butler. 

The  meeting  of  November  9,  1903,  was  one  of  exceptional  interest.  After 
a  small  amount  of  business  had  been  attended  to,  a  programme  arranged  by  the 
entertainment  committee  was  presented.  Mr.  Jones,  director  of  music  at 
Columbia  University,  gave  several  instrumental  selections;  Mr.  Pennell,  tenor 
solos,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Ball  at  the  piano ;  and  Mr.  Rice,  a  monologue. 

There  were  present  as  special  guests.  Dr.  James  Hulme  Canfield,  LL.D., 
librarian  of  Columbia  University  and  ex-president  of  the  Ohio  State  Univer- 
sity, and  Capt.  Grote  Hutchinson,  U.  S.  A.,  who  was  present  not  only  in  his 
personal  capacity  as  a  guest,  but  also  as  the  official  representative  of  Maj.- 
Gen.  H.  C.  Corbin,  U.  S.  A.,  an  Ohio  man  in  command  of  the  department  of 
the  East,  who  was  unable  to  be  present.  The  guests  were  introduced,  and 
spoke  in  an  entertaining  manner,  their  remarks  being  here  given  in  full. 

Captain  Hutchinson  said :  "  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen : — It  is  need- 
less to  say  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  be  here,  but  I  cannot  but  feel  that  I  have 
been  perhaps  a  bit  badly  treated  in  being  asked  to  make  a  speech.  The  other 
day  Mr.  Watson  came  over  to  Governor's  Island  to  make  a  personal  call  on 
General  Corbin,  and  invited  him  to  come  over  to  this  meeting,  and  until  to-day 
General  Corbin  had  expected  to  come,  but  he  found  very  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly that  he  was  called  off  to  Washington  this  afternoon,  and  in  his  in- 
imitably courteous  way  he  turned  and  said :  '  Captain  Hutchinson,  I  can't 
go  to  the  Ohio  Society  this  evening.  Go  over  and  represent  me.'  And  that  re- 
minds me  of  last  year,  when  Mr.  Watson  came  over  to  Governor's  Island  and 
General  Chaffee  was  there,  and  General  Chaffee  being  similarly  called  off  on 
some  dut}^,  could  not  be  here,  so  at  the  last  moment,  as  evening  came  on,  he 
said,  '  Hutchinson,  I  can't  go  over  to  that  Ohio  Society  to-night.  You 
just  go  over  and  represent  me.'  It  seems  a  little  bit  ludicrous  to  me  to  be 
called  upon  to  represent  either  Chaffee  or  Corbin.  I  cannot  do  it,  however 
much  I  would  like  to,  nor  am  I  able  to  entertain  you  as  they  would,  were 
either  of  them  here.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  begin  to  do  it,  and,  in  fact,  I  feel, 
standing  up  before  you,  a  good  deal  like  an  old  Irish  captain  of  mine  once  ex- 
pressed his  feelings.  His  name  was — but  never  mind  his  name — he  was  a 
great  character.    I  will  not  try  to  imitate  the  Irish  brogue,  as  my  predecessor 

427 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

here  on  the  floor,  Mr.  Ross,  has  done,  but  this  captain  was  a  great  character. 
He  was  one  of  those  long,  lean,  lank  Irishmen,  with  a  red  head,  a  lot  of  brogue 
and  a  hoarse  voice.  He  meant  well,  and  never  said  anything  funny  in  his  life 
that  he  knew  of.  One  day  he  was  trying  to  dress  his  company  and  wanted  a 
soldier  off  on  the  left  flank  to  get  up  on  the  line.  He  tried  for  a  while  to 
get  him  in  line,  but,  failing,  finally  out  of  all  patience  yelled  to  his  lieutenant, 
'  Lieutenant,  lieutenant ;  I  can't  get  that  man  up  on  the  hne.  Will  you  please 
hit  him  a  kick  with  your  sabre.' 

"  Another  time,  when  he  had  gotten  himself  rather  disliked  by  the  young- 
sters at  the  post — he  was  a  bit  of  a  martinet — there  was  a  good  deal  of  talk 
and  gossip  about  him,  as  many  of  the  young  fellows  wanted  to  get  back  on 
the  old  man.  One  day  I  was  making  a  call  at  his  house,  and  after  twenty  or 
thirty  minutes  got  up  to  go,  having  made  no  reference  to  the  gossip.  Just 
as  I  was  stepping  down  from  the  porch  he  said  in  a  whisper :  '  Hutchinson, 
they  do  be  telling  a  lot  of  dom  lies  about  me  around  this  post,  but  I  am  sincere . 
in  every  one  of  them.'  (Laughter.)  He  was  that  kind  of  a  man.  I  will  give 
you  the  gist  of  the  story  I  started  to  tell  you.  At  one  of  the  army  posts  we 
used  to  have  an  officer's  school  presided  over  by  a  major,  and  to  this  school 
the  captains,  as  well  as  the  subalterns  of  the  post,  were  required  to  go.  We 
usually  had  to  recite  in  tactics,  or  drill  regulations,  were  given  tasks  to 
study,  and  were  called  upon,  of  course,  every  afternoon,  or  two  or  three  after- 
noons in  a  week,  to  assemble,  and  each  would  be  required  to  get  up  and  explain 
some  subject  to  the  major  and  to  the  assembled  officers.  Of  course  to  the 
second  lieutenants,  most  of  them  young  fellows  just  out  of  West  Point,  the 
tasks  came  easy.  They  studied  little  and  recited  well.  For  the  first  lieu- 
tenants it  was  a  little  more  difficult,  but  they  generally  got  through  creditably. 
The  captains  were  older,  and  of  the  lot,  of  course,  our  Irish  captain  did  the 
poorest.  He  was  also  the  oldest  captain  at  the  post.  This  had  gone  on  for  a 
week  or  ten  days,  and  after  a  particularly  bad  recitation  on  the  part  of  our 
captain,  and  at  which  he  felt  very  much  mortified,  he  turned  to  the  major  and 
said:  *  Major,  and  the  officers  assembled  here  to-day,  I  want  to  apologize  for 
the  poor  recitations  that  I  make.  There  is  nobody  at  the  post  that  studies 
tactics  harder  than  I  do.  I  don't  suppose  there  is  anybody  in  the  post  that 
makes  as  poor  recitations;  but,'  he  says,  'Major,  Major,  when  I  get  out  in 
front  of  my  troop  and  I  put  my  left  foot  in  the  stirrup,  swing  my  body  upon 
my  horse,  let  my  right  foot  swing  over  his  croup  and  settle  into  my  saddle, 
then,  Major,  my  mind  is  pregnant  with  ideas.'  I  feel  to-night  a  good  deal  like 
that  old  captain  did  when  he  was  up  before  the  recitation  committee.  I  feel  that 
I  am  making  a  ver}'^  poor  show,  a  very  poor  face  at  a  speech  or  at  entertaining 
you,  but  perhaps  if  you  were  a  crowd  of  recruits  lined  up  before  me  and  I 
was  captain,  perhaps  my  mind  would  be  '  pregnant  with  ideas.' 

428 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  I  don't  suppose  that  a  man  who  has  been  nearly  twenty-five  years  con- 
nected with  the  service  of  the  United  States,  the  army,  as  I  have  been,  is 
expected  to  make  much  of  a  speech.  It  is  proverbial  how  poor  a  speech  an  army 
officer  makes,  especially  when  he  comes  up  unprepared  as  I  am  to  make  any 
speech  at  all.  You  will  have  to  excuse  me.  I  am  delighted  to  be  here ;  always 
delighted  to  meet  Ohio  people  wherever  they  are,  in  any  part  of  the  world.  I 
don't  believe  there  is  any  part  of  the  world  where  you  don't  meet  Ohio  men. 
I  remember  three  years  ago  last  summer,  after  we  made  the  march  from  Tien 
Tsin  to  Pekin — and  that  perhaps  is  as  remote  a  comer  of  the  world  as  any 
one  is  apt  to  strike — there  had  been  some  fighting  and  a  good  deal  of  stress 
and  strain  on  the  part  of  our  people  up  there.  It  was  after  we  had  been  in 
the  city  of  Pekin  a  week  or  ten  days,  who  should  walk  into  my  office  one  after- 
noon but  an  Ohio  man,  an  Ohio  man  who  perhaps  many  of  you  know.  He 
came  with  all  kinds  of  letters.  He  had  at  that  time  no  regular  commission  in 
the  army,  but  a  title  as  a  volunteer  A.  D.  C,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
colonel.  He  did  not  know  just  how  he  could  find  me,  but  he  called  because  he 
was  an  Ohio  man,  and,  incidentally,  I  don't  think  he  had  much  to  do  except 
to  collect  loot.  That  was  another  evidence  of  his  being  an  Ohio  man — Ohio 
men  have  a  faculty  of  not  letting  good  things  go  by. 

"  There  is  nothing  else  I  can  say  to  you,  gentlemen,  except  that  we  would 
be  very  glad  to  see  more  Ohio  men  over  on  Governor's  Island.  Of  course  that  is 
a  little  tucked  away  corner  of  New  York.  We  rarely  have  any  of  the  repre- 
sentative gentlemen  of  New  York  come  over  to  see  us,  but  whenever  they  do 
come,  we  are  always  glad  to  extend  them  as  hearty  a  welcome  as  the  army  has 
to  offer  in  that  small  and  restricted  space. 

"  I  might  say  before  I  retire  that  General  Corbin  was  much  disappointed 
at  being  unable  to  be  with  you  to-night,  and  expressed  the  hope  that  he  could 
be  present  with  the  members  of  the  Society  at  its  next  meeting,  and  I  am  sure 
he  is  holding  a  date  open  to  be  present  with  you  on  the  occasion  of  your  annual 
dinner.     I  thank  you  gentlemen."      (Applause.) 

Dr.  Canfield  said :  "  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society : — 
I  wish  very  much  that  I  had  the  voice  of  that  tenor  to-night,  instead  of  this 
bass  voice,  very  bass  voice ;  but  I  have  brought  this  nine  hundred  miles  in  order 
to  be  here  and  that  must  partly  excuse  its  condition.  I  believe  it  was  an  Ohio 
man  who  on  a  somewhat  memorable  occasion  rode  twenty  miles  in  order  to 
scatter  a  large  armed  force,  and  I  take  it  for  granted  if  he  could  ride  twenty 
and  accomplish  that,  at  the  end  of  a  nine  hundred  mile  ride  I  may  be  able 
to  scatter  some  of  you,  as  I  see  some  of  you  are  scattering  already. 

"  I  was  a  little  in  doubt  as  to  the  sort  of  an  experience  I  should  have 
here  to-night.  There  is  an  expression  in  common  use  to-day  which  is  very 
clear  and  distinct  in  its  meaning  to  those  who  understand  the  highest  forms 

4S9 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  niceties  of  the  English  language,  and  that  is  the  expression  to  '  string ' 
a  person.  Evidently  somebody  has  been  '  stringing '  me,  because  I  expected 
this  evening  to  encounter  something  of  a  mixture  of  the  Quill  Club  of  this 
city  and  the  Gridiron  Club  of  Washington,  with  the  Authors'  Club  and  the 
Century  Club  thrown  in  for  good  measure;  and  how  one  man  could  fit  him- 
self to  all  the  different  phases  of  thought  and  life  that  such  an  organization 
represents  was  quite  a  problem.  Instead,  I  find  the  kindly  faces  of  old-time 
neighbors  and  friends. 

"  You  must  not  expect  me  to  show  my  age  by  beginning  with  reminis- 
cences. Of  course,  I  could  tell,  for  instance,  that  I  was  bom  in  the  old  town 
of  Delaware,  and  bathed  in  that  memorable  sulphur  spring  both  night  and 
morning  regularly  for  some  months,  though  really  I  do  not  think  that  has 
an3rthing  whatever  to  do  with  the  present  condition  and  reputation  of  the 
spring.  Some  honor  and  credit  might  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  our 
next  door  neighbor  was  a  young  lawyer  named  Hayes,  Rutherford  B.,  and 
that  his  charming  young  wife  was  one  of  the  helpers,  who,  in  the  absence  of 
the  trained  nurses  of  to-day,  came  in  and  assisted  the  new  minister's  first  boy 
into  the  world.  I  might  even  add  that  on  the  day  of  my  birth  dear  old  Dr. 
Williams  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  faculty  of  Wesleyan  University,  and 
when  forty-five  years  afterwards  I  came  back  to  the  state  to  take  up  educational 
work,  he  was  still  there,  still  the  oldest  member  of  the  faculty,  still  at  work; 
a  delightful  old  man,  as  some  of  you  may  possibly  remember. 

"  But  it  is  never  safe  to  go  into  details  about  oneself.  I  had  a  sad  ex- 
perience once,  in  this  matter,  when  a  youngster.  I  told  just  a  little  too  much. 
I  went  to  Chicago  and  stopped  at  the  old  St.  James  Hotel.  The  clerk  pushed 
the  register  before  me.  It  was  the  first  hotel  register  I  ever  had  to  sign,  for 
my  father  or  some  other  member  of  the  family  had  always  done  the  registering. 
I  looked  at  it  with  some  trepidation,  but  wanted  to  make  a  good  bluff  and  not 
look  too  green.  I  noticed  that  the  record  seemed  to  be  made  up  of  certain 
items.  The  first  was  evidently  the  date,  August  7th.  The  next  was  the  name 
of  the  patron  of  the  hotel.  The  next  evidently  told  the  place  where  he  came 
from.  Then  there  was  a  column  in  which  there  were  certain  figures.  I  studied 
that  for  quite  a  while,  and  finally  concluded  it  was  where  people  who  regis- 
tered put  down  their  ages.  I  wondered  very  much  that  they  had  been  so  many 
old  men  who  had  registered  there  that  night,  97 — S2 — 86 — 77 — 91,  but  in 
order  that  I  might  show  that  I  was  up-to-date  in  every  way  and  that  I  had 
traveled  and  was  not  green,  I  wrote  my  name  and  my  residence,  then  New 
York,  and  added  21.  I  shall  always  remember  with  sinking  heart  the  way 
I  felt  when  the  young  fellow  turned  that  book  around  and  looked  at  the  entrj^, 
and  then  smiled  and  said,  '  That's  all  right,  sonny,  but  that  is  the  bridal 
chamber,  and  I  do  not  think  you  want  that.'     I  assure  you,  gentlemen,  I  feel 

430 


OHIO  SOaETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

now  all  that '  gopeness  '  that  I  felt  then.  When  a  man  makes  a  break  like  that 
he  always  remembers  it.  No,  it  is  not  safe  to  say  too  much  about  oneself. 
Other  people  have  gotten  into  trouble  when  going  into  details.  I  noticed  not 
long  ago  that  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  who  had  with  him  the  governor 
of  Indiana,  who  had  come  to  help  him  in  a  campaign,  stopped  a  couple  of 
bootblacks  to  have  their  shoes  shined.  Tlie  governor  of  New  Hampshire  be- 
gan to  talk  about  himself — very  foolish  thing — and  said,  '  Boys,  you  are  do- 
ing now  what  you  probably  will  never  have  a  chance  to  do  again ;  3'ou  are 
blacking  the  shoes  of  two  governors.  I  am  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  my  friend  here  is  the  governor  of  Indiana.'  The  larger  of  the  two  boys 
looked  up,  and  said,  '  Is  that  so.  Say,  don't  give  it  away,  but  I  am  Odell  of 
New  York,  and  this  little  runt  here  is  the  governor  of  New  Jersey.' 

"  When  I  first  received  the  invitation  from  the  gentleman  who  has  charge 
of  the  destinies  of  this  club  and  of  the  destinies  of  the  gentlemen  who  appear 
before  you — perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  say  of  the  destinies  of  the  club 
and  the  reputation  of  the  gentlemen  who  appear  before  you — I  thought  to 
go  about  this  whole  matter  in  a  truly  scientific  up-to-date  manner.  I  recalled 
that  a  gentleman  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  connected  with  a  great  university,  not 
long  ago  published  a  statement  based  upon  a  careful  study  of  '  Who's  Who 
in  America.'  The  results,  facts  and  statistics  which  he  said  he  found,  were 
very  peculiar.  I  thought  I  would  examine  the  book  and  see  if  it  could  be 
made  the  basis  of  the  few  feeble  remarks  that  I  was  destined  to  make  before 
you  this  evening.  I  went  through  it  very  carefully.  There  were  14,876  names 
of  distinguished  Americans  in  the  book  (I  may  have  the  count  wrong),  my 
recollection  is  that  13,827  were  bom  in  Ohio.  It  is  barely  possible  that  this 
may  be  shaded  a  very  little,  and  it  may  be  a  little  over,  but  that  will  do  for 
round  numbers  at  least.  Of  the  men  born  in  Ohio  not  one,  as  far  as  I  could 
determine,  and  I  examined  the  book  very  carefully,  not  one  of  them  has  ever 
served  a  term  in  the  penetentiary ;  or  was  ever  convicted  of  any  serious  crime. 
The  state  that  can  breed  and  rear  men  who  will  so  nearly  fill  to  overflowing 
the  only  book  of  nobility,  the  only  book  of  peerage,  that  this  country  possesses, 
is  certainly  a  state  of  which  one  may  be  proud. 

"  Having  completed  the  statistical  study,  the  next  step  was  that  which 
we  all  take  nowadays — we  are  learning  the  good  old  German  method  of  thor- 
oughness— that  is,  to  get  right  on  the  ground  and  inspect.  We  call  it  inde- 
pendent work,  research  work.  I  thought  it  would  pay  to  get  on  the  ground. 
I  left  here  about  half-past  five  on  Tuesday  of  last  week.  Parenthetically,  it 
may  not  be  out  of  place  to  add,  that  when  I  got  to  Philadelphia,  being  inter- 
ested in  the  result  of  our  city  election,  and  having  fifteen  minutes  there,  I  ran 
down  to  a  telephone  and  called  up  a  friend  of  mine  who  is  connected  with  the 
press  of  this  city,  a  gentleman  noted  for  his  shrewdness  in  affairs  of  state. 

431 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  conversation  was  in  this  wise:  'Who's  that?'  'Canfield;  what's  the 
result?  '  '  What  result?  '  '  The  result  of  the  election.'  '  Where  are  you  that 
you  are  asking  about  the  result  of  the  election?  '  '  I  am  in  Pliiladelphia.' 
'  Are  you?  '  '  Well,  just  keep  traveling.'  These  were  the  only  returns  that 
I  could  get  until,  at  Harrisburg,  where  I  took  a  61,000  mileage  ticket,  and 
kept  traveling.  It  struck  me  that  was  about  the  best  thing  to  do..  I  was 
going,  however,  in  the  direction  of  light  and  fresh  air  for  I  landed  in  Ohio, 
got  other  returns  which  were  cheerful,  and  left  there  only  yesterday.  So  if 
not  the  last,  I  am  perhaps,  the  latest  Ohioan  who  has  come  here  to-night  direct 
from  the  old  state.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  be  made  the  bearer  of  a  personal 
message  to  this  association  from  Governor  Nash,  whom  I  met  in  his  office  at 
the  capitol  last  Saturday,  with  whom  I  had  a  very  delightful  conference,  and  he 
sent  his  warmest  greetings  to  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

"  Gentlemen,  the  one  thought  which  always  comes  to  me  in  connection 
with  the  life  of  Ohio  and  the  history  of  Ohio  and  the  name  which  Ohio  men 
have  made  for  themselves,  and  the  one  thought  which  I  wish  to  leave  with  you 
to-night,  is  this:  Ohio  was  the  first  evidence  that  was  given  to  the  world  of 
the  purpose  and  undertaking  of  the  American  people  to  create  a  great  nation 
in  this  wilderness  of  God  across  the  sea.  If  you  had  selected  in  the  year  1800 
five  of  the  most  competent  administrators  in  this  country,  five  of  the  ablest 
financiers,  five  men  whose  life  and  experience  and  success  were  such  as  to  com- 
mend them  to  the  confidence  of  the  American  people,  and  you  had  made  them  a 
committee  on  the  creation  and  development  and  betterment  of  Ohio,  and  had 
put  back  of  them  the  treasury  of  the  United  States  and  had  promised  them  un- 
limited drafts  on  that  treasury,  and  had  said  to  them :  '  Gentlemen,  in  less 
than  a  century  make  that  wilderness  blossom  like  the  rose,  give  it  a  population 
of  four  millions,  put  a  school  house  with  open  door  within  walking  distance  of 
every  family  in  the  state,  establish  industries  and  build  factories,  create  cities 
and  bring  together  innumerable  smaller  communities,'  that  committee  would 
have  laughed  at  you,  its  members  would  have  resigned,  and  the  nation  would 
have  said  that  it  was  the  most  preposterous  undertaking  the  world  had  ever 
seen,  and  that  any  man  who  even  dreamed  of  a  movement  like  that  was  simply 
stark  mad.  Yet  that  thing  has  been  done,  and  most  magnificently  done ;  done 
in  the  most  intelligent  and  in  the  most  thorough  manner;  done  with  a  force 
never  abating ;  done  with  an  energy  that  was  unconquerable ;  done  with  a  deter- 
mination that  was  never  broken  down ;  done  with  an  optimism  that  has  never  for 
an  instant  yielded  to  any  conditions  or  any  circumstances  and  become  that  most 
contemptible  of  all  things  in  an  American  citizen — pessimism.  That  dream 
was  not  realized  by  external  power  and  force,  it  was  not  done  by  a  committee 
of  great  men,  of  great  financiers,  of  great  administrators,  of  men  who  were 
particularly  wise  or  experienced ;  was  done  by  our  fathers'  fathers  and  the 

432 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

women  who  went  with  them  into  that  wilderness.  It  was  done  by  American 
common  people,  the  most  uncommon  people  God's  sunlight  ever  shone  upon. 
That  is  why  we  glory  in  the  history  of  that  state.  It  was  the  men  who  walked 
beside  their  white  covered  wagons  day  after  day,  as  they  sought  this  new 
home,  and  the  women  who  sat  looking  out  with  tired  and  longing  eyes,  and 
yet  eyes  in  which  there  was  neither  fear  nor  despair;  these  were  the  men  and 
women  who  went  into  that  wilderness  and  mastered  it  and  made  it  the  garden 
spot  to-day.  I  speak  of  them  as  a  common  people — I  mean  exactly  what  I 
say.  They  were  people  along  that  great  average  line  of  American  life,  the 
line  in  which  we  all  ought  to  believe  most  absolutely,  and  for  the  rise  of  which 
we  ought  to  give  thanks  most  religiously.  It  is  a  magnificent  thing  that  many 
and  many  a  man  has  gone  beyond  that  average  line,  and  is  helping  to  lift  that 
average  because  he  has  passed  above  it.  It  is  a  sad  thing  that  there  are 
thousands  still  below  that  average  line,  and  apparently  thousands  will  always 
remain  below  it  and  therefore  drag  it  down.  But  it  is  a  superb  thing  that  by 
the  combination  of  industry  and  integrity  and  intelligence  that  average  line 
has  constantly  risen,  has  never  once  swung  backward,  and  is  still  rising, 
and  is  higher  to-day  than  the  average  of  life  in  any  country  under  the 
sun. 

"  These  walls  are  eloquent  with  the  portraits  of  distinguished  men.  Not 
a  single  man  here  who  did  not  come  out  of  exactly  that  type  of  American  fam- 
ily. Not  one  in  those  frames  who  was  not,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  a  self- 
made  man,  and  with  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  his  job.  That  is  all  the  Ameri- 
can asks,  the  self-respecting  American;  freedom  in  his  choice  of  way,  and 
freedom  in  his  right  of  way  after  he  has  entered  upon  it.  He  has  back  of  him 
the  American  public  school,  and  side  by  side  with  him  the  American  public 
anxious  to  see  him  succeed.  He  lives  in  a  country  in  which  society  is  not 
stratified,  in  which  there  is  freedom  of  movement  from  the  top  to  the  bottom 
as  well  as  from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  for  we  still  in  this  country  send  the  evil 
men  down  as  well  as  help  the  good  men  up.  This  is  a  country  in  which  the 
likeliest  is  still  to  be  found  in  the  unlikeliest  places.  Look  over  the  men  you 
see  here,  the  men  whose  faces  are  upon  these  walls,  and  see  if  that  last  state- 
ment is  not  exactly  true.  I  rode  last  Saturday  towards  old  Worthington,  near 
the  farm  where  Chase  as  a  boy  followed  the  cows,  where  he  lived  with  his  uncle, 
then  bishop  of  that  state.  Whoever  dreamed  that  the  boy  who  had  gone  there 
simply  to  get  the  elements  of  education  would  ever  be  the  man  standing  as  he 
will  stand  for  all  time  with  a  resplendent  reputation  among  the  most  resplen- 
dent Americans.  That  is  the  glory  of  Ohio,  that  is  the  glory  of  this  country 
from  start  to  finish,  that  must  be  the  glory  of  this  countr}'  for  all  time  to 
come.  We  are  safe  in  this  country  just  as  long  as  we  give  our  attention  to 
that  great  average  American  line — we  are  safe  just  as  long  as  we  are  willing 

433 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  recognize  that  in  the  common  people  and  in  the  whole  people  lie  wholesome- 
ness  and  strength.  These  men  became  great  leaders,  that  is  true;  but  not 
one  of  them  could  have  written  his  name  upon  the  scroll  of  fame  if  he  had  not 
had  an  intelhgent  following.  A  leader  is  a  very  necessary  thing  in  this  world, 
but  an  intelligent  following  is  that  which  makes  for  success.  These  men  had 
back  of  them  men  who  could  understand  the  situation,  who  could  think  with 
them  and  feel  with  them,  and  move  as  one  man  because  they  moved  toward  a 
common  end,  with  a  common  purpose,  bom  of  a  common  hope,  all  quickened 
and  guided  by  common  intelligence.  We  are  what  we  are  to-day,  gentlemen, 
because  we  have  kept  close  together,  as  men  kept  close  together  through  those 
pioneer  days  in  the  upbuilding  of  our  state ;  and  we  cannot  afford  to  go  apart 
under  any  circumstances  whatever.  We  sent  down  to  the  front  during  that 
great  struggle  for  nationality  young  fellows  who  seemed  frail,  so  physically 
frail  and  weak  and  unenduring,  that  we  wondered  that  they  could  possibly 
bear  the  struggle  and  the  trials  and  the  stress  and  strain  that  came  with 
camp  life  and  forced  marches  and  the  lying  out  under  the  silent  stars.  They 
were  maintained  by  the  magical  touch  of  the  elbow,  man  to  man  they  felt  an 
electric  thrill,  which  told  them  they  were  working  in  a  common  cause  and  that 
each  stood  by  the  other.  We  must  keep  that  magical  touch  of  the  elbow, 
gentlemen,  if  we  are  to  succeed,  and  we  must  keep  it  in  absolutely  good  faith. 
As  I  came  back  over  that  nine  hundred  miles,  swift  as  the  wind  itself,  almost 
absolutely  safe,  was  I  dependent  upon  the  chiefs  of  administration,  the  men  who 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  different  departments  of  these  great  railways.?  Yes,  in 
a  certain  sense;  but  infinitely  more  dependent  upon  the  intelligence  and  the 
integrity  and  the  good  faith  and  the  loyalty  of  common  men,  working  men, 
who  in  their  daily  lives,  and  toiling  on  during  the  night,  made  it  safe  for  me 
to  journey  as  I  did.  I  tell  you,  gentlemen,  the  history  of  the  Western  states 
is  the  history  of  a  people  who  kept  together,  who  thought  together,  who  felt 
together,  who  were  stirred  by  one  purpose,  who  were  sympathetic  through  and 
through.  We  cannot  afford  under  any  circumstances  whatever  to  go  away 
from  that  old  idea.  When  I  think  of  Ohio  to-day,  of  what  it  means,  of  what 
it  has  stood  for  in  all  the  past,  of  what  it  stands  for  to-day,  the  greatest  lesson 
that  it  can  possibly  teach  is  the  lesson  which  I  have  tried  to  give  you  in  just 
these  few  words  to-night.  I  am  going  to  leave  that  thought  with  you  just  as 
it  is,  without  amplification,  with  no  argument,  no  illustration.  Simply  take  it, 
turn  it  over  in  your  minds,  fill  out  the  outline,  round  it  out,  make  it  attractive, 
make  it  forcible,  if  you  will.  It  is  the  one  thought  continually  present  when- 
ever the  history  of  this  country  is  studied  carefully  with  consideration,  with 
the  thoughtfulness  which  every  American  ought  to  study,  the  history  of  his 
own  land. 

"  I  give  you  in  closing  this  sentiment :  '  The  Ohio  man,  the  men  of  the 

434. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

past  and  of  the  present,  and,  God  grant,  of  the  future;  men  who  have  been 
kingly  citizens  and  citizen  kings,  may  they  never  be  dethroned.'  " 

The  annual  meeting  of  1903  was  held  at  the  Hotel  Manhattan  on  the 
evening  of  November  30th,  as  the  29th  fell  on  Sunday.  After  dinner  had 
been  served,  reports  of  the  various  committees  and  officers  were  presented. 
That  of  the  treasurer  was  very  comprehensive,  and  showed  the  total  assets  of 
the  Society  to  be  $12,755.05.  The  report  of  the  governing  committee  was  as 
follows : 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York : 

"  Your  governing  committee  beg  to  report,  and  with  pleasure,  that  our 
Society  has  continued  to  grow  during  the  past  year,  both  in  acquiring  new 
members  and  adding  very  materially  to  our  bank  balance. 

"  November  29,  1902,  our  membership  numbered  286  resident  and  159 
non-resident,  or  a  total  of  445  members.  To-day  we  have  308  resident  and 
197  non-resident,  total  of  505  members.  We  have  elected  during  the  year  99 
members,  and  lost  by  death,  not  qualified,  resignation  and  non-payment  of 
dues  39  members,  leaving  a  gain  of  60  for  the  year. 

"  Our  worthy  treasurer  will  read  you  his  very  interesting  report,  which 
will  show  the  members  how  we  have  improved  our  financial  condition  during 
the  year,  our  present  bank  balance  being  the  largest  the  Society  has  had 
during  its  existence. 

"  The  entertainments  provided  by  our  entertainment  com.mlttee,  together 
with  the  large  reception  given  at  our  rooms  to  Ohioans  living  in  New  York  city 
and  vicinity,  were  the  means  of  bringing  us  many  new  members,  and  your 
board  of  governors  recommend  that  these  entertainments  be  continued  during 
the  coming  year,  as  the  members  and  their  friends  are  brought  together  In  a 
sociable  way,  becoming  better  acquainted  and  more  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  Society. 

"  We  trust  the  members  will  use  their  best  endeavors  to  further  the  inter- 
ests of  our  Society  In  a  manner  that  the  good  showing  at  the  end  of  the  coming 
year  will  eclipse  any  of  the  previous  ones. 

"  Respectfully  submitted, 

"  James  G.  Newcomb,  Chairman." 

The  Society  proceeded  to  election  of  oflficers  for  the  coming  year,  and  the 
following  named  gentlemen  were  chosen  unanimously:  President,  John  J. 
McCook;  vice-presidents,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Lowell 
M.  Palmer,  Eben  B.  Thomas,  J.  D.  Layng;  secretary,  Francis  M.  Apple- 
gate  ;  recording  secretary,  Charles  W.  Morris ;  treasurer,  Samuel  H.  Parsons ; 
trustees,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Horace  H.  Brockway,  Andrew  ]\IcClean  Parker. 

435 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Mr.  Hoyt,  the  retiring  president,  expressed  his  hearty  appreciation  of 
the  honor  the  Society  had  done  him  in  electing  him  its  president  in  the  past, 
and  regretted  his  inabihty  to  serve  longer  in  that  capacity,  on  account  of  other 
duties  which  would  render  it  impossible  for  him  to  again  take  the  office.  Mr. 
Hoyt  said :  "  Fellow  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York :  This  is  the 
last  time  that  I  can  speak  to  you  from  the  president's  chair,  so  if  I  am  going 
to  speak  to  you  from  that  chair  I  must  do  it  now.  I  am  reminded  of  the  story 
of  a  certain  Irishman  who  was  dying,  and  his  friends  gathering  round  him, 
he  called  them  together,  and,  whispering,  said :  '  Now,  boys,  when  its  all  over 
and  ye  take  me  out  to  the  simetery  I  want  yez  all  to  stop  at  Tim  Murphy's 
saloon  on  the  way  out  and  have  a  good  drink.'  They  said :  '  O,  Pat !  Never ! 
We  won't  do  that.  We'll  stop  at  Tim  Murphy's  coming  back.'  '  The  devil 
you  will.  You  will  not  stop  coming  back ;  you'll  stop  going  out,  because  then 
I'll  be  wid  yez.' 

*'  But,  joking  aside,  gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society,  I've  been  your  presi- 
dent now  for  two  years.  Circumstances  over  which  I  have  no  control  render  it 
impossible  for  me  to  hold  the  office  longer.  I  want  to  say  to  you  that  in  my 
entire  life  I  have  never  held  an  office  with  as  much  pleasure  as  the  office  of 
president  of  this  Society,  and  the  reason  for  that  is  because  no  man  ever  pre- 
sided over  a  better  body  of  men  than  the  Ohio  Societ}'^  of  New  York,  and  as 
I  must  leave  this  chair  now  I  want  to  say  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  I 
am  delighted  to  have  follow  me  that  magnificent,  that  gallant  son  of  Ohio, 
Col.  John  J.  McCook.  We  Ohioans  are  proud  because  he  belongs  to  the 
'  Fighting  McCooks,'  and  we  defy  any  other  state  in  the  Union  to  produce  ten 
in  one  family  and  fifteen  in  two,  every  one  of  whom  fought  for  his  country. 
Ohio  alone  could  raise  nine  sons  and  a  father  that  could  fight  through  the 
Civil  War — and  all  but  one,  by  the  way,  were  officers — unusual  for  an  Ohioan 
— and  that  one  had  an  office  offered,  but  declined  it. 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,  as  the  seventeenth  year  of  our  existence  has 
closed,  and  we  are  entering  on  the  eighteenth,  I  can  only  bespeak  for  my  suc- 
cessor the  support — the  loyal  support — that  all  the  officers,  all  the  members 
of  the  different  committees  and  every  member  of  the  Society  has  always  given 
me.  Gentlemen,  I  love  you  all,  and  I  cannot  help  it;  and  now.  Colonel  Mc- 
Cook, if  you  wiU  rise,  I  will  take  great  pleasure  in  fastening  around  your 
neck  the  insignia  of  your  office,  the  president's  badge.  Your  neck  is  much 
larger  than  mine,  but  I  think  it  will  go  around. 

(Mr.  Foye  proposed  three  cheers  for  the  retiring  president,  which  were 
given  with  a  will.) 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  before  our  new  president  really  gets  started,  I  pro- 
pose we  all  fill  our  glasses,  and,  standing,  drink  to  the  health  of  Col.  John  J. 
McCook,  the  president  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York." 

436 


Colonel   John    J.    McCook 
President  from  November  30,  1903 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

(All  fill  their  glasses  and  drink  to  the  health  of  Colonel  McCook,  and 
give  three  cheers  and  a  tiger.) 

Colonel  McCook  said :  "  Mr.  Hoyt  and  fellow  members  of  the  Ohio  So- 
city  :  I  know  of  no  honor  which  can  come  to  a  man  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
lives  in  New  York  equal  to  that  of  being  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Ohio 
Society.  It  would  not  be  true  to  the  truth  of  things  if  I  did  not  say  that  I 
am  very  proud  to  have  had  that  honor  conferred  upon  me. 

"  The  satisfaction  and  pleasure  that  I  feel  upon  my  promotion  is  coupled 
with  the  sad  consciousness  that  as  an  organization  we  are  losing  the  official 
services  of  Colgate  Hoyt,  who  has  been  an  exceptionally  able  and  successful 
president  of  this  Society.  I  am  painfully  aware  of  the  fact  that  it  is  no  easy 
thing  to  follow  in  his  footsteps,  and  very  well  know  that  my  ejfforts  will  be 
fruitless  and  a  failure  unless  I  have  the  loyal  support  of  the  other  officers  and 
members  that  has  always  been  given  to  Mr.  Hoyt  while  he  has  been  president 
of  the  Society. 

"  No  one  could  listen  to  the  reports  that  have  been  made  here  to-night 
by  the  chairmen  of  the  respective  committees  without  feeling  that  this  is  no  one 
man  organization.  An  active  president  can,  of  course,  be  very  useful,  but  he 
cannot  accomplish  all  that  he  ought  for  the  Society  without  the  loyal,  hearty 
support  of  his  fellow  officers  and  of  the  chairmen  and  members  of  the  various 
committees,  and  of  the  great  body  of  the  membership  of  the  Society.  I  know 
that  I  cannot  accomplish  anything  as  your  president  unless  I  have  that  sup- 
port. I  crave  it,  and  must  have  it.  I  ask  it  to-night  not  for  myself  alone, 
but  for  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  this  Society,  which  we  all  respect  and 
honor. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  in  New  York  stands  for  something.  It  is  made  up  of 
representative  men.  We  are  often  asked  what  it  is  that  makes  the  Ohio  man 
successful  in  business  and  in  public  life,  whether  he  remains  in  his  own  state 
or  journeys  abroad,  whether  his  career  is  in  politics,  in  the  army,  in  the  navy 
or  in  the  public  service.  There  is  no  time  to-night  to  give  in  detail  the  reasons 
for  this;  but  there  are  reasons,  and  good  ones,  too,  to  account  for  the  ex- 
ceptional and  successful  part  taken  by  Ohio  men  in  the  commercial  and  public 
affairs  of  our  country. 

"  The  dominant  and  controlling  factors  in  this  matter  have  been  well 
presented  by  an  old  Painesville  boy,  Alfred  Mathews,  now  of  Philadelphia, 
in  his  valuable  book  recently  issued,  entitled  '  Ohio  and  Her  Western  Re- 
serve.' This  is  a  splendid  book,  that  makes  every  right-minded  Ohio  man 
more  proud  of  his  state,  and  I  recommend  each  one  of  you  to  get  a  copy  and 
read  it  as  soon  as  possible.  My  recommendation  is  all  the  more  earnest  from 
the  fact  that  much  of  what  I  say  to  you  is  taken  from  the  book,  either  by  way 
of  adopting  his  ideas  or  by  using  Mr.  Mathews'  exact  words. 

437 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Under  the  almost  universal  law  of  natural  selection,  the  men  and 
women  who,  in  the  first  instance,  tore  themselves  away  from  the  hampering  re- 
strictions upon  human  rights,  as  they  existed  under  the  despotic  governments 
then  prevailing  in  Europe,  and  crossed  the  seas  to  find  a  new  home  in  America, 
were  the  very  best  of  their  respective  countries.  They  loved  and  longed  for 
the  right  to  exercise  freedom  of  thought,  and  for  personal,  religious  and 
poHtical  liberty.  They  hungered  for  the  right  to  live  and  govern  them- 
selves in  a  new  land  where  freedom  of  conscience  and  high  ideals  could  flourish 
amid  prosperity  and  plenty. 

"  Under  this  law  of  natural  selection  the  men  and  women  who  stood 
ready,  by  emigrating  to  America,  to  meet  and  overcome  the  dangers  of  sea 
and  land,  of  storm  and  tempest,  of  hostile  Indians  and  of  fell  disease,  were 
people  of  strong  bodies,  possessing  great  physical  and  moral  courage.  They 
were  master  spirits  who  dared  to  live  up  to,  and,  if  need  be,  to  die  for  what 
they  believed  in.  Impelled  by  a  mighty  and  masterful  purpose,  they  overcame 
every  obstacle,  founded  the  American  colonies  and  established  this  nation,  of 
which  we  are  all  so  proud. 

"  As  Mathews  points  out.  New  England  was  peopled  chiefly  by  the 
Puritans  from  old  England ;  New  York  by  the  Dutch  and  English ;  Pennsyl- 
vania by  the  Quakers,  Germans  and  Scotch-Irish;  Virginia  again  by  English, 
but  quite  diff'erent  from  those  who  settled  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut ;  and 
Maryland  by  still  another  element. 

"  The  children  of  these  first  emigrants,  coming  from  the  best  family  and 
racial  stock  of  their  time,  were  the  ones  who  fought  through  the  Colonial 
and  Revolutionary  wars  and  secured  for  themselves  and  for  their  descendants 
freedom  and  independence  from  European  domination. 

"  The  great  Ordinance  of  1787,  that  surpassingly  wise  enactment  of  an 
early  Congress,  which  was  only  less  important  than  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  which  may  not  improperly  be  regarded  as  the  '  ordinance 
of  freedom,'  opened  up  the  magnificent  and  almost  unlimited  territory  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  river,  and  by  law  dedicated  it  forever  to  religious,  personal 
and  political  freedom  and  to  the  establishment  of  schools  and  of  the  higher 
education. 

"  These  kindred  and  congenial  principles  grew  and  developed  there. 
The  announcement  of  these  constitutional  provisions  drew  to  the  Ohio  terri- 
tory, by  that  same  law  of  natural  selection,  all  the  best  elements  of  the  Ameri- 
can colonies.  Mathews  again  says  that  of  the  states  not  included  among  the 
original  thirteen,  but  admitted  to  the  Union  before  Ohio,  Vermont  was  settled 
by  people  from  Massachusetts  and  New  York,  Kentucky  by  those  from  Vir- 
ginia, and  Tennessee  by  those  from  North  Carolina,  but  Ohio  was  settled  by 
people  from  all  of  these,  by  elements  from  each  and  every  state  in  the  confed- 

438 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

eracy ;  in  other  words,  Ohio  was  settled  by  the  people  of  the  United  States. 
Hers  was  tlie  first  territory  to  be  absolutely  representative  of  the  entire  people. 
Within  her  borders  the  liitherto  racially  different  or  long-separated  consan- 
guineous elements — in  some  instances  estranged,  in  others  emasculated — 
or  enervated  through  dearth  of  fresh  blood — came  into  contiguity — 
finally  to  be  blent  into  a  homogeneous  whole,  and  so  to  advance  by  another 
stage — and  a  huge  one — the  evolution  of  a  race.  It  would  savor  of  extrem- 
ism to  go  further  and  to  say  that  these  once  widely  dissevered  and  dissimilar 
elements  coming  together  in  a  virgin  land,  not  only  advanced  an  old,  but 
founded  a  new  race;  and  yet,  what  were  these  elementary  fragments  in  the 
old  states  but  colonies  of  English  Puritans  and  Cavaliers  and  Quakers,  of 
Scotch-Irish  and  Germans?  And,  in  a  certain  sense,  were  not  the  Ohioans 
truly  the  first  Americans? 

"  We  thus  have  in  the  people  of  Ohio  a  new  race  of  men,  the  most  dis- 
tinctively American  men,  the  true  composite  American,  the  first  of  his  kind 
that  has  been  produced  upon  this  continent.  ( Great  applause. )  Why  should 
not  such  men  succeed  wherever  they  may  be?  They  and  their  immediate 
ancestors  were  born  right;  they  had  lived  right;  they  possessed  the  highest 
ideals  of  patriotism,  and  they  were  ready  to  fight,  and  if  need  be  to  die  for  the 
right.  They  possessed  the  elements  of  the  highest  manhood,  and,  gentlemen, 
facing  you  as  I  do  to-night  as  your  official  representative,  it  would  not  be 
modest  for  me  to  express  or  for  you  to  listen  to  anything  more  upon  that  line ; 
but  there  are  good  reasons  why  Ohio  is  the  state  she  is  and  why  Ohio  men  are 
the  men  they  are. 

"  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  you  are  here  in  a  representative  capacity 
in  this  metropolis  of  the  great  New  World,  and  as  such  you  have  a  mission  to 
perform.  I  do  not  feel  it  is  altogether  selfish  when  I  call  upon  you  one  and  all 
to  sustain  in  every  possible  way  the  best  interests  of  this  Society.  If  during 
the  course  of  this  year  you  receive  conununications  not  only  from  the  other 
officers  of  the  Society,  but  possibly  a  personal  note  from  me,  asking  you  to  do 
this  thing  or  that  which  will  advance  the  interests  of  the  Society,  by  increasing 
its  membership  or  in  any  other  way,  I  hope  you  will  feel  and  respond  to  the 
obligation  which  rests  upon  you  to  comply  with  such  requests. 

"  I  have  already  said  too  much ;  more  than  I  intended ;  but  I  do  wish  to 
express  my  hearty  appreciation  of  what  has  been  done  for  the  Ohio  Society  by 
Mr.  Colgate  Hoyt,  the  retiring  president,  and  by  the  chairman  and  members 
of  the  respective  committees.  I  beg,  and  I  know  I  shall  not  ask  in  vain,  that 
those  efforts  may  be  continued  in  the  best  interests  of  our  Society  and  thus 
maintain  the  high  character  and  reputation  of  the  great  state,  of  which  we  are 
all  so  proud."     (Great  applause.) 

In  introducing  Governor-elect  Herrick,  President  McCook  said :  "  We 

439 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

have  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  to-night  a  gentleman  that  I  have  the  satis- 
faction of  calling  a  personal  friend.  About  a  month  ago  the  leaders  in  the 
campaign  in  Ohio  were  concerned  about  the  outcome  of  the  elections — some 
of  the  leaders,  I  should  say,  not  all.  But  the  alarm  or  concern  that  was  then 
felt  seems  to  have  been  without  foundation,  for  when  the  election  came  about 
the  gentleman  who  is  our  guest  to-night,  the  governor-elect  of  Ohio,  the  Hon. 
Myron  T.  Herrick  (great  applause),  was  elected  to  the  governor's  chair  of 
Ohio  by  the  largest  vote  ever  given  for  any  citizen  by  the  people  of  that 
state.  I  think  the  last  time  I  heard  the  figures  there  was  a  plurality  of  126,- 
000.  I  understand  that  our  guest  is  so  popular  out  in  Ohio  that  all  the  people 
in  the  state  who  did  not  vote  for  him  are  sorry,  and  would  now  like  to  be  counted 
in  and  change  their  votes.  The  polls  are  closed,  and  the  figures  are  made  up, 
but  we  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  our  fellow  member,  the  next 
Governor  of  Ohio,  will  be  a  man  whom  we  can  all  respect  and  honor.  We  can 
look  upon  his  career  with  unbounded  satisfaction.  I  wiU  now  ask  Grovemor- 
elect  Herrick  to  favor  us  with  a  few  remarks."     (Great  applause.) 

Governor  Herrick  said:  "Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  So- 
ciety: It  gives  me  an  especial  pleasure  to  meet  with  this  warm  reception  from 
the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society.  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  election  of 
your  splendid  president.  Colonel  McCook.  It  is  not  unlike  .my  own  election  in 
some  respects — in  its  unanimity.  I  am  certain  that  Colonel  McCook's  case  will 
not  be  like  that  of  the  man  who  was  sent  to  Congress.  He  went  in  with  little 
opposition,  and  when  he  went  out  there  was  none  at  all. 

"  I  noted  with  pleasure  the  intense  interest  taken  in  our  contest  in  Ohio 
from  all  her  devoted  sons  throughout  the  country.  It  may  be  truly  said, 
'  Once  an  Ohioan,  always  an  Ohioan.'  I  find  here  to-night  many  former  Ohio- 
ans,  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  country — all  interested  in  their  native 
state.  I  am  reminded  of  the  story  of  the  little  girl,  who  said  to  her  mother: 
*  Mamma,  where  was  I  bom .'' '  '  You  were  bom  in  Texas.'  '  Where  was  papa 
bom  ?  '  '  He  was  bom  in  Maine.'  '  Where  were  you  bom  ?  '  '  Why,  I  was 
bom  in  Ohio.'     '  How  in  the  world  did  we  ever  all  get  together.'' '  " 

Governor  Herrick  then  devoted  some  time  to  the  recent  election  in  Ohio 
and  other  matters  of  local  interest,  and  in  conclusion  said : 

"  When  two  men  stand  for  the  great  office  of  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  platforms  upon  which 
they  stand,  whatever  names  they  bear,  should  line  up  for  these  principles  of 
our  republican  form  of  government,  for  it  should  be,  whether  in  state  or 
national  elections,  first,  our  country;  second,  our  party. 

"  If  the  result  of  our  campaign  has  been  to  strengthen  the  old  line  Jeffer- 
sonian  Democratic  party,  to  that  I  say  '  Amen.'     (Applause.) 

"  The  nation  has  confronted  several  emergencies  of  this  kind  during  its 

440 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

national  life,  when  the  people  were  called  upon  to  place  patriotism  above  party 
— business  interests  above  politics — once  in  1860  and  again  in  1896.  The 
people,  apparently,  when  sorely  oppressed,  wander  away  from  their  anchorage, 
but  in  good  time  they  return  again  to  the  fold,  and  it  is  always  gratifying  to 
know  that  after  all  the  smoke  and  noise  of  a  great  campaign  have  subsided, 
there  after  all  has  been  no  danger.  The  sweet  spirit  of  patriotism  and  na- 
tionalism, higher  than  they,  rise  above  all  party  and  factional  antagonisms, 
and  we  find  ourselves  still  upon  firm  foundations.  I  thank  you,  gentlemen." 
(Great  applause.) 

President  McCook,  in  introducing  the  next  speaker,  said :  "  We  have 
with  us  to-night,  as  a  guest  of  honor,  our  fellow  member,  a  gentleman  that 
this  Society  always  delights  to  honor  and  delights  to  listen  to — the  Hon. 
James  H.  Hoyt,  of  Cleveland,  will  now  speak  to  us."     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Hoyt  said :  "  I  have  been  thinking  since  I  have  been  sitting  here  of 
certain  startling  and  deplorable  changes  that  have  occurred  in  our  political 
and  civil  life  since  I  last  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with  you  at  one  of  your 
annual  meetings,  only  two  short  years  ago.  It  would  be  unseemly  and  im- 
proper for  me  to  discuss  the  causes  of  those  changes.  We  might  differ  about 
them,  and  I  would  not  want  to  sound  any  discordant  note  here.  Causes  that 
might  seem  to  me  to  be  simple  might  strike  you  as  complex. 

"  Nevertheless,  the  changes  that  have  occurred  in  these  two  years  are 
facts,  and  as  patriotic  sons  of  Ohio,  and  patriotic  Americans,  it  would  be  well 
for  us  to  consider  these  changes. 

"  Only  two  years  ago  the  North  and  South  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
everything  except  that  their  sons  had  stood  together  on  the  decks  of  govern- 
ment war  vessels  cleared  for  action,  and  had  won  glorious  victories  for  the 
Republic,  while  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floated  at  the  mast-head.  They  had 
forgotten  everything  except  that  they  had  suffered  together  for  a  common 
cause,  had  slept  together  under  one  tent,  and  lain  side  by  side  in  hospital  cots. 
There  was  no  strife  between  them  except  the  patriotic  strife  to  see  who  could 
go  forward  the  fastest  and  the  farthest.  Together  they  had  carried  Old 
Glory  up  the  blood-stained  heights  of  El  Caney,  and  planted  it  in  triumph 
there.  But  now  it  seems  as  if  the  North  and  South  were  further  apart  than 
they  have  been  since  Sumter  was  fired  upon. 

"  When  I  met  with  j^ou  two  years  ago  business  men  were  prosperous  and 
hopeful.  New  enterprises  were  being  inaugurated,  and  all  the  various  activi- 
ties of  our  commercial  life  were  healthful.  Now  an  unrest  seems  to  have 
smitten  the  business  interests  of  the  United  States.  Two  years  ago  the 
'  race  question  '  seemed  to  be  somehow  solving  itself.  Now  it  is  one  of  the 
burning  issues  of  the  hour.  Two  years  ago  the  relations  between  capital  and 
labor  seemed  to  be  fairly  satisfactory.     Capital  was  voluntarily  increasing 

441 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

wages ;  labor  seemed  to  be  reasonably  content.  Now  capital  seems  never  to  have 
been  more  harassed  and  troubled,  and  labor  never  so  discontented ;  and,  as  I  am 
speaking  here  to-night,  four  cities  of  this  Union  are  substantially  under  mar- 
tial law,  in  order  to  protect  the  lives  and  property  and  rights  of  citizens. 

"  Now  I  am  no  pessimist.  Like  Governor  Herrick,  I  believe  in  the  future 
of  the  Republic,  and  I  am  strengthened  in  that  belief  because,  just  at  this 
anxious  and  troublesome  time,  Ohio  has  again  spoken  for  good  government 
and  for  common  sense.  We  have  had  an  election  in  Ohio,  you  will  remember! 
It  happened  just  twenty-six  days  ago.  You  may  have  heard  of  that  election. 
I  agree  with  the  governor  that  it  would  not  be  a  proper  subject  for  discussion 
on  a  non-partisan  occasion  like  this  if  it  were  in  any  sense  a  partisan  triumph ; 
but  it  was  not  a  partisan  triumph.  It  was  just  as  much  a  victory  for  good 
Democracy  as  it  was  a  victory  for  good  Republicanism.  It  was  the  triumph 
of  sanity  over  insanity;  of  the  school-house,  the  college,  the  church,  the 
counting-house  and  the  factory  over  the  lunatic  asylum.  It  was  the  triumph 
of  order  over  disorder,  of  good  government  over  bad  government,  or,  rather, 
over  no  government  at  all.  It  was  the  triumph  of  the  peaceable,  grateful  flame 
that  burns  on  the  American  hearthstone  over  the  lurid  flame  lighted  by  the 
torch  of  incendiarism.  It  was  the  triumph  of  intelligence  over  ignorance,  of 
discretion  over  '  crankism.'  We  laid  two  '  cranks '  away  to  rest  out  in  Ohio 
last  month,  and  the  Angel  of  Freedom,  who  is  always  present  when  we  have 
an  election  in  Ohio,  wrote  a  certain  handwriting  on  the  wall,  which  is  a  warning 
to  all  other  '  cranks.'  It  was  a  great  victory !  It  brought  peace  and  inspira- 
tion to  the  hearts  of  thousands  of  patriots.     It  gave  them  new  courage. 

"  Why  is  it  that  we  won  such  a  signal  victory  in  Ohio  .'*  I  will  tell  you  the 
reason,  my  friends,  in  my  judgment.  Mr.  Herrick  was  elected  governor  of  the 
state  of  Ohio  by  the  largest  majority  ever  given  a  governor,  and  Uncle  Mark 
Hanna  will  be  sent  to  the  senate  of  the  United  States  by  the  largest  majority 
that  any  legislature  ever  gave  to  any  senator  from  Ohio;  not  alone  because 
Mr.  Herrick  is  intelligent  and  able,  and  had  obtained  the  confidence  of  our 
people ;  not  alone  because  Uncle  Mark  Hanna,  the  stalwart,  the  unintimidated, 
the  indomitable,  the  generous  and  the  far-seeing,  stood  for  all  that  is  best  in 
our  national  life,  but  because,  and  chiefly  because,  these  two  men  were  the 
most  conspicuous  friends  of  one  of  the  greatest  men  Ohio  has  ever  produced. 
They  were  friends  of  William  McKinley,  and  if  any  national  administration 
was  indorsed  by  the  people  of  Ohio  at  that  election,  it  was  the  last  administra- 
tion of  William  McKinley. 

"  Colonel  McCook  has  said  that  some  of  the  Ohio  men  living  here  in 
New  York  regretted  that  they  could  not  come  out  to  Ohio  and  vote  at  that 
election.  I  regret,  and  deeply  regret,  that  we  Ohio  men  who  live  out  home 
could  not  have  come  here  to  New  York,  and  voted  at  your  election." 

442 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Colonel  ]\IcCook :  "  We  certainly  needed  the  votes  more  than  Governor 
Herrick  and  Uncle  Mark ! " 

President  McCook  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  were  two  ex- 
presidents  of  the  Ohio  Society  present — Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett  and  Hon. 
Milton  I.  Southard.  He  felt  that  a  few  remarks  from  them  would  be  in 
order.     Both  gentlemen  responded  briefly  to  the  point. 

General  Burnett  said :  "  Mr.  President,  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio 
Society : — I  think  it  is  waxing  late,  and  we  have  heard  much  speaking  and  of 
a  high  order,  and  I  will  not  make  you  a  speech.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  is 
but  a  word  to  be  said,  and  of  personal  greeting,  perhaps,  and  a  word  of 
eulogy  I  want  to  say  for  our  retiring  president.  His  incumbency  of  this 
office  I  have  watched,  and  worked  with  him  at  times,  and  he  has  excited  my 
profound  admiration.  He  brought  to  bear  in  the  executive  work  here  in  the 
administration  of  his  office  those  same  great  business  and  administrative  quali- 
ties he  had  displayed  throughout  his  business  life.  He  gave  to  his  work  an 
enthusiasm,  a  tact  and  a  diplomacy  unparalleled.  He  has  made  the  Society 
during  his  administration  more  sucessful  than  it  has  ever  been  before.  I  con- 
gratulate him  upon  his  good  work,  and  I  congratulate  you  that  he  was  3'our 
president.  He  is  succeeded  by  a  gentleman  whom  I  have  known  long  and 
honored  much,  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  this  state,  standing  at  the  head  in 
our  profession,  in  the  law.  He  is  honored  by  the  bench  and  bar,  and  is  a 
man,  a  '  kindly  man,  moving  among  his  kind,'  a  man  whom  we  all  honor  and 
esteem.  He  will  give  you  a  good  administration.  He  suceeds  to  a  difficult 
task,  following  brother  Hoyt,  but  we  will  give  him  our  loyal  support.  I  ask 
you  all  to  gather  about  him  in  fellowship,  in  loyalty,  in  enthusiasm,  to  keep 
this  Society  to  the  front  in  the  future  as  it  has  been  in  the  past.  You  stand 
to-day  recognized  by  the  whole  of  this  nation  as  the  first  society  in  the  state 
of  New  York.  You  stand  first  as  men  of  affairs,  as  men  of  intelligence.  You 
take  the  membership  of  this  Society,  and  you  will  find  in  this  body  the  men 
that  are  the  moving  spirits  of  the  great  financial,  the  great  commercial,  the 
great  business  interests  of  this  city.  In  every  department  of  life  you  have 
the  vigor  and  the  force  and  the  intelligenfce,  and  you  have  moved  to  the  front 
for  that  very  reason.  Now  stand  by  him.  Put  this  Society  to  the  front,  and 
stand  as  you  have  stood  in  the  past,  as  the  first  of  the  great  social  bodies  here 
in  this  great  metropolis.     I  thank  3^ou."     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Southard  said :  "  Gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Society : — I  had  hoped 
that  I  would  be  let  alone  to-night,  and  I  am  very  grateful  to  General  Burnett 
for  reminding  you  that  the  hour  is  late;  but  whether  early  or  late  I  promise 
you  not  to  detain  you  long. 

"  I  am  very  much  disappointed  in  the  character  of  the  speeches  which  we 
have  had  here  to-night.     I  had  hoped  that  they  would  be  of  a  character  that 

443 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

would  give  place  to  a  little  story  that  I  thought  about,  but  they  have  been 
of  that  unquestioned,  sober-minded,  elegant  character  that  a  story  would 
scarcely  fit.  (Colonel  McCook:  'Tell  it.')  I  have  got  to  tell  it  because  I 
haven't  anything  else,  but  I  have  to  apologize  for  telling  it.  A  new  senator 
came  into  Washington  some  years  ago,  and  he  didn't  wait  long  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  a  flamboyant  speech,  and  he  felt,  whether  any  one  else  did 
or  not,  that  it  was  the  great  event  in  the  history  of  his  country,  and  some- 
body asked  Senator  Hamlin  what  he  thought  of  the  speaker's  effort.  '  Well,' 
he  says,  '  it  reminds  me  of  an  old  story  of  a  farmer  down  near  Portland, 
Maine.  He  came  into  town  on  a  very  cold  day  with  a  load  of  hay.  He  sold 
his  hay  and  came  into  the  hotel  and  stood  around  the  fire  for  a  time  warming 
himself,  and  then  asked  the  proprietor  if  he  could  not  give  him  a  drink. 

*  Well,'  he  said,  '  you  know  we  cannot  sell  here ;  it  is  a  temperance  town. 
We  cannot  sell  anything  by  the  drink.'  '  Haven't  you  got  nothing  you 
could  let  a  fellow  have .'' '  '  Well,  I  could  let  you  have  a  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne. That  is  all  I  can  do.'  '  Let  me  try  it,'  he  says.  He  took  it.  It 
was  poured  out,  and  he  drank  it  down,  wiped  his  lips  and  seemed  to  enjoy  it; 
put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  get  his  wallet  to  pay  for  it.  *  How  much  is  it?  ' 
he  says.  *  $2.50.?  '  '  $2.50 !  that  is  all  I  got  for  my  load  of  hay.  The  drink 
was  pretty  much  all  froth  at  that.'  That  was  the  way  that  speech  was." 
Now,  you  see  it  has  no  application  here  to-night,  for  we  have  had  no  froth. 

"  Now,  I  don't  know  what  I  am  standing  here  for,  as  I  surely  haven't 
any  speech.  I,  of  course,  could  lend  my  compliments  to  our  retiring  president, 
and  could  reiterate  and  indorse  all  that  has  been  said  before.    With  the  Ohioan 

*  nothing  short  of  too  much  of  a  good  thing  is  enough,'  so  I  give  it  my  most 
bearty  approval.  He  has  given  this  Society  an  exhibition  of  executive  ability, 
of  energy  and  indomitable  effort  in  seeing  that  banquets  were  properly  or- 
ganized. He  has  had  few  equals  and  no  superiors.  He  had,  of  course,  pre- 
ceding him,  our  splendid  president  General  Burnett.  We  had  supposed  when 
he  retired  that  we  never  should  have  good  banquets  again,  and  we  have  felt 
year  by  year  something  of  an  apprehension  as  to  the  future.  How  will  we  get 
another  banquet  to  equal  the  last  has  been  the  solicitious  inquiry.  But  when 
the  next  comes  we  think  it  the  best  we  have  ever  had,  and  I  guess  it  is  true. 
And  so,  my  fellow  members,  we  need  have  no  fear  for  the  future.  The  selec- 
tion of  Colonel  McCook  as  our  new  president  is  one  that  gives  earnest  of  the 
greatest  hope  and  promise.  We  know  that  the  standard  of  this  Society  will 
still  be  maintained  in  the  future,  and  it  is  a  standard,  too,  that  we  may  well 
be  proud  of.  And  it  is  one  fraught  with  important  consequences,  for  as  we 
stand  each  year  at  our  annual  banquets  in  this  city  we  are  standing  before 
not  only  the  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  that  may  be  present,  but  we  are 
standing  before   eighty   millions   of   people,   for  what  is   said   and   done   at 

444 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

these  banquets  is  heralded  by  the  Associated  Press  from  one  end  of  the  coun- 
try to  the  other.  We  have  a  high  mark,  therefore,  at  which  we  must  aim. 
Let  us  strain  to  make  our  sayings  and  doings  in  the  future  in  keeping  with  the 
past,  ever  aiming,  however,  at  still  higher  and  better  achievements,  and  our 
sun  will  not  set." 

The  president  then  said :  "  The  time  has  come  when  we  should  separate, 
and  before  doing  so  it  has  been  suggested  by  some  one  present,  for  which 
suggestion  the  officers  of  the  Society  are  not,  of  course,  responsible,  but  as  it 
seems  to  be  a  good  one,  it  is  possible  our  governing  committee  will  take  it 
under  advisement.  The  suggestion  is  that  an  excursion  should  be  made  up 
of  a  delegation  to  return  this  visit  of  Governor  Herrick  by  our  going  to 
Columbus  at  the  time  of  his  inauguration.  (Applause.)  It  is  not  within 
our  province  to  take  any  action  upon  such  a  recommendation  to-night,  so  I 
simply  refer  it  to  the  governing  committee  for  their  consideration.  Before  we 
part  or  adjourn  to-night  I  feel  that  we  would  not  have  done  our  whole  duty 
unless  some  member  of  the  Society  feels  it  in  his  heart  to  move  and  another 
to  second  a  motion  which  I  certainly  will  most  gladly  put,  namely,  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  our  retiring  president  and  to  such  of  the  officers  and  members  of 
the  committees  who  retire  this  year,  for  their  very  efficient  and  splendid  work 
in  the  interests  of  the  Society." 

The  motion  was  duly  made,  seconded  and  carried  unanimously  and  en- 
thusiastically by  a  standing  vote  and  cheers. 

Mr.  Southard  said :  "  Before  you  close  I  would  like  to  suggest  an  ex- 
cursion of  Governor  Herrick  to  the  Ohio  Society  banquet  that  will  take  place 
in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks." 

The  president  said  that  in  due  course  the  banquet  committee  would  be 
announced  and  the  annual  dinner  arranged  for. 

Upon  motion  duly  made  and  seconded  the  name  of  the  guest  of  honor 
of  the  evening,  the  Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick,  was  placed  in  nomination  for 
election  as  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society,  which  election  under  the  con- 
stitution and  by-laws  can  only  be  at  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  Society. 
(At  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  Governor  Herrick  was  unani- 
mousl}'^  elected  an  honorary  member.) 

The  president  then  declared  the  annual  meeting  adjourned. 
On  December  14th  the  following  house  committee  were  elected  by  the  gov- 
erning committee :  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  chairman ;  L.  D.  Morrison  and  Nor- 
man C.  Raff.  Flamen  Ball  Candler  was  elected  chairman  of  the  governing 
committee.  In  the  Society  meeting  on  the  same  night.  President  McCook  an- 
nounced the  standing  committees  as  follows :  Literature  and  art :  Charles  H. 
Niehaus,  Albert  Shaw,  Carleton  Chapman,  Robert  Johnstone  Mooney,  Peter 
F.   Collier;   entertainment:   Addison  W.   Gilmore,   Merrill   Watson,   Frederic 

445 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

M.  Nicholas,  Francis  X.  Butler,  Sturgis  Siegler  Dunham;  Library:  Emory 
A.  Stedman,  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman,  Edward  J.  Wheeler,  Daniel  Pritchard, 
James  Sherlock  Davis;*  auditing:  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Edward  H.  Childs, 
Charles  W.  Lefler,  Lewis  C.  Ruch,  J.  M.  Chandler;  historian:  James  H. 
Kennedy ;  chaplain :  Bishop  William  A.  Leonard. 

Mr.  Hoyt  moved  that  the  Society  have  a  banquet  the  coming  winter  and 
that  the  president  be  authorized,  at  his  convenience,  to  appoint  a  committee. 
It  was  so  ordered.  Mr.  Hoyt  also  moved  that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  the 
chair  to  take  into  consideration  the  celebration  at  Athens,  Ohio,  in  the  suc- 
ceeding June.  The  motion  prevailed  and  the  following  gentlemen  were 
named  as  such  committee  with  power  to  add  to  their  number :  Thomas  Ewing, 
Warren  Higley  and  Samuel  H.  Parsons. 

An  amendment  to  the  constitution,  previously  proposed  by  James  H. 
Kennedy,  creating  a  membership  committee  f  and  defining  its  duties  was  taken 
up  for  consideration  and  adopted;  as  was  also  one  providing  for  a  library 
committee,  and  also  defining  its  duties. 

Mr.  Crall  read  a  letter  from  the  first  treasurer,  Col.  William  Perry  Fogg, 
saying  that  some  years  ago  he  had  brought  a  buckeye  tree  from  Ohio  and 
planted  it  in  his  yard  at  Roselle,  N.  J.,  and  had  gathered  a  peck  of  genuine 
buckeyes  from  it  and  would  send  one  for  each  plate  at  the  annual  meeting. 
A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  Colonel  Fogg. 


*  There  seems  to  have  been  a  change  in  this  committee  subsequent  to  the  above,  as  a 
later  announcement  gives  the  library  committee  for  1904  as  follows:  Winchester  Fitch, 
chairman;  P,  Tecumseh  Sherman,  Charles  D.  Hilles,  Daniel  Pritchard,  Frederic  L. 
Matthews. 

f  The  first  membership  committee  appointed  by  the  president  under  this  authority 
was  constituted  as  follows:  James  H.  Kennedy,  chairman;  Colgate  Hoyt,  R.  J.  Chard, 
James  G.  Newcomb  and  Emory  A.  Stedman. 


446 


CHAPTER    XX 
1904 

AT  the  meeting  on  January  11,  1904,  ex-President  Southard  presided 
in  the  absence  of  President  McCook,  who,  with  Mr.  Hoyt  and  other 
members  of  the  Society,  was  attending  the  inauguration  of  Governor 
Herrick,  at  Columbus,  Ohio.    The  following  telegram  was  read : 

"  Columbus,  O.,  January  11,  1904. 
"  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  Waldorf,  N.  Y. 

"  Governor  Herrick  inaugurated  amid  great  enthusiasm.  Special  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  at  exercises  in  State  House,  on  reviewing  stand, 
at  governor's  reception,  and  at  all  social  functions  for  the  twenty  members  of 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  who  were  present. 

(Signed)       "Hoyt  and  McCook." 

By  formal  vote  of  the  Society  the  following  response  was  immediately 
placed  upon  the  wires: 

"  Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick,  Governor  of  Ohio,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  in  session  this  evening  has  instructed 
me  by  an  unanimous  vote  to  extend  our  hearty  congratulations  to  our  fellow 
member,  the  new  Governor  of  Ohio. 

(Signed)        "  M.  I.   Southard." 

Mr.  Kennedy,  the  historian,  reported  he  had  spent  a  very  pleasant  after- 
noon with  Col.  William  Perry  Fogg  at  his  home  in  Roselle,  N.  J.,  and  con- 
veyed to  him  personally  the  feeling  of  the  Society  toward  him.  He  then  pro- 
posed the  name  of  Colonel  Fogg  for  honorary  membership,  to  be  acted 
upon  at  a  later  meeting.  Mr.  Niehaus,  chairman  of  the  art  committee,  dis- 
played a  picture  of  a  buckeye  tree,  amid  great  applause.  The  following 
resolution,  offered  by  Mr.  Crall,  was  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  It  is  deemed  highly  desirable  to  have  prepared  a  correct 
chronological  history  of  the  Society  from  its  inception  and  organization, 
therefore,  be  it 

447 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

*'  Resolved,  That  the  governing  committee  be,  and  it  hereby  is,  authorized 
and  requested  to  cause  such  a  history  to  be  prepared,  and  to  employ  such  as- 
sistance in  the  work,  at  such  compensation,  as  it  may  seem  proper,  and  also 
to  appoint  a  special  committee  of  five  members  to  supervise  and  approve  the 
work." 

Mr.  Applegate,  secretary  of  the  banquet  committee,  reported  that  said 
committee  had  held  a  meeting  and  decided  to  hold  the  annual  banquet  on  the 
evening  of  M^rch  5th,  and  it  was  presumed  that  Governor  Taft,  the  new 
Secretary  of  War,  would  be  the  guest  of  honor,  he  having  accepted  an  in- 
vitation to  be  present. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  February  8th,  Mr.  Candler  reported 
that  pursuant  to  the  resolution  passed  at  a  former  meeting,  the  governing 
committee  had  appointed  the  following  as  a  committee  on  the  history  of  the 
Society:  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Judge  Warren 
Higley,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Leander  H.  Crall. 

It  was  remarked  as  a  matter  of  sad  interest  in  connection  with  this 
meeting,  that  while  one  committee  presented  resolutions  in  memory  of  Hon. 
Charles  Foster,  ex-governor  of  Ohio,  another  was  appointed  to  take  similar 
action  in  regard  to  Hon.  Asa  L.  Bushnell,  another  ex- govern  or  of  Ohio. 
William  Perry  Fogg,  the  first  treasurer  of  the  Society,  was  unanimously 
elected  an  honorary  member.  The  Society  was,  after  the  business  meeting, 
entertained  by  Tappen  Adney,  a  member,  in  an  interesting  and  instructive 
talk  on  "  The  Klondike  Stampede,"  illustrated  with  stereopticon  views. 

Another  pleasant  and  successful  reception  to  the  ladies  was  given  at  the 
rooms  on  February  18th,  at  which  the  following  programme  was  rendered: 

a.  "  Caprice,"  .  .  .  .  .  Sindlng 

b.  "  The  Butterfly," Lavalle 

Mr.  Harold  S.  Briggs. 

a.  "  Thou'rt  Like  Unto  a  Flower,"  .  .         Snow 

h.  "  Because,"  .....  d'Hardelot 

Mr.  F.  M.  Nicholas. 

a.  "  Preislied  aus  Meistersinger,"      .      Wagner-Wilhelmj 

b.  "  Ronde  des  Lutins,"       ....  Bazzini 

Miss  Marie  Nichols. 

a.  "  The  Nightingale's  Song,"       .  .  .  Nevin 

b.  "  Sweetheart,  Thy  Lips  Are  Touched  with 

Flame,"     ChadwicTc 
Miss  Florence  N.  Lewis. 
Readings. 

Miss  Martha  Hicks  Dye. 

448 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a.  "  Had   a   Horse," Korhay 

b.  "  Turn  Ye  lo  Me,"       .  .  .  .Old  Scotch 

c.  "  Love's  Dilemma,"        ....      Richardson 

Mr.  Percy  Hemus. 

Monologue. 

Mr.  Walter  W.  Waters. 
a.  "  Tlie  Lotus  Flower,"       ....     Schumann    * 
6.  "  Haymaking,"  ....  Needham 

Katharine   Cordner  Heath. 
a.  "  Introduction  et  Scherzo,"  .  .  .  Lalo 

Miss  Nichols. 

"Break,  Break,  Break,"  ....         BucJc 

Mrs.  Heath,  Miss  Lewis,  Mr.  Nicholas,  Mr.  Hemus. 

The  Army  and  Navy  Banquet  given  by  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York, 
at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  March  5,  1904,  with  Hon. 
William  Howard  Taft,  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United  States,  and  recently 
Governor  of  the  Philippines,  as  the  chief  guest  of  honor,  was  a  great  success 
in  every  meaning  of  the  word,  and  worthy  to  be  classified  with  the  former 
remarkable  gatherings  of  a  similar  nature,  held  under  the  auspices  of  this 
organization,  of  which  this  was  the  eighteenth.  In  addition  to  the  Hon.  Sec- 
retary of  War,  there  sat  at  the  president's  table,  a  number  of  other  gentle- 
men prominent  in  connection  with  these  two  arms  of  the  national  service,  or 
distinguished  in  other  walks  of  public  life.     Among  them  were: 

Hon.  George  Edmund  Foss,  member  of  Congress  from  Illinois,  chair- 
man of  the  House  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 

Hon.  Charles  B.  Landis,  member  of  Congress  from  Indiana. 

Lieut.-Gen.  Adna  R.  ChaflPee,  U.  S.  Army. 

Rear-Admiral  J.  Crittenden  Watson,  U.  S.  Nary. 

Hon.  Charles  H.  Darling,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Maj.-Gen.  Henry  C.  Corbin,  U.  S.  Army. 

Rear-Admiral  Frederick  Rodgers,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Capt.  Willard  H.  Bronson,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick,  Governor  of  Ohio. 

Hon.  James  E.  Campbell,  ex-Governor  of  Ohio. 

There  were  other  gentlemen  of  prominence  present,  a  list  of  those  invited 
to  seats  at  President  McCook's  table  being  here  given : 

449 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK  / 

PRESIDENTS  TABLE 

Mr.  Robert  L.  Harrison,  President  Southern  Society 

Mr.  (Colgate  Hoyt,  of  New  York 

Hon.  Nicholas  Longworth,  M.  C,  of  Ohio 

Mr.  Robert  C.  Ogden,  President  of  Pennsylvania  Society  i 

Rev.  J.  Ross  Stevenson,  D.  D.,  of  New  York 

Hon.  Robert  W.  Tayler,  of  Ohio 

Capt.  Willard  H.  Brownson,  U.  S.  N.,  U.  S.  Naval  Academy 

Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,  of  New  York 

Rear-Admiral  Frederick  Rodgers,  D.  S.  Navy 

Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  U.  S.  Senator,  New  York 

Lieutenant-General  Adna  R.  Chaffee,  U.  S.  Army 

Hon.  George  Edmund  Foss,  M.  C,  Illinois 

Hon.  Charles  Dick,  U.  S.  Senator,  Ohio 

Hon.  William  Howard  Taft,  Secretary  of  War 

Mr.  John  J.  McCook,  President  Ohio  Society 

Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick,  Governor  of  Ohio 

Hon.  Charles  H.  Darling,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy 

Hon.  Charles  B.  Landis,  M.  C,  Indiana 

Rear-Admiral  J.  Crittenden  Watson,  U.  S.  Navy 

President  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  Columbia  University 

Major-General  Henry  C.  Corbin,  U.  S.  Army 

Hon.  Edgar  M.  Cullen,  of  New  York 

Hon.  Charles  P.  Taft,  of  Ohio 

General  James  H.  Wilson,  of  Delaware 

Hon.  James  E.  Campbell,  of  Ohio 

General  Grenville  M.  Dodge,  of  New  York 

Hon.  Louis  Stern,  of  New  York 

General  James  S.  Clarkson,  of  New  York 

General  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  President  New  England  Society 

Mr.  William  Butler  Duncan,  President  St.  Andrew's  Society 

The  first  step  looking  to  the  banquet  was  taken  on  December  14,  1903, 
when  ex-president  Colgate  Hoyt.  moved  that  a  banquet  be  given  in  1904,  and 
that  the  president  be  authorized  to  appoint  a  banquet  committee  to  have  the 
matter  in  charge.  The  motion  was  carried  without  dissent,  and  at  a  later  date, 
President  McCook  announced  the  following  committee: 

Milton  I,  Southard,  chairman;  Colgate  Hoyt,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  White- 
law  Reid,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Lowell  M.  Palmer,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  John 
D.  Archbold,  Eben  B.  Thomas,  Flamen  Ball  Candler,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  War- 
ren Higley,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  David  Homer  Bates,  A. 
D.  Juilliard,  Ceilan  M.  Spitzer,  Rush  Taggart,  J.  G.  Schmidlapp,  William 
C.  Beer,  S.  H.  Parsons,  treasurer;  James  H.  Hoyt,  Henry  W.  Taft,  Charles 
Dick,  James  G.  Newcomb,  George  W.  Perkins,  John  H.  Patterson,  Jay  O. 
Moss,  Charles  A.  Moore,  Francis  M.  Applegate,  secretary. 

The  gentlemen  thus  officially  placed  in  charge  of  arrangements  recog- 
nized from  the  first  that  the  presence  of  that  stalwart  and  able  son  of  Ohio, 
the  Hon.  William  Howard  Taft,  who  had  made  so  great  a  success  as  governor 
of  the  Philippines,  and  who  was  even  then  named  as  the  coming  Secretary  of 
War,  would  make  the  banquet  a  success  even  though  no  other  guest  who 
might  be  bidden,  should  come.     President  McCook  cabled  him  at  Manila  some 

450 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

months  before  and  received  the  answer  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
accept. 

President  McCook  immediately  sent  another  cablegram  to  Governor 
Taft,  telling  him  that  he  must  come,  and  that  Ohio  would  take  no  refusal  as 
final,  and  to  this  were  attached  the  names  of  Senator  Marcus  A.  Hanna,  Sena- 
tor Joseph  B.  Foraker  and  governor-elect  Myron  T.  Herrick.  Back  came 
an  answer  under  the  sea,  and  that  answer  was,  "  I  accept." 

Thus  secure  in  the  presence  of  the  coming  Secretary  of  War,  the  banquet 
committee  set  the  machinery  in  motion  to  secure  other  prominent  representa- 
tives of  the  army  and  of  the  navy.  That  success  crowned  their  efforts,  the 
list  of  names  above  given  will  verify. 

Arrangements  were  made  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  for 
a  special  car,  in  which  to  bring  the  guests  from  Washington.  Gen.  Henry  L. 
Burnett,  ex-president  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  himself  a  distinguished  officer 
of  the  union  army  in  the  Civil  War,  went  to  Washington,  as  an  escort  repre- 
senting the  Society.  Secretary  Taft  had  come  to  New  York  in  advance, 
having  another  engagement,  but  the  others  came  in  the  special  car,  reaching 
New  York  a  little  after  3  p.  m.  on  the  day  of  the  banquet.  They  were  met 
at  the  depot  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  Judge 
Warren  Higley  and  Mr.  R.  J.  Chard,  with  carriages,  and  taken  direct  to  the 
Manhattan  Hotel. 

The  members  of  the  Society  and  their  guests  began  to  arrive  at  the 
Waldorf  at  about  6  p.  m.,  and  found  the  members  of  the  banquet  committee 
and  reception  committee  on  hand  to  receive  them.  The  gentlemen  who  had 
been  named  as  members  of  the  reception  committee  were  as  follows : 

Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  chairman ;  R.  J.  Chard,  Mason  Evans,  Francis  B. 
Swayne,  George  A.  Beaton,  L.  C.  Ruch,  S.  Frederick  Taylor,  L.  D.  Morri- 
son, C.  D.  MaGrath,  Charles  C.  TegethofF,  Henry  D.  Lyman,  H.  J.  Morse, 
Adolph  S.  Ochs,  Norman  C.  Raff,  David  Robison,  Jr.,  Charles  D.  Hilles, 
H.  B.  Brundrett,  P.  Ryan,  Cass  Gilbert,  Orrel  A.  Parker,  Warner  Ells,  E.  W. 
Oglebay,  Frank  D.  Pavey,  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman,  Frank  W.  Hubby,  Jr., 
Winchester  Fitch,  Charles  D.  Palmer,  Dr.  Roland  Hazen,  Lyman  Spitzer, 
Walter  S.  Sullivan,  William  H.  Jackson,  Nicholas  Monsarrat. 

A  little  later  Secretary  Taft  and  the  other  special  guests  were  escorted 
to  the  Waldorf,  where  an  informal  reception  was  held  in  the  Astor  Gallery. 
The  doors  of  the  banquet  hall  were  thrown  open  in  due  season,  and  the  mem- 
bers and  their  personal  guests  took  their  positions  at  the  tables  and  remained 
standing.  The  members  assigned  to  escort  the  special  guests  to  the  table  of 
honor  and  the  gentlemen  whom  they  were  to  seat,  were  as  follows:  Hon. 
William  H.  Taft,  escorted  by  President  John  J.  McCook :  Hon.  G.  E.  Foss, 
by  Judge  Warren  Higley ;  Gen.  Adna  R.  Chaffee,  by  R.  J.  Chard ;  Hon.  C. 

461 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

M.  Depew,  by  H.  B.  Brundrett;  Gov.  M.  T.  Herrick,  by  Ralph  H.  Beaton; 
Hon.  Charles  B.  Landis,  by  Milton  I.  Southard ;  Rear-Admiral  Watson,  by  L. 
D.  Morrison;  President  Nicholas  M.  Butler,  by  F.  B.  Swayne;  Gen.  H.  C. 
Corbin,  by  Orrel  A.  Parker ;  Hon.  Charles  P.  Taft,  by  W.  H.  Jackson ;  Gen. 
Grenville  M.  Dodge,  by  George  F.  Granger;  Hon.  Charles  H.  Darling,  by 
Mason  Evans;  Hon.  Robert  W.  Tayler,  by  James  H.  Kennedy;  Robert  C. 
Ogden,  by  H.  J.  Morse;  Rear-Admiral  Rodgers,  by  S.  F.  Taylor;  Hon. 
B.  F.  Tracy,  by  Adolph  S.  Ochs ;  Hon.  Edgar  M.  Cullen,  by  W.  S.  Sulhvan ; 
Hon.  James  E.  Campbell,  by  Patrick  Ryan;  Gen.  James  H.  Wilson,  by  Win- 
chester Fitch;  Wilham  B.  Duncan,  by  Lyman  Spitzer;  Robert  L.  Harrison, 
by  Clayton  E.  Strong ;  Hon.  Nicholas  Longworth,  by  Merrill  Watson ;  Capt. 
W.  H.  Brownson,  by  Louis  H.  Severance;  Hon.  Louis  Stem,  by  Charles  W. 
Lefler;  Gen.  James  S.  Clarkson,  by  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman;  Gen.  Thomas  H. 
Hubbard,  by  Charles  H.  Niehaus. 

There  was  perhaps  never  a  time  in  the  record  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
when  so  many  tables  were  set  in  the  banquet  hall.  There  were  about  sixty 
of  these,  and  those  that  could  not  find  a  place  in  the  main  room  were  set  in  tlie 
palm  garden,  or  corridor,  adjoining,  the  doors  of  which  were  removed  for 
the  occasion.    In  most  cases  there  were  ten  to  a  table,  making  over  600  present. 

The  immense  hall  was  a  beautiful  sight  when  the  doors  were  thrown  open. 
Each  table  was  adorned  with  flowers.  Back  of  the  president's  table  the  wall 
was  a  bank  of  American  flags.  Flanking  this  were  the  various  flags,  pen- 
nants and  signals  of  the  army  and  navy,  and  the  shields  of  Ohio,  New  York, 
and  of  the  United  States. 

Each  man  who  was  present,  whether  of  Ohio  birth  or  not,  proudly  wore 
a  badge  consisting  of  ribbon  bows  of  green  and  gold,  the  colors  of  the  Society, 
attached  to  a  buckeye.  These  emblems  of  Ohio  came  from  two  sources — a 
part  of  them  from  a  tree  on  the  farm  of  the  late  Senator  John  Sherman, 
at  Mansfield,  O.,  and  a  part  from  a  buckeye  tree  transplanted  from  Ohio  to 
his  estate  at  Roselle,  N.  J.,  by  Col.  William  Perry  Fogg,  first  treasurer  of 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York. 

The  souvenir  provided  for  the  occasion,  one  of  which  was  at  each  plate, 
was  an  artistic  and  very  appropriate  piece  of  work,  setting  forth  as  it  did  the 
record  of  the  American  army  and  navy.  The  following  features  which  it 
contained  are  well  worth  commendation: 

A  series  of  pictures  of  some  of  the  great  battles  that  have  been  fought 
by  our  army  and  navy  in  the  course  of  our  national  history;  pictures  of 
Bunker  Hill,  the  action  between  the  ships  Ranger  and  Drake,  that  of  the 
Bon  Homme  Richard  and  the  Serapis ;  Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie,  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans,  the  storming  of  Chapultepec,  a  view  of  Fort  Sumter 
prior  to  the  bombardment,  the  fight   between   the  Monitor   and   Merrimac, 

452 


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OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Antietam,  Gettysburg,  Lookout  IMountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  the  battle  of 
Mobile  Bay,  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay,  the  storming  of  San  Juan  Hill,  San- 
tiago, Tien-Tsin. 

Portraits  of  George  Washington,  John  Paul  Jones,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry ; 
of  Jackson,  Scott,  McClellan,  Grant,  Sherman,  Sheiidan,  Shafter,  Worden, 
Farragut,  Dewey,  Sampson,  Schley,  Chaffee — an  epitome  in  black  and  white 
of  men  who  have  shed  honor  and  glory  on  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United 
States. 

Tliis  artistic  souvenir  was  prepared  by  a  special  menu  committee  con- 
stituted as  follows :  Samuel  H,  Parsons,  chairman ;  Charles  H.  Niehaus,  Carl- 
ton T,  Chapman,  Howard  Chandler  Christy. 

In  accordance  with  the  custom  inaugurated  several  years  ago,  seats  in 
the  boxes  of  the  two  balconies  about  the  banquet  hall  were  assigned  to  the 
wives,  daughters  and  lady  friends  of  the  members.  The  doors  were  opened 
previous  to  the  speaking,  and  not  only  were  all  the  boxes  filled,  but  chairs 
were  set  back  of  them,  and  not  one  was  empty.  Each  lady  had  a  seat  as- 
signed in  advance. 

Before  the  guests  were  seated,  grace  was  said,  in  the  absence  of  Bishop 
Leonard,  chaplain  of  the  Society,  by  Rev.  J.  Ross  Stevenson,  D.  D.,  of  New 
York. 

President  McCook  made  an  ideal  toastmaster.  He  construed  his  duties 
not  to  lie  in  speech  making,  but  in  the  introduction  of  the  orators  of  the  even- 
ing.    He  did  this  tersely,  to  the  point,  and  ever  in  a  happy  manner. 

At  9:30  Colonel  McCook  arose,  and  the  presentation  of  the  orators  of 
the  evening  began.  The  programme  arranged  for  this  feature  of  the  even- 
ing's entertainment,  was  as  follows: 

TOASTS 

The  President  of  the  United  States 
The  members  of  the  Society  and  their  guests  will  respond  by  standing 
while  the  band  plays  "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner." 

The  United  States  in  the  Philippines 
Responded  to  by  the  Hon.  William  Howard  Taft,  Secretary  of  War. 

An  Adequate  Modern  Navy,   in   Constant  Readiness,   the  Best 
Safeguaed  of  Nationai.  Prosperity  and  Peace 
Responded  to  by  the  Hon.  George  Edmund  Foss,  M.  C,  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on   Naval  Affairs   of  the  House  of  Representatives   of  the 
United  States. 

453 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  Sons  of  Ohio 
Responded  to  by  the  Hon.   Charles  B.   Landis,  Member  of  Congress 
from  Indiana. 

OuE  Native  State,   Ohio,   the  Mother  of  Us  All 
Responded  to  by  the  Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick,  Governor  of  Ohio. 

The  Aemy  of   the  United   States 
Responded  to  by  Lieutenant-General  Adna  R.  Chaffee,  U.  S.  A. 

The  American   Navy 
Responded  to  by  Rear-Admiral  John   Crittenden  Watson,  U.    S.   N., 
Farragut's  Flag-Lieutenant,  and  now  the  Senior  Rear-Admiral  on  the  Active 
List  of  the  Navy. 

Colonel  McCook  said :  "  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York;  our  Honored  Guests;  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

"  In  behalf  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  it  gives  me  very  great 
pleasure  to  extend  to  you  all  a  hearty,  cordial,  buckeye  greeting.  That  refer- 
ence to  the  word  '  buckeye '  creates  enthusiasm,  and  it  is  proper  for  me  to  refer 
to  the  fact  that  the  buckeyes  which  you  are  wearing  upon  the  lapels  of  your 
coats  to-night,  came  from  the  old  farm,  in  Richland  County,  of  the  late 
Senator  John  Sherman,  of  blessed  memory,  and  came  to  us  through  the  cour- 
tesy of  Mr.  William  Perry  Fogg,  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  this  Society. 

"  The  buckeye  has  become  a  symbol  of  loyalty,  and  the  sons  of  Ohio  are 
proud  of  it,  yes,  we  are  all  proud  to  call  ourselves  Buckeyes. 

"  Owing  to  the  efficiency  of  my  predecessor  in  office,  IVIr.  Colgate  Hoyt, 
and  the  secretary,  treasurer  and  other  officers  of  this  Society,  I  am  able  to 
report  that  it  is  in  all  respects  in  a  most  prosperous  condition.  Financially, 
its  treasury  has  a  larger  credit  balance  than  ever  before.  At  the  annual 
banquet  a  year  ago,  we  had  435  members,  and  this  year  we  have  536.  I 
would  like  to  say  to  the  gentlemen  who  have  so  strongly  expressed  their  ap- 
proval of  the  report  of  our  enlarged  numbers  by  applause,  that  they  can  do 
no  better  thing  for  the  Ohio  Society  than  to  show  their  interest,  not  by  the 
use  of  their  hands  in  clapping,  but  by  signing  proposals  of  properly  qualified 
men  for  membership  in  this  Society.     (Applause.) 

"  While  the  Society  has  many  causes  for  congratulation,  with  so  many 
strangers  among  us  as  our  guests  to-night,  we  will  not  dwell  long  on  family 
matters.  It  is  only  fitting,  however,  to  refer  to  the  fact  that  while  we  have 
been  rapidly  increasing  in  membership,  we  have  also  been  seriously  depleted 
by  death.  Fifteen  members  of  our  Society  have  died  since  the  last  annual 
banquet : 

454 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

General  Samuel  Thomas 1903 

Judge  Samuel  E.  Williamson 1903 

Mr.  I.  Pennock  Merser 1903 

Mr.  H.  A.  Lozier 1903 

Capt.  Anthony  J.  Allaire 1903 

Mr.  F.  H.  Kingsbury 1903 

Hon.  Mahlon  Chance 1903 

Mr.  Albert  J.  Wise 1903 

Mir.  Thomas  C.  Campbell 1904 

Mr.  John  W.  Harman 1904 

Hon.  Charles  Foster 1904 

Hon.  Asa  S.  Bushnell 1904 

Mr.  Hoyt  Sherman 1904 

Hon.  Marcus  A.  Hanna , 1904 

Mr.  Lewis  Cheesman  Hopkins 1904 

"  That  list  contains  the  names  of  many  prominent  men,  such  as  Gen. 
Samuel  Thomas,  Judge  Samuel  E.  Williamson,  Capt.  Anthony  Allaire,  Hon. 
Mahlon  Chance,  Hon.  Hoyt  Sherman,  Hon.  Charles  Foster,  ex-governor  and 
member  of  the  cabinet,  Hon,  Asa  S.  Bushnell,  ex-governor,  and  the  last  and 
greatest  and  most  serious  loss  to  us  all,  our  dear  friend — and  every  member 
of  this  Society  has  the  right  to  consider  him  his  friend,  for  Marcus  A.  Hanna 
was  the  friend  of  all  true  men.  I  wiU  not  trust  myself  to  express  the  regret 
that  I  feel  personally,  or  that  the  members  of  this  Society  feel,  in  the  loss  of 
that  great  man.  As  others  of  the  speakers  will  make  full  and  adequate  refer- 
ence to  Senator  Hanna,  I  will  not  take  your  time  by  trying  to  give  expres- 
sion to  what  ought  to  be  said  in  his  memory. 

"  We  had  expected,  when  this  dinner  was  arranged  for,  to  have  Senator 
Hanna  with  us.  He  accepted  the  invitation  and  expressed  anticipations  of 
pleasure  at  being  here  to-night.  A  success©^  has  been  elected  to  take  his 
place  in  the  Senate,  and  we  had  hoped  to  have  him  with  us.  I  have  received 
the  following  telegram  from  General  Dick: 

"  Your  telegram  and  letter  much  appreciated.  Regret  exceedingly  the 
demands  upon  my  time  during  the  coming  week,  due  in  part  to  senatorial  elec- 
tion Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  will  absolutely  prevent  my  reaching  New  York 
in  time  for  Ohio  Society's  banquet  next  Saturday  evening,  as  much  as  I  would 
prize  this  opportunity  to  join  with  the  members  of  that  splendid  organization 
in  its  most  commendable  effort  to  properly  honor  the  Secretary  of  War.  My 
best  wishes  are  extended  for  a  highly  successful  banquet. 

(Signed)       "  Charles  F.  Dick." 

455 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  I  will  read  but  one  other  telegram,  and  that  is  from  my  predecessor  in 
office,  the  genial  Colgate  Hoyt.  (Applause.)  He  had  planned  to  be  with  us 
to-night,  but  he  has  gone  to  the  South,  and  telegraphs  this  morning  from 
New  Orleans  as  follows: 

"  Deeply  regret  I  cannot  be  with  you  this  evening.  Please  convey  best 
wishes  to  all  present  at  the  banquet,  and  especially  to  our  honored  guests. 

(Signed)       "  Colgate  Hoyt." 

"  We  have  now  passed  from  the  material  part  of  our  programme,  to  that 
of  a  higher  and  more  intellectual  type.  Loyally  and  as  in  duty  bound,  the 
first  toast  upon  an  occasion  hke  this  should  always  be  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  I  will  ask  you  to  stand  so  that  every  one  may  respond 
to  this  toast  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  remain  standing  while 
the  band  plays  the  Star  Spangled  Banner." 

(The  President's  name  was  received  with  applause  and  the  company 
enthusiastically  joined  in  singing  "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner.") 

President  McCook  continued :  "  This  is  not  the  proper  occasion,  and  if 
it  were  the  proper  occasion,  I  would  not  venture  to  take  yoiu*  time  to  ex- 
plain— or  perhaps  I  had  better  say  demonstrate — the  circumstances  and  con- 
ditions out  of  which  the  fact  grew  or  evolved  itself,  for  it  is  a  fact,  well  recog- 
nized by  the  American  people,  that  Ohio  men  are  very  successful  in  reach- 
ing political  and  official  preferment.  There  are  many  good  reasons  for  this, 
but  I  will  spare  you  from  listening  to  my  recital  of  them. 

"  In  this  presence,  however,  you  must  bear  with  me  while  I  make  brief 
reference  to  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  remarkable  examples  which  Ohio 
has  up  to  this  time  produced,  of  a  worker  and  winner  in  pubhc  office. 

"  We  all  well  know  that  the  American,  as  a  man,  and  especially  in  an 
official  position,  develops  capacity  to  accomplish  a  great  many  different  kinds 
of  things.  We  well  know  that  there  are  many  Americans  who  have  been  suc- 
cessful journalists;  we  all  know  that  a  considerable  number  of  Americans 
have  been  and  are  successful  judges  in  our  state  courts;  we  also  know  that  a 
smaller  number,  but  we  are  thankful  to  say  an  adequate  number,  of  successful 
judges  have  been  developed  in  our  federal  courts ;  but  it  has  remained  for  the 
guest  of  honor  of  the  evening  to  demonstrate  that  America  can  and  has  pro- 
duced a  man  who  in  addition  to  performing  all  these  functions  in  the  most 
satisfactory  way,  is  also  a  highly  successful  Oriental  administrator  and  gov- 
ernor. (Applause  and  cheers.)  We  never  had  to  tackle  that  kind  of  a  job 
until  recently  and  an  Ohio  man  has  done  the  trick.  (Laughter  and  applause.) 
I  will  not  dweU  upon  the  great  and  diverse  abilities  exhibited  by  our  guest 
of  honor  in  the  various  positions  which  he  has  so  honorably  and  so  splendidly 

456 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

filled,  but  no  one  questions  that  what  he  has  done  in  the  Philippines  as  the 
civil  governor  of  our  possessions  in  the  East,  is  not  only  unique  in  being  the 
first  of  its  class,  but  it  is  also  unique  in  the  results  lie  has  accomplished.  It 
was  not  simply  the  civil  administration  of  an  Eastern  province,  for  many 
Anglo-Saxons  have  accomplished  that  under  the  British  flag.  He  went  into 
a  country  far  to  the  South,  with  a  people  entirely  different  from  anything  we 
had  ever  known  or  had  practical  experience  with  in  this  country,  living  under 
laws  different  from  ours,  based  upon  the  Latin  and  not  the  Anglo-Saxon  or 
American  systems.  He  brought  to  bear  upon  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the 
Philippines  the  patient  industry  and  learning  that  had  stood  him  in  good  stead 
in  the  state  and  federal  courts  of  this  country,  and  he  was  enabled  to  outline 
and  put  into  effective  operation  a  government  and  laws  which  were  workable 
under  the  complicated  and  difficult  conditions  obtaining  in  the  East. 

"  He  not  only  accomplished  that  and  did  it  well,  but  he  governed  the 
men  of  that  far  off  Eastern  country  in  such  a  humane  and  intelligent  way 
that  they  not  only  gladly  accepted  the  law  he  established,  but  looked  up  with 
confidence  and  affectionate  regard  to  the  man  who  administered  it  and  called 
him  their  best  friend,  yes,  even  by  a  higher  name,  they  called  him  '  Taft  the 
Just.'  (Applause.)  It  is  much  more  difficult  for  any  human  governor  to 
be  just  than  to  be  gracious  or  generous  or  even  able,  and  when  people  gov- 
erned under  such  conditions  can  look  up  to  their  governor  in  that  way,  and 
bid  him  farewell  as  they  accompanied  him  to  the  ship,  with  tears  in  their  eyes, 
because  they  hardly  dared  hope  to  see  him  more,  it  was  a  wonderful  tribute  to 
what  an  American,  a  cultivated,  intelligent,  high-minded  American  could  do 
under  very  adverse  circumstances. 

"  We  have  all  come  here  to-night  expecting  to  hear  from  the  Secretary 
of  War,  upon  the  United  States  in  the  Philippines.  No  other  man  in  the 
world  is  so  able  to  speak  upon  that  subject,  and  I  consider  that  we,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  our  guests,  are  greatly  privileged  in  having 
Secretary  Taft  address  us  upon  that  subject  to-night.  It  gives  me  the  great- 
est possible  pleasure  to  present  to  you  our  brother  Buckeye,  the  first  American 
who  successfully  governed  our  possessions  in  the  East,  and  then  returned  to 
govern  us  here  at  home,  a:  some  day  he  undoubtedly  will  do,  our  Ohio  friend, 
the  Honorable  William  Howard  Taft,  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United  States." 

Hon.  William  H.  Taft  said :  "  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen 
of  the  Ohio   Society: 

"  I  am  greatly  honored  by  the  invitation  to  address  you  this  evening.  I 
received  that  invitation  before  I  left  the  Philippines,  by  cable.  I  was  conscious 
of  the  number  of  official  engagements  which  would  necessarily  confront  me, 
and,  therefore,  much  as  I  deplored  the  necessity,  I  sent  a  cable  to  your  president 
declining  the  honor.     I  then  received  a  cable — which  ran  in  this  wise: 

467 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  '  It  is  deemed  of  the  utmost  importance  that  before  sailing,  you  should 
cable  accepting  McCook's  invitation  to  the  Ohio  Society.  (Signed)  Hanna, 
FoRAKER,  Herrick.'     (Applause  and  laughter.) 

"  I  considered  that  a  cataclysm  had  been  reached  in  the  politics  of  that 
good  old  state,  and  that  probably  something  was  necessary  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliation,  and  if  I  could  be  offered  up  as  a  fatted  calf,  I  was  willing. 

"  I  had  heard  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  for  many  years,  and  I 
knew  of  their  distinguished  hospitality,  in  which  so  much  wit  and  reason 
flowed  over  the  board,  but  I  had  no  idea,  gentlemen,  of  meeting  so  formidable 
and  distinguished  a  company  as  this  to-night.  It  is  delightful  for  me  to  find 
that  here  in  this  city  of  New  York,  where  there  is  a  danger  sometimes  that  it 
should  be  thought  that  the  sun  sets  in  Hackensack  (laughter  and  applause), 
there  are  so  many  gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  blood  who  know  at  any  rate  that  the 
sun  sets  as  far  west  as  the  Ohio  valley.  To-night  I  am  to  invite  your  at- 
tention to  islands  and  their  history  which  I  fear  most  of  us  did  not  know  that 
the  sun  set  upon  at  all,  some  ten  years  ago. 

"  What  is  that  history.?  We  need  not  go  back  more  than  four  hundred 
years  to  study  the  ethnographic  history  of  the  islands  before  1,500.  Doubt- 
less the  American  sovereignty  and  the  American  interest  in  those  islands  will 
sometime  develop  most  interesting  history  of  the  tribes  that  make  up  the 
Filipino  people,  but  it  is  sufficient  for  what  I  have  to  say  to-night,  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  fact  that  four  hundred  years  ago,  Spain  with  her  war- 
riors and  her  priests  entered  that  island  and  remained  there  until  she  left  in 
1898.  Magellan,  that  bold  warrior,  whose  statue  and  monument  we  still  have 
in  Manila,  landed  at  Cebu,  and  was  shot  upon  the  island  which  lies  just 
opposite  to  the  present  town  of  Cebu.  Legazpi  founded  the  city  of  Manila, 
and  Urdeneta,  the  Recoleto  monk,  accompanied  him.  On  the  Luneta,  which 
is  a  driveway  and  public  promenade,  about  the  centre  of  Manila,  north  and 
south,  facing  Manila  Bay,  and  the  most  conspicuous  site  in  all  the  archi- 
pelago, is  a  monument  chiseled  by  a  Spanish  artist,  and  erected  after  it 
reached  the  islands,  by  the  American  military  government.  It  is  a  monument 
of  two  figures.  Legazpi  stands  with  his  sword  unsheathed,  in  his  right  hand, 
and  holding  in  his  left  the  standard  of  Spain.  Urdeneta,  the  monk,  stepping 
just  in  front  of  him,  holds  in  front  of  the  standard  of  Spain,  the  holy  cross. 
The  statue  is  instinct  with  motion,  instinct  with  valor,  instinct  with  the  cour- 
age that  carried  those  men  into  exploration  and  into  civilization  and  into 
Christianization.  In  the  center  of  the  same  Luneta  is  reserved  a  round  space 
for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  Rizal,  the  hero  of  the  Philippines ;  the  man 
who  four  hundred  years  after  the  coming  of  the  Spaniard,  sought  to  improve 
the  government  of  Spain,  and  in  his  efforts  was  consigned  to  death,  and  there, 
upon  that  same  Luneta,  fell  with  the  bullets  of  a  file  of  Spanish  soldiery. 

458 


Hon.   William   H.   Taft 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Now,  the  Spaniards  were  not  all  wicked.  We  have  a  way  of  disposing 
of  people  with  two  or  three  adjectives,  and  letting  them  go.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  Spain  was  at  the  height  of  her  power  in  those  days,  and  her  men  were 
heroes.  They  enacted  the  laws  of  the  Indies.  Those  laws  were  on  the  whole 
a  very  fair  set  of  laws,  but  the  difficulty  arose  in  their  later  administration. 
At  one  time,  Spanish  statesmen  said  to  the  King,  '  These  Philippine  Islands 
give  us  nothing  of  profit,  they  give  us  no  gold,  they  give  us  no  spices  such  as 
the  Portuguese  get ;  why  should  we  not  abandon  them .'' '  They  were  met  on 
the  other  hand  by  the  members  of  the  religious  orders  who  said,  '  There  are 
millions  of  souls  here  to  be  saved,  and  Your  Majesty  cannot  leave  these  islands; 
you  cannot  abandon  them.'  And  they  stayed.  And  those  friars  Christian- 
ized great  numbers,  by  their  efforts  as  parish  priests  through  that  archipelago, 
until  to-day  we  have  nearly  seven  millions  of  Christians,  and  the  only  Christians 
of  the  Malay  race  in  the  world. 

"  Higher  education  was  introduced  for  the  few ;  the  great  mass  were  kept 
in  a  state  of  Christian  pupilage,  if  I  may  call  it  such ;  but  there  were  a  few 
who  were  educated ;  and  coming  down  to  this  century,  in  1870,  when  republi- 
canism visited  Spain,  those  ideas  came  into  the  islands  and  affected  a  number 
of  the  educated  Filipinos. 

"  The  friars  had  obtained  such  control  over  the  people  of  the  islands, 
that  the  Spanish  king,  was  quite  willing  to  remit  to  them  not  only  all  the  re- 
ligious functions  in  the  islands,  but  also  the  civil  functions,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence there  fell  upon  the  Spanish  priests  the  business  of  the  detective,  of  the 
policeman,  of  the  schoolmaster,  and  every  other  civil  office;  and  when  persecu- 
tions were  begun  for  doubtful  political  views,  it  was  the  friars  who  were 
charged  with  instituting  them.  The  friars  were  large  landlords.  I  don't 
know,  I  don't  think,  in  fact,  that  they  were  oppressive  landlords,  but  the  fact 
that  they  were  landlords,  the  fact  that  they  were  policemen,  the  fact  that  they 
were  priests,  all  together,  created  after  1870,  a  feeling  of  bitter  hostility 
against  them.  As  this  feeling  increased  the  friars  departed  from  an  earlier 
policy — indeed,  they  had  even  before  1870 — of  encouraging  the  natives  to 
become  priests.  In  the  early  part  of  the  century,  and  before,  Filipinos  had 
been  made  priests  and  bishops,  but  later  on,  for  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years, 
the  education  of  the  Filipino  priests  was  quite  defective  and  none  of  them 
were  advanced  to  preferment  in  the  Church.  It  was  this  that  led  to  the  so- 
called  revolution  of  1870,  when  Burgos  and  a  number  of  other  native  priests 
were  killed  in  Cavite. 

"  Coming  down  to  1896,  the  feeling  was  sharpened  again,  and  we  had  the 
insurrection  of  1896,  in  which  Aguinaldo  won  his  spurs.  That  insurrection 
was  settled  by  what  was  called  the  treaty  of  Biac  na  bato.  The  insurrection 
had  been  practically  worn  out  by  the  Spanish  soldiery  and  they  were  glad  to 

459 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

make  a  treaty.  It  was  brought  about  by  the  intervention  of  two  or  three  very 
active  gentlemen  who  wanted  to  bring  it  about,  and  who  perhaps  hoped  to 
share  in  the  rewards,  and  so  represented  to  one  side  that  the  oral  part  of  the 
treaty  meant  one  thing  and  to  the  other  side  that  it  meant  another.  As  a  con- 
sequence, when  the  money  was  paid,  which  was  paid  under  the  treaty,  it  took 
very  little  to  satisfy  each  side  that  the  other  had  been  deceiving  it,  and  as  a 
consequence  in  1898,  when  Dewey  went  to  the  islands,  it  was  exceedingly  easy 
to  raise  another  insurrection. 

"  Rizal  had  been  shot  before  1898.  His  aim  had  been  not  revolution,  but 
an  improvement  in  the  Spanish  administration  and  the  removal  of  the  abuses, 
including  the  exercise  of  political  power  by  the  friars.  But  after  his  death 
the  insurrection  took  on  a  different  shape  and  Andres  Bonafacio  developed  the 
Catapunan  Society,  which  spread  rapidly  over  the  entire  islands.  He  was  not 
a  man  whose  character  was  the  highest;  indeed,  a  number  of  murders,  it  was 
said,  had  stained  his  hands,  and  in  the  custom  which  prevailed  in  the  politics  of 
those  days,  he  retired  into  a  mountain,  and  was  removed.  It  was  charged,  and 
Mabini  says  so,  that  this  was  at  the  instance  of  Aguinaldo. 

"  The  insurgent  government  was  organized  at  Malolos.  A  convention  was 
called,  and  a  very  creditable  constitution  was  adopted.  That  convention  con- 
sisted of  very  few  popular  representatives  of  the  six  or  eight  provinces  about 
Manila.  All  the  rest  of  the  representatives  were  appointed  by  Aguinaldo  to 
represent  the  other  parts,  the  other  forty -five  provinces  in  the  islands.  About 
tliis  time  there  arose  a  difference  between  Aguinaldo  and  General  Otis.  It 
became  known  to  the  Filipinos  before  it  became  known  to  the  Americans  that 
Aguinaldo  was  determined  to  break  with  the  Americans.  That  is  now  estab- 
lished by  a  written  document  in  which  it  was  agreed  on  a  Junta  at  Hong  Kong, 
between  Aguinaldo  and  others,  that  they  should  go  to  the  islands,  that  they 
should  get  guns  from  the  Americans,  that  they  should,  with  the  guns  from 
the  Americans,  drive  the  Spaniards  out,  and  then  that  they  should  use  those 
guns  to  drive  the  Americans  out.  That  created  a  split  among  those  who  had 
supported  Aguinaldo  in  making  up  his  government,  and  those  who  were  known 
as  Americanistas  withdrew  to  Manila.  Meantime  the  insurgent  government 
had  been  carried  out  in  some  six  or  eight  provinces;  governors  had  been 
appointed  and  a  form  of  government  instituted.  The  oppression  and  corrup- 
tion of  that  government  it  needs  no  testimony  to  develop.  Any  one  who  visits 
the  islands  and  converses  with  those  who  were  subjected  to  its  iron  rule  will  be 
able  to  tell  you  that  Spain  in  her  palmiest  days  was  not  able  to  equal  the 
oppression  and  tyranny  that  prevailed  during  the  eight  months  in  those  eight 
provinces. 

"  Now  I  think  you  all  know  and  recollect  as  well  as  I  can  state  it  the 
dilemma  in  which  the  United  States  found  herself  after  Dewey's  victory  and 

460 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

after  the  signing  of  the  protocol.  What  were  we  to  do?  Were  we  to  turn  the 
islands  back  to  Spain?  Had  we  done  so  doubtless  Spain  would  have  sent 
forces  there  and  probably  reconquered  the  islands  at  great  loss  of  blood  and 
life.  But  we  did  not  approve  the  government  of  Spain,  and  we  had  entered  a 
kind  of  alliance  with  the  insurgents  in  their  efforts  to  assist  us.  Second,  could 
we  turn  the  islands  over  to  the  insurgents  ?  I  know  upon  this  point  there  is  a 
great  difference  of  opinion.  I  don't  think  there  is  any  difference  in  regard  to 
the  obligation  which  we  were  under  with  respect  to  those  islands.  The  movable 
property  and  a  great  amount  of  the  building  property,  if  I  may  call  it  such, 
belong  to  foreigners.  Were  we  to  leave  the  islands  then,  the  protection  of  that 
property,  being  an  international  obligation,  either  fell  upon  us  or  justified  some 
other  nation  in  entering  the  islands  to  protect  that  property.  When  you  con- 
sider that  the  real  bone  of  contention  between  Aguinaldo  and  General  Merritt 
was  that  Aguinaldo  was  not  pei-mitted  to  enter  the  city  of  Manila  in  order  that 
they  might  have  the  justifiable  loot  which  they  had  been  fighting  for,  you  may 
understand  the  great  risk  that  would  be  run  in  trusting  to  that  government  to 
protect  international  rights.  Third,  we  could  take  the  islands  ourselves;  and 
we  did.  (Applause.)  It  is  suggested  tliat  we  might  have  formed  a  protec- 
torate, that  is,  that  we  might  have  seen  a  government  formed ;  that  we  might 
have  stationed  our  navy  in  the  bay;  that  we  might  have  said  to  the  foreign 
nations,  we  will  see  that  your  property  is  protected,  but  we  withdraw  all  power 
from  ourselves  to  protect  it;  we  will  assume  the  responsibility  of  this  govern- 
ment, without  retaining  the  right  to  see  that  it  is  a  proper  government.  That 
course  the  government  did  not  adopt,  and  it  proceeded  then  to  administer  a 
government  of  the  Philippine  Islands  for  the  benefit  of  the  Filipino  people. 
Was  it  wrong  in  so  doing  ?     (  Cries  of  '  No,  No.' ) 

"  In  the  first  place  it  should  be  taken  into  consideration  that  the  sover- 
eignty of  the  islands  was  by  lawful  treaty  transferred  to  us,  and  admitting,  if 
you  please,  that  a  large  body  of  the  Filipino  people  were  opposed  to  our  rule 
and  wished  to  be  independent,  a  question  not  at  all  free  from  doubt,  we  were  in 
the  attitude  of  being  a  lawful  sovereign  over  a  territory  in  which  the  people 
sought  to  remove  our  sovereignty.  Now,  what  was  our  obligation  under  those 
circumstances?  It  is  said  that  the  principles  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence required  us  to  leave  the  islands  to  the  people  of  the  islands,  on  the  ground 
that  the  just  rights  of  government  must  depend  upon  the  consent  of  the  gov- 
erned. I  deny  that  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  when  construed  under 
the  circumstances  under  which  that  instrument  was  signed,  bears  any  such 
construction  when  applied  to  different  circumstances;  circumstances  so  differ- 
ent from  those  which  prevailed  at  the  time  of  our  Revolution.  (Applause.) 
That  instrument  was  signed  by  men  who  themselves  made  an  exception  of 
minors,  insane  persons,  women  and  slaves.     That  instrument  was  signed  by 

461 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

men  who  upheld  the  property  qualification  in  many  of  the  states,  that  did 
not  permit  a  majority  of  the  citizens  to  vote  and  to  consent  to  a  government 
in  those  states.  Why,  then,  should  we  extend  that  instrument  to  mean  that 
the  Hottentots  are  better  able  to  make  a  government  for  themselves  than  a 
civilized  government  into  whose  hands  the  Hottentots  may  be  thrown?  If  you 
follow  the  construction  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  you  must  come 
to  this  conclusion:  That  a  government  of  a  people,  an  independent  self-gov- 
ernment of  a  people,  no  matter  how  bad,  is  always  better  than  a  good  govern- 
ment of  one  people  by  another.  And  I  say  that  that  is  not  a  fact,  and  that 
history  has  a  number  of  examples  to  show  the  contrary.  (Applause.)  The 
Declaration  of  Independence  is  a  sacred  instrument  in  our  history,  but  is 
there  any  reason  why  we  should  not  look  history  in  the  face  and  recognize 
facts?  Is  there  any  doubt  in  the  mind  of  a  single  person  who  hears  me  that 
the  condition  of  Egypt  to-day  is  far  better  than  it  ever  would  have  been  had 
England  not  gone  there  and  governed  that  country  for  the  benefit  of  that 
people?  Is  there  any  doubt  in  the  mind  of  a  man  who  hears  me  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  San  Domingo,  had  it  been  placed  under  our  control  one  hundred 
years  ago,  would  have  been  vastly  better  than  the  state  of  social  dissolution  in 
which  it  finds  itself  to-day?  Why  sacrifice  truth  to  phrases?  The  words  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  as  applied  to  the  men  to  whom  they  did 
apply,  were  the  truth.  Those  were  men,  descendants  of  men  who  for  six 
hundred  years  in  English  history  had  been  hammering  out  their  right  to  self- 
government,  and  who  for  two  hundred  years  after  they  came  to  these  shores 
had,  in  fact,  enjoyed  self-government.  Will  you  compare  them  with  a  people 
like  the  Filipinos,  fit  as  they  may  be  in  the  future  for  self-government,  who 
thus  far,  under  four  hundred  years  of  Spanish  rule,  have  never  known  what  it 
was  to  exercise  political  rights?  Why,  gentlemen,  are  politics  so  different  from 
the  ordinary  affairs  of  life  that  the  same  simple  reasoning  does  not  apply  to 
both? 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  are  the  Filipino  people  fitted  to  enjoy  self-govern- 
ment? I  know  that  people,  and  I  yield  to  no  one  in  my  affection  for  the 
people,  and  in  my  appreciation  of  their  merits.  They  are  a  courteous  people ; 
they  are  a  kindly  people;  they  are  a  people  who  have  fought  for  what  they 
regarded  as  their  liberty ;  they  are  a  brave  people.  I  think  they  were  misled 
in  so  fighting,  but  I  honor  them  for  the  effort.  They  are  a  people,  however, 
ninety  per  cent,  of  whom  are  in  a  state  of  Christian  pupilage,  utterly  ignorant, 
and  utterly  unable  to  exercise  the  slightest  political  franchise.  There  are 
ten  per  cent,  of  them,  hardly  so  great  a  number  I  should  say,  who  can  speak 
Spanish,  and  that  marks  the  line  of  the  educated,  competent  people,  and  those 
who  are  not.  But  they  are  a  bright  people,  and  I  am  not  decrying  their 
possible  future  fitness,  their  capacity  for  development;  but  I  am  saying  that 

462 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  United  States,  charged  as  it  is  with  the  wardship  of  this  people,  would 
do  those  people  a  crime  now  that  by  the  force  of  circumstances  it  has  had  to 
take  them  under  the  wing  of  its  sovereignty  were  it  to  set  them  adrift  and, 
in  the  language  of  some  statesmen,  '  Let  them  go  to  the  devil.'  (Laughter 
and  applause.) 

"  Now  it  has  been  suggested  that  while  they  may  not  be  ready  for  popu- 
lar self-government,  they  are  ready  for  a  self-government  like  that  of  Japan. 
Japan  is  an  imperial  government;  the  Japanese  people  were  a  feudal  people; 
they  owed  allegiance  on  lines  of  chief dom ;  the  chiefs  controlled  their  followers, 
and  the  Mikado  or  the  Shoguns  controlled  the  chiefs;  and  it  was  possible  to 
build  up  an  empire  on  such  a  people.  But  the  Filipino  people  have  no  such 
tribal  or  feudal  relations.  The  four  hundred  years  of  Spanish  rule  utterly 
destroyed  any  real  tribal  relations,  and  as  a  consequence  there  is  no  govern- 
ment that  can  be  built  on  what  exists  there,  unless  it  be  a  government  under 
the  guidance  of  another  government,  or  unless  it  be  popular  self-government. 
Hence  it  is  that  there  is  nobody  to  whom  the  United  States  could  turn  over 
the  responsibility  of  government,  as  it  might  in  a  country  like  Japan. 

"  Now,  it  is  said  that  we  took  the  islands  from  greed  of  conquest.  Well, 
perhaps  we  did,  but  I  was  in  the  neighborhood  immediately  after  the  islands 
were  taken,  and  I  had  the  honor  of  a  number  of  close  confidential  talks  with 
William  McKinley,  and  it  may  be  that  he  was  influenced  by  the  greed  of  a 
Napoleon  and  was  in  favor  of  extending  the  power  of  the  United  States 
into  those  far  off  tropic  islands;  but  if  he  was,  and  if  that  was  the  attitude 
of  his  mind,  he  most  successfully  concealed  it  from  me.  What  was  on  his 
mind  when  I  talked  with  him  was  the  tremendous  sense  of  responsibility  for 
those  people  in  those  islands.  I  said  to  liim,  Mr.  President,  I  was  very  sorry 
that  we  went  to  those  islands",  and  said  he,  You  are  not  a  bit  sorrier  than  I 
was ;  but,  said  he,  we  have  them,  we  cannot  take  one  island  and  not  take  the 
rest ;  we  were  in  a  situation  where  we  must  act,  and  I  hope  we  have  acted  for 
the  best.  But,  said  he,  no  man  can  be  more  sorry  than  I  am,  for  the  tremen- 
dous trust  that  we  have  assumed,  and  no  one  more  sincerely  regretful  that  we 
had  to  assume  it. 

"  It  was  in  this  spirit  that  William  McKinley  sent  a  commission  to  the 
Philippine  Islands  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  policy  which  he  an- 
nounced when  the  war  of  the  insurrection  was  at  its  height,  and  continued  to 
announce,  no  matter  what  the  conduct  of  the  inhabitants  of  those  islands,  that 
we  were  there  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  those  islands,  and  intended  to 
govern  those  islands  for  the  benefit  solely  of  the  Filipino  people.  The  Philip- 
pines for  the  Filipinos  was  a  motto,  the  maxim  which  William  ]\IcKinley 
directed  his  commission  to  follow,  and  that,  I  think  I  may  say,  that  injunction 
the  commission  has  faithfully  kept.     (Applause.) 

463 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  When  the  commission  reached  the  islands  there  was  a  state  of  war,  sub- 
dued much  at  the  time  the  commission  reached  there,  but  in  the  following  fall 
it  revived  again.  The  commission  was  sent  out  with  the  idea  of  offering  a  con- 
trast to  war,  of  offering  a  contrast  to  the  army,  by  following  close  upon  the 
heels  of  the  army  with  the  organization  of  civil  government.  And  I  think 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  that  attitude  of  President  McKinley,  with  the 
army  in  one  hand  and  the  commission  in  the  other,  was  what  led  subsequently 
to  the  ceasing  of  the  war.  I  do  not,  for  a  minute,  desire  to  detract  from  the 
tremendous  work  of  the  army  in  those  islands.  No  man  who  was  there  and 
knows  the  privations  to  which  our  soldiers  were  subjected  can  but  feel  proud 
of  such  an  army.  Under  conditions  that  required  the  separation  of  the  army 
into  six  hundred  different  posts,  there  were  found  first  and  second  lieutenants, 
and  sergeants  and  corporals  that  were  able  to  plan  campaigns  and  to  illustrate 
the  independent  self-reliance  of  the  American  soldier.  (Applause.)  But  I 
must  still  insist  that  the  policy  which  McKinley  inaugurated  was  an  element, 
and  an  important  element,  in  bringing  about  the  surrender  of  all  those  who 
could  be  called  insurrectos  at  all. 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,  what  has  been  done  in  the  Philippines?  A  great 
government  has  been  organized,  a  government  of  some  eight  hundred  munici- 
palities, of  thirty-eight  provinces,  all  of  which  collect  as  taxes  possibly  fifteen 
millions  of  dollars,  gold,  and  disburse  it  in  carrying  on  that  government.  The 
islands  have  been  policed,  a  system  of  judiciary  has  been  established;  and  I  do 
not  think  I  state  the  case  too  strongly  when  I  say  that  the  criminal  laws  of 
the  Phihppine  Islands  are  enforced  with  much  more  justice,  much  more  cer- 
tainty, than  in  half  of  the  states  of  the  United  States. 

"It  is  said  every  once  in  a  while,  in  order  to  point  a  sentence  or  roll  off 
a  rhetorical  period,  that  the  rights  of  free  speech  are  denied  in  the  islands, 
and  that  if  a  man  read  a  declaration  of  independence  in  any  town  in  the 
Philippine  Islands  it  would  subject  him  to  imprisonment.  That  is  not  true. 
During  the  war  and  while  the  war  was  at  its  height  it  was  true.  It  was  de- 
clared to  be  unlawful  to  advocate  independence  either  by  peaceable  or  violent 
means,  and  it  was  done  because  it  was  thought  that  at  that  time,  with  men 
in  the  field,  the  people  would  not  be  able  to  distinguish  between  an  advocacy 
of  peaceful  means  and  one  of  violence.  When  the  war  ceased,  by  the  terms 
of  the  statute,  the  statute  itself  ceased  to  have  effect. 

"  Then  it  is  said  that  there  are  sedition  laws  in  the  islands,  which  there 
are;  and  so  there  are  in  many  of  the  states  of  the  United  States.  They  are 
not  contrary  to  free  speech.  If  a  man  incites  people  to  resistance  to  the  gov- 
ernment, unlawful  resistance  to  the  government,  or  to  disturbance,  it  is  a  new 
doctrine  that  to  arrest  him  and  put  him  in  jail  is  a  violation  of  the  rights  of 
free  speech. 

464 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Then  we  have  libel  laws,  and  criminal  libel.  A  man  who  states  some- 
thing about  somebody  else  that  is  not  so,  reflecting  on  that  somebody  else,  is 
sued,  not  on  the  civil  side,  but  on  the  criminal  side  of  the  court,  and  lands  in 
jail,  and  the  American  editor  wants  to  know  how  this  is  done.  Can  it  be  possi- 
ble that  under  the  Starry  Flag  an  editor  may  not  say  something  that  is  not 
true  about  another  man  and  escape  jail?     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  The  trouble  is  that  in  the  argument  about  free  speech,  the  limitations 
of  free  speech  in  any  free  country  are  not  very  well  understood.  In  those 
countries  so  fortunate  as  tliis  country  is,  in  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  enact 
all  the  laws  that  may  be  enacted  under  the  constitution,  to  preserve  the  rights 
of  individuals,  because  so  many  wrongs  are  allowed  to  go  without  vindica- 
tion just  because  vindication  of  them  would  take  too  much  trouble;  but  in  a 
new  country,  in  a  country  like  the  Philippines,  where  with  a  strange  people 
that  are  unused  to  the  freedom  of  the  press,  it  is  necessary  that  laws  should  be 
enforced  which  might  be  passed  and  be  entirely  legal  here,  but  which  are  un- 
necessary here  and  yet  are  necessary  there,  without  violating  in  either  place 
any  part  of  the  constitution. 

"  And  now,  how  are  we  preparing  the  people  for  self-government  ?  We 
have  organized  some  eight  hundred  municipal  governments  in  which  there  is 
complete  autonomy  in  the  sense  that  the  municipal  officers  are  all  elected  by 
the  people,  that  is,  by  the  people  who  can  qualify  themselves  to  vote,  and  the 
qualification  for  voting  is  either  that  they  should  speak  Spanish  or  that  they 
should  have  been  municipal  oflacers  before,  or  that  they  should  speak  English, 
or  that  they  should  pay  taxes;  I  think  $15  Mexican  a  year.  That  makes  an 
electorate  very  much  less  than  the  number  of  people,  but  it  is  the  only  elec- 
torate that  seems  possible  there,  and  I  have  heard  no  criticism  from  the  people 
in  regard  to  it.  In  the  provincial  government,  the  governor  is  elected,  the 
other  two  officers  of  the  provincial  board  are  appointed;  the  other  provincial 
officers  who  are  not  in  the  board  are  also  appointed  under  civil  service  rules.' 
In  the  commission  there  are  three  Filipino  members  appointed,  who  sit  with 
the  five  American  members ;  an  appointed  legislative  body  of  eight. 

"  Two  years  after  the  publication  of  the  census,  which  I  hope  will  be 
completed  in  October,  there  is  a  provision  that  executes  itself  upon  the  procla- 
mation of  the  President,  requiring  the  commission  to  divide  the  islands  into 
not  less  than  fifty,  and  not  more  than  one  hundred  districts,  from  which  are 
to  be  elected  representatives  who  will  constitute  a  legislative  assembl}'',  whose 
vote  shall  be  necessary  to  pass  any  law  after  it  shall  meet. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  I  think  that  is  a  record  which  justifies  us  in  claiming 
sincerity  in  our  eff^ort  to  teach  these  people  how  to  govern  themselves.  (Ap- 
plause.) We  have  a  civil  service  law  which  prefers  the  Fihpino  to  the  Ameri- 
can, other  things  being  equal.    Of  course,  at  the  outset,  in  organizing  Ameri- 

465 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

can  offices  with  a  few  Filipinos  who  could  speak  American — Enghsh  or  Ameri- 
can-English (laughter  and  applause) — it  was  natural  that  the  number  of 
Americans  should  far  exceed  the  Filipinos  in  the  higher  offices,  but  I  am  glad 
to  say  the  Filipinos  are  learning  English  and  are  fitting  themselves  to  fill  those 
offices,  and  as  we  shall  fill  the  offices  with  FiHpinos  we  shall  be  able  to  reduce 
the  cost  of  government,  because  the  Filipinos  in  their  own  homes  are  able  to 
live  for  considerably  less  than  Americans. 

"  We  are  sending  one  hundred  Filipinos  a  year  to  this  country  to  be  edu- 
cated here,  that  they  may  see  on  the  ground  and  breathe  in  the  atmosphere 
of  our  free  institutions,  and  carry  home  the  ideals  which  they  shall  form  here 
in  the  most  formative  period  of  their  lives,  and  make  them  understand  what 
Anglo-Saxon  freedom  means.  (A  voice,  '  It  ought  to  be  a  thousand.')  There 
are  a  great  many  difficulties  in  government,  and  one  of  the  first  difficulties  is 
in  raising  the  funds  with  which  to  carry  it  on.  The  enthusiasm  with  which  the 
Filipinos  rushed  in  to  have  us  bring  over  12,000  teachers  was  only  equaled  by 
the  hesitation  and  reluctance  which  they  exhibited  when  we  called  attention  to 
how  much  we  would  have  to  increase  taxes  in  order  to  bring  that  nvunber  over. 
We  have  thus  far  succeeded  in  paying  our  own  expenses  of  government.  It 
is  true,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  last  year,  because  of  the  rinderpest 
and  the  cholera  and  the  heavy  expenses  to  which  we  were  subjected,  and  the 
fear  that  there  might  be  famine,  voted  $3,000,000,  and  that  we  were  delighted 
to  get,  and  we  are  using  it  so  far  as  we  may  in  the  improvement  of  roads,  the 
construction  of  school-houses,  and  furnishing  work  to  the  people  of  that  char- 
acter; but  on  the  whole,  the  government  is  self-supporting,  and  if  the  United 
States,  if  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  if  the  people  of  the  United 
States  treat  those  islands  with  the  generosity  that  is  only  justice,  considering 
the  circumstances  under  which  they  came  into  our  hands,  those  islands  will 
flourish  like  a  green  bay  tree,  and  will  ask  for  no  charity  from  these  United 
States.     (Applause.) 

"  I  have  alluded  to  the  question  of  the  friars.  Their  presence  in  the 
islands,  an  alien  race,  hostile  for  the  reason  of  the  story  of  their  being  there, 
presented  a  most  difficult  question  for  settlement,  and  it  seemed  to  be  the 
American  method  of  settling  a  question  to  go  directly  to  headquarters  to  see 
whether  it  could  be  settled;  so  Rome  was  visited  and  a  reasonable  basis  of 
agreement  established.  We  attempted  to  have  a  contract  by  which  the  friars 
should  be  gradually  withdrawn  from  the  islands ;  but  his  holiness  the  Pope 
was  not  willing  to  make  such  a  term  part  of  the  contract  for  the  sale  of  the 
lands.  He  did  say,  however,  or  rather  his  representative  said,  that  it  would 
be  the  policy  of  the  Papacy  to  withdraw  the  Spanish  friars  as  soon  as  they 
could  be  substituted.  An  apostolic  delegate  was  sent  out,  and  for  a  year  and  a 
half  negotiations  were  had  with  the  promoting  companies  into  whose  hands 

466 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  friars'  lands  had  been  put,  and  on  the  22d  day  of  December  those  lands 
were  sold  for  something  over  seven  millions  of  dollars  to  the  Pliilippine  govern- 
ment. At  the  same  time  the  finars,  who  had  numbered  something  over  1,000 
in  1898,  370  in  1902,  had  been  reduced  on  the  1st  day  of  December,  1903,  to 
246.  Of  those  there  were  some  fifty  who  were  so  infirm  that  they  could  not  re- 
turn to  Spain,  and  could  not  do  parish  work.  Eighty-three  Dominicans  had 
renounced  the  doing  of  parish  work ;  so  that  the  number  of  friars  who  now  re- 
main in  the  islands  for  parish  work  are  not  enough  to  continue  the  agitation 
or  make  the  basis  of  any  quarrel  with  either  the  Aglipyans  or  the  anti-friar 
Filipinos.  I  think  it  may  be  stated  that  the  friar  question  is  largely  settled. 
(Applause.) 

"  In  the  matter  of  education,  there  are  4,000  teachers  engaged  in  in- 
structing the  Filipino  youth.  I  have  heard  it  stated,  have  seen  it  written,  by 
gentlemen  who  profess  to  know  much  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  that  the  edu- 
cational system  there  established  is  a  failure.  Well,  it  is  not  all  that  it  ought 
to  be.  It  is  not  all  that  it  ought  to  be  because  we  are  not  able  now  to  teach 
in  those  schools  more  than  ten  per  cent,  of  the  students  of  school  age;  but 
the  most  encouraging  sign  is  the  eagerness  with  which  those  people  seek  to 
learn  the  English  language  and  seek  a  general  education  in  English.  People 
ask  me  why  that  is.  Well,  in  the  cities,  doubtless,  it  is  explained  by  the  fact 
that  it  is  expected  that  American  merchants  will  go  there,  and  also  it  is  ex- 
pected that  if  one  goes  into  an  office  he  will  get  a  higher  salary  if  he  knows 
English  than  if  he  does  not.  But  in  the  country  no  such  explanation  can  be 
offered,  and  the  only  explanation  I  can  give  there  is  that  it  is  a  natural  de- 
sire to  be  educated,  and  that  in  the  Spanish  times  most  of  the  people,  most 
of  the  children  of  the  poor  people  were  denied  an  opportunity  to  learn  Spanish, 
but  now  that  they  have  an  opportunity  to  learn  English,  they  take  that  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  the  language  of  the  race  which  is  there  as  a  sovereign,  as  evi- 
dence of  the  equality  of  opportunity  that  is  offered  them  under  the  American 
flag.  (Applause.)  We  have  a  very  large  normal  school  system.  I  say  very 
large,  not  so  large  as  we  would  like  to  make  it,  but  there  are  three  or  four 
normal  schools  with  constant  attendance  of  two  to  three  hundred  each.  We 
teach  the  Filipino  teachers  English  and  other  branches,  that  they  may  be- 
come the  teachers  of  their  own  people ;  and  until  we  shall  increase  the  number 
from  4,000  to  10,000  or  12,000,  possibly  15,000,  we  shall  not  have  accom- 
plished our  purpose. 

"  But,  gentlemen,  I  beg  of  you  to  think  of.  the  unreasonableness  of  the 
American  people ;  I  feel  it  mj'self .  When  I  begin  something  of  an  interest- 
ing character  that  I  hope  is  going  to  come  out  all  right,  I  want  to  see  the 
evidence  of  it  next  morning  at  breakfast.  So  it  is  with  most  Americans,  they 
are  not  content  to  wait.     You  cannot  change  a  people  in  three  years.     You 

467 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cannot  change  a  people  in  a  generation.  You  have  got  to  trust  to  time. 
But  I  say  that  if  you  trust  to  time,  and  if  your  representatives  in  the  islands 
and  your  representatives  in  Congress,  and  you  yourselves,  always  insist  on  the 
policy  of  the  Philippines  for  the  Fihpinos,  and  justice  to  the  Filipinos,  you 
are  bound  to  make  a  success  in  those  islands  tliat  cannot  but  reflect  the  great- 
est credit  on  the  American  nation.     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am  taking  up  too  much  time — (Cries  of  '  No,  No;  Go 
on.  Go  on.')  Now,  ladroneism  will  continue  there  for  fifty  years;  the  char- 
acter of  the  country  is  such  that  we  must  expect  it.  Ladrones  are  usually 
made  up,  after  you  get  the  professional  criminals  into  jail,  as  we  have  suc- 
ceeded generally  in  doing,  are  made  up  of  mountaineers,  are  organized  by  an 
enterprising  mountaineer  who  discovers  some  means  of  keeping  a  bullet  out 
of  his  breast  by  what  he  calls  an  anting  anting.  He  gathers  about  him  some 
hundred  or  two  of  followers,  to  whom  he  sells  anting  antings,  which  they  be- 
lieve will  ward  off  bullets.  Then  they  settle  down  in  a  village,  and  in  order  to 
live,  because  these  antings  do  not  encourage  labor,  they  prey  upon  their 
neighbors,  and  as  the  richer  villages  are  in  the  bottoms  they  go  down  in  the 
bottoms  and  take  what  they  can  get  there.  Every  once  in  a  while  you  will  see 
that  some  constabulary  was  shot  down  or  killed  in  a  bolo  rush  by  fanatics. 
Well,  that  is  what  a  fanatic  is.  He  is  a  mixture  between  a  robber  and  a 
fakir.  They  have  those  gentlemen  in  the  mountains,  and  we  may  expect 
constantly  to  be  troubled  by  them  until  we  get  railroads  to  their  homes,  until 
we  get  roads  through,  so  that  we  can  reach  the  mountains  as  easily  as  we 
reach  the  plains.  But  I  don't  think  I  state  it  too  strongly  when  I  say  that 
ladroneism  is  less  than  it  ever  has  been  in  the  history  of  those  islands,  and  that 
we  shall  gradually  wipe  it  out. 

"  In  the  matter  of  health,  the  islands  need  a  great  deal.  First,  they  need 
pure  water;  we  should  have  driven  wells  in  the  villages.  Then  they  need 
trained  nurses  to  teach  the  women  how  to  take  care  of  their  children.  The 
loss  of  children  under  six  months  is  frightful,  and  that  is  why  we  need  the 
assistance  of  all  the  Protestant  and  all  the  Catholic  denominations  that  we 
can  get  there;  people  who  will  come  with  a  missionary  spirit  to  do  good  and 
to  teach  those  people  how  to  live.  They  welcome  such  assistance;  but,  gen- 
tlemen, in  organizing  a  government  and  carrying  it  on  with  limited  means, 
it  is  impossible  to  have  a  model  government  all  at  once.  A  modem  govern- 
ment is  very  expensive,  and  the  money  is  not  there,  and  we  must  hope  to  make 
these  steps  of  progress  only  gi'adually. 

"  There  are  ports  in  the  islands  that  we  are  constructing,  and  roads, 
and  we  have  found  a  place  in  Benguet,  5,000  feet  up,  where  the  climate  the 
year  round,  with  the  exception  of  two  months  when  it  is  so  wet  that  nobody 
can  enjoy  life  there,  is  not  unlike  the  climate  of  the  Adirondacks,  and  there  it 

468 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

is  that  we  hope  to  put  a  summer  capital;  there  it  is  that  we  hope  to  run  an 
electric  railway.  We  are  engaged  in  constructing  that  road  now.  It  will 
cost  some  twelve  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  finish  it,  but  when  it  is  done 
it  becomes  entirely  possible  for  Americans  to  live  in  the  islands,  adjourning 
for  the  two  months  to  a  very  healthful  region. 

"  The  proper  personnel  of  the  government  is  very  difficult  to  keep  up. 
We  had  seventeen  defalcations  in  disbursing  officers  and  treasurers.  That 
was  about  two  per  cent,  of  all  disbursing  officers  and  treasurers.  It  was  a 
humiliation  I  cannot  tell  you  the  depth  of,  that  we  should  be  there  trying  to 
teach  those  people  honest  government,  and  then  that  those  rascals  should 
filch  the  money.  It  seemed  to  us  that  there  was  in  their  crime  something  more 
than  dishonesty ;  it  was  treason  to  the  govemnlent  that  was  trying  to  build 
a  decent  government  there.  And  as  a  consequence,  and  an  illustration  of  the 
fact  that  we  have  a  judicial  system  there  that  works,  out  of  that  seventeen, 
fifteen  are  now  in  Bilibid  prison  serving  terms  from  ten  to  twenty-five  years. 
(Applause.)  One  man  who  was  not  shown  to  have  received  the  money  himself, 
but  who  was  charged  under  the  Spanish  laws  with  negligence  in  enabling  his 
subordinates  to  steal  the  money,  was  acquitted  on  the  ground  that  he  was  such 
an  incompetent  fool  at  any  rate  that  he  exercised  all  the  diligence  that  could 
be  expected  from  such  an  incompetent  fool.  It  was  not  satisfactory  to  the 
government,  but  as  he  was  acquitted,  we  let  him  go. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  the  question  is  asked  me.  Will  it  pay  ?  I  don't  care 
whether  it  will  pay  or  not ;  we  are  there ;  we  have  a  burden  upon  us ;  and  we 
have  got  to  discharge  it. 

"  Now,  it  is  said  that  when  the  Democrats  get  in  they  are  going  to  let 
these  islands  go.  (A  voice,  'When  is  that.^^')  Well,  I  have  not  been  in 
politics  so  long  as  to  give  a  positive  answer  to  that,  but  I  think  it  will  be  at 
some  remote  time.  But  my  own  judgment  is  that  the  Democrats  when  they 
investigate  the  question  carefully  and  reserve  to  themselves  that  time  that  they 
always  reserve  for  the  formation  of  a  stable  government,  that  you  will  find 
them  pursuing  the  same  policy  that  is  being  pursued  to-day.  That  complete 
establishment  of  stable  government  that  they  are  looking  for  will  be  postponed 
and  postponed,  because  they  will  realize  that  the  honor  of  the  nation  is  in- 
volved in  making  that  government  really  stable,  and  that  after  all  we  shall 
be  aiming  at  the  same  thing. 

"  Now,  I  am  asked  another  thing :  Why  is  it  that  we  should  not  say  to 
these  people.  We  are  going  to  give  you  independence.  Won't  that  make  them 
happy,  and  won't  that  facilitate  what  we  are  trying  to  do  there?  I  say  no, 
with  great  emphasis.  I  don't  care  whether  the  Filipinos  have  independence 
or  not.  My  own  judgment  is  that  if  we  deal  generously  with  them,  and  de- 
velop the  islands  as  we  ought  to  develop  them,  and  bring  them  into  a  close 

469 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

bond  of  union  with  these  United  States,  that  that  union  will  be  so  mutually 
profitable  that  after  it  has  been  maintained  for  years  neither  party  will  wish 
to  dissolve  it.  But  what  I  wish  to  impress  upon  you,  gentlemen,  is  this,  that 
unless  the  present  government  is  a  success,  all  hope  of  a  decent  independent 
government  is  gone.  And  anything  that  interferes  with  the  success  of  the 
present  government  is  sure  to  interfere  with  the  success  of  a  possible  indepen- 
dent government.  Now,  I  don't  care  how  you  may  word  your  declaration,  if 
you  say  to  those  people.  We  are  going  to  give  you  independence,  you  will 
have  a  delegation  calhng  on  you  in  the  next  three  weeks  to  know  whether  that 
independence  is  coming  in  six  months  or  a  year.  The  demagogues  and  the 
gentlemen  who  are  not  in  office,  have  very  little  interest  in  an  independence 
that  is  to  come  in  the  next  generation  after  they  are  dead.  (Laughter.) 
Now,  you  cannot  make  a  people  over  in  one  generation  or  in  two;  and  any- 
thing that  frightens  the  conservative  element  of  that  population  upon  whom 
you  must  depend  for  the  success  of  your  government,  into  thinking  that  they 
will  in  some  way  sacrifice  themselves  by  being  friends  of  the  Americans  when 
the  more  violent  element  comes  into  control  with  independence;  you  destroy 
your  opportunity  for  making  a  good  government  ])y  building  up  and  in- 
creasing that  conservative,  self-restraining,  possibly  self-governing  element 
in  the  people.  (Applause.)  I  feel  as  if  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  planks 
in  a  party  platform  with  respect  to  the  Philippines,  from  now  on,  except  a 
plank  that  declares  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  United  States  to  do  everything 
in  its  power  to  increase  the  prosperity  and  the  happiness  of  the  Filipino 
people,  are  a  mistake.  Let  the  present  government  go  on  and  demonstrate  if 
it  can,  as  I  believe  it  can,  that  it  is  upon  the  right  track  and  is  building  up 
among  the  Filipino  people  a  conservative  set  that  know  the  necessity  for  self- 
restraint  in  a  popular  self  government,  and  success  Hes  before  you. 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,  I  have  talked  much  too  long.  I  thank  you  sin- 
cerely for  your  kind  attention.  I  should  hke  to  get  into  the  heart  and  soul 
of  each  of  you  the  intense  interest  that  I  feel  in  the  success  of  this  problem. 
I  should  like  to  have  you  make  your  representatives  in  Congress  feel  that 
their  first  duty  is  to  attend  to  the  Philippines,  and  Avhen  you  have  done  that 
the  problem  is  solved."     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

President  McCook  then  said :  "  After  listening  to  the  address  of  the 
Secretary  of  War  you  will  all  agree  with  me  that  no  mistake  was  made  when 
that  cable  was  sent  to  Governor  Taft  in  Manila.  The  cable  message  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  letter  sent  to  meet  Governor  Taft  at  Honolulu  in  which  he  was 
assured  that  if  he  would  come  to  us  he  would  find  a  sympathetic  audience 
ready  and  anxious  to  listen;  that  he  would  both  interest  and  instruct  us  and 
do  some  very  good  missionary  work  by  enlightening  the  people  of  New  York 
as  to  what  he  and  our  government  had  done  for  the  Philippines. 

470 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  We  are  all  very  grateful  to  Secretary  Taft  for  fulfilling  this  en- 
gagement when  he  had  to  speak  to  us  under  such  adverse  conditions  as  he 
has  to-night. 

"  Our  programme  is  a  very  short  one.  We  are  to  have  three  brief  ad- 
dresses, which  I  am  sure  will  be  interesting. 

"  The  first  one  will  be  on  the  American  Navy,  by  the  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  Congressman 
Foss,  like  Admiral  Dewey,  is  a  Vermonter  by  birth,  but  he  represents  Illinois 
in  Congress.  The  reason  that  he  instead  of  some  Ohio  man  was  selected  to 
come  here  to-night,  is  because  he  is  the  very  best  man  to  do  what  is  ex- 
pected of  him.  He  has  just  demonstrated  his  remarkable  powers  as  a  Con- 
gressional naval  commander  by  caiTying  through  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives a  bill  appropriating  $97,000,000  for  the  American  navy.  For  this  we 
owe  him  a  debt  of  gratitude.    We  will  now  hsten  to  Mr.  Foss." 

Mr.  Foss  said :  "  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — I  esteem  it 
a  great  honor  to  be  here  this  evening.  I  have  met  Ohioans  at  home,  but  I 
never  met  so  many  abroad.  (Laughter.)  And  yet,  as  I  look  into  your  faces 
to-night,  I  do  not  see  but  what  New  York  Ohioans  are  a  good  deal  like  those 
at  home.  They  have  the  same  characteristics,  the  same  appetites  and  the  same 
thirsts,  only  perhaps  a  little  more  highly  developed.  There  is  one  thing  about 
an  Ohioan,  wherever  you  find  him,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  he  is  loyal  to 
his  state.  He  feels  a  good  deal  like  the  Irishman  who  said  that  every  man 
loves  his  native  land,  whether  he  was  bom  there  or  not.  You  can  say,  also,  with 
the  poet,  you  New  York  Ohioans, 

'  True  patriots  are  we,  for  be  it  understood, 
We  left  our  country  for  our  country's  good.'      (Laughter.) 

"  You  belong  to  that  greater  Ohio,  that  Ohio  which  overruns  the  coun- 
try, for  where  is  it  possible  to  go  and  not  find  an  Ohioan,  who  in  a  quiet  and 
modest  way  is  trying  to  carve  out  his  own  fortune,  and  not  infrequently^  his 
neighbor's,  too?  We  believe,  out  in  Illinois,  that  there  is  not  much  chance  for 
us  until  Ohio  Buckeyes  are  well  provided.  Ohio,  first  in  war  (turning  to 
General  Chaffee),  first  in  peace  (turning  to  Secretary  Taft),  but  first  and 
last  in  public  office.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  here  to-night,  at  this  banquet  given  in  honor  of  your 
great  Ohioan,  Governor  Taft.  First  of  all,  he  is  an  Ohioan,  but  best  of  all 
he  is  an  American.  And  while  in  a  peculiar  sense  he  belongs  to  your  own 
state,  yet  in  a  truer  and  a  larger  sense  he  belongs  to  the  whole  country.  (Ap- 
plause.) And  if  you  do  not  realize  the  true  significance  of  that  now,  I  think 
you  will  a  little  later  on. 

471 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  here  to-night,  to  represent  in  an  imperfect  way  the 
American  navy.  Wherever  the  American  army  is,  sir,  there  is  the  American 
navy.  In  every  great  crisis  in  our  national  history,  the  American  navy  and  the 
American  army  have  won  the  magnificent  achievements  which  have  been  ours. 
It  was  so  in  the  War  of  the  American  Revolution;  it  was  so  in  the  War  of 
1812 ;  it  was  so  in  the  Mexican  War;  it  was  so  in  the  Civil  War.  The  Ameri- 
can navy  has  always  supplemented  upon  the  sea  the  work  of  the  army  on  the 
land,  and  both  together  have  accomplished  these  mighty  results.  No  his- 
torian can  ever  write  a  history  of  the  Civil  War  and  leave  out  of  it  the 
bravery  of  the  American  sailor  any  more  than  he  can  write  it  and  leave  out 
the  daring  of  the  American  soldier.  Both  together,  inspired  by  a  common  de- 
votion to  a  common  flag  preserved  the  union  between  North  and  South,  which 
time  is  fast  cementing  into  a  peace,  a  perpetual  peace,  in  the  everlasting 
bonds  of  American  brotherhood.  And  so  it  was,  sir.  In  the  Spanish-American 
War.  The  army  and  the  navy  gave  us  Manila  and  Santiago,  those  bright 
pages  in  American  history. 

"  But  after  our  Civil  War  we  allowed  our  navy  to  go  to  pieces,  and  in 
1881  we  had  very  few  pieces  left.  At  the  close  of  that  war  we  had  the  largest 
navy  on  the  globe,  but  in  1881  we  ranked  about  twentieth  among  the  navies 
of  the  world;  and  then  began  that  policy  of  building  up  the  American  navy 
under  the  splendid  administration  of  Chester  A.  Arthur.  The  first  authori- 
zation of  ships  began  under  the  secretaryship  of  Mr.  Chandler.  On  March 
3,  1883,  Congress  authorized  the  Atlanta,  the  Boston,  the  Chicago,  and  the 
Dolphin,  sometimes  called  the  A,  B,  C  and  D  of  the  new  navy.  After  Chand- 
ler came  Whitney,  who  can-ied  on  the  splendid  work.  Under  Whitney  were  au- 
thorized our  first  two  battleships,  the  unfortunate  Maine,  and  the  Texas.  After 
Whitney  came  Tracy,  and  under  him  we  authorized  our  first-class  battleships, 
the  Iowa,  the  Indiana,  the  Massachusetts,  and  the  famous  Oregon.  After 
Tracy  came  Herbert,  and  after  Herbert  came  Long,  and  after  Long  came 
our  present  able  and  efficient  secretary,  William  H.  Moody.  The  country  is 
to  be  congratulated  in  always  having  at  the  head  of  that  great  department 
men  of  great  foresight  and  character  who  have  seen  the  necessity  of  building 
up  our  navy  upon'  the  sea.  To-day  we  have  built  and  building  24  battle- 
ships, 12  ironclads,  10  armored  cruisers,  49  protected  and  unprotected  cruis- 
ers, 16  torpedo  boat  destroyers,  34  torpedo  boats,  and  8  submarines ;  and  if 
all  the  nations  of  the  world  stopped  now,  when  these  ships  are  completed  we 
would  rank  third  among  the  navies  of  the  world;  Great  Britain  first,  France 
second. 

"  Now,  I  may  say  that  while  we  have  not  the  largest  navy  in  the  world, 
yet  man  for  man  and  ship  for  ship  I  believe  we  have  the  most  efficient  navy 
on  the  globe.     (Applause  and  cheers.)     Some  people  are  saying.  Let  us  stop 

472 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

building  up  the  navy ;  but  those  people  who  are  for  a  little  navy,  are  also 
crying  for  a  little  nation  and  a  little  people.  And  if  war  should  come 
they  would  interpose  the  Golden  Rule  against  the  12-inch  guns  of  the  antag- 
onist. 

"  Sir,  I  deprecate  war,  and  should  be  glad  to  see  the  time  come  when  the 
war  drums  will  beat  no  longer  and  the  battle  flags  be  furled;  but  I  realize 
that  mankind  has  not  reached  its  millennium  yet,  and  hence  I  believe  in  the 
policy  of  building  up  the  American  navy.  Your  chairman  has  alluded  to 
the  fact  that  recently  the  House  of  Representatives  passed  a  bill  carrying 
$97,000,000.  It  did;  and  yet  that  is  but  a  little  more  than  one  dollar  for 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  country;  it  is  but  four  per  cent,  of  our 
foreign  trade  and  commerce;  it  is  about  17  per  cent,  of  our  total  govern- 
ment expenses ;  a  less  percentage  to  the  whole  than  our  forefathers  spent 
more  than  one  hundred  years  ago  upon  the  navy;  and  as  compared  with 
our  national  wealth  it  is  only  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent. — very  cheap  in- 
surance, indeed,  for  a  great  country  like  ours. 

"  There  is  one  thing  you  must  bear  in  mind,  in  regard  to  a  navy,  you 
must  build  it  in  time  of  peace.  There  is  this  distinction  between  an  army 
and  a  navy:  an  army  is  made  up  largely  of  personnel,  and  when  war  comes 
you  can  call  into  the  field  men  from  every  walk  of  life ;  they  come  from  the 
field  and  the  farm,  from  the  workshop  and  the  office,  and  in  a  short  time  they 
can  be  trained  and  disciplined  into  good  soldiers,  ready  to  march  to  the  front, 
and  when  the  war  is  over  they  go  back  to  their  homes  and  are  lost  in  the 
citizenship  of  the  land.  But,  not  so  with  the  navy,  because  the  navy  is  made 
up  not  only  of  personnel  but  also  largely  of  material.  It  takes  years  to  build 
a  battleship  or  a  cruiser,  and  it  takes  longer  to  train  sailors  than  to  train 
soldiers ;  and  by  reason  of  this  fact  you  must  build  the  navy  in  time  of  peace, 
because  when  war  comes  then  every  man  must  be  upon  his  ship  and  every 
man  at  his  gun. 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  I  think,  to  an  audience  like  this,  to  preach  very 
much  upon  the  necessity  of  building  up  a  navy.  You  are  pretty  near  the 
coast  line.  But  we  should  let  this  be  our  sentiment :  The  American  Navy ;  ever 
ready  for  war;  but  may  it  never  be  required  to  fire  a  single  shot.  Let  us 
build  the  navy,  because  we  have  interests  to  protect  on  this  hemisphere  as  well 
as  on  the  other;  we  have  a  coast  line  to  protect;  we  must  guard  the  Panama 
canal.  And,  sir,  we  have  a  President  in  the  White  House  who  proposes  to 
build  it.  We  must  maintain  the  INIonroe  Doctrine,  which  a  colleague  of  mine 
said  the  other  day  was  no  bigger  than  your  navy;  we  must  protect  our  com- 
merce wherever  that  commerce  goes ;  we  must  protect  the  Filipinos  whom  to- 
day we  are  raising  up  out  of  the  bondage  of  superstition  and  ignorance  into 
the  clear  bright  sky  of  American  civilization.     We  must  back  up  our  foreign 

473 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

policy,  which  was  never  so  strong  and  respected  among  the  nations  of  the 
world  as  it  is  at  this  hour  under  John  Hay.     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

"  We  must  build  this  navy  for  peace ;  that  kind  of  peace  that  is  honorable 
among  men  and  approved  by  God;  that  kind  of  peace  that  never  makes  sur- 
render of  national  honor,  of  national  duty,  or  national  obligation.  And  so  I 
say  to  you  to-night,  let  us  build  it  conservatively,  not  moved  by  the  passion 
of  the  hour,  but  build  it  with  a  fixed  determination  to  always  give  our  country 
a  military  arm  upon  the  sea  strong  enough  so  that  in  every  hour  of  inter- 
national complication  she  can  always  maintain  that  poise  and  that  calmness 
which  becometh  a  great  nation  and  a  great  people,  slow  to  anger,  and  plente- 
ous in  mercy;  but  when  she  strikes  may  she  ever  strike  as  Dewey  stinick  at 
Manila,  for  honor,  for  justice,  for  truth,  for  civilization,  for  righteousness, 
and  for  '  that  perfect  liberty  of  mankind '  which  under  God  is  the  great  and 
glorious  mission  of  our  America."     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

President  McCook  said :  "  We  are  all  convinced  that  the  Congressional 
interests  of  the  American  navy  are  safe  in  the  hands  of  such  a,  chairman  as 
has  spoken  to  us  to-night.  (Applause.)  It  is  significant  that  Mr.  Foss  does 
not  come  from  the  danger  line  on  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  seaboard,  where  in 
case  of  war  we  are  likely  to  hear  from  the  other  fellow's  navy.  He  comes 
from  that  great  but  nautically  safe  metropolitan  city  of  Chicago.  For  this 
reason  we  are  all  the  more  grateful  to  Mr.  Foss  for  taking  such  good  care  of 
our   naval  interests. 

"  We  will  now  have  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  a  few  words  on  a  subject 
that  is  new  to  many  of  us,  the  Sons  of  Ohio.  With  our  accustomed  modesty, 
we  usually  go  a  little  without  the  state  for  a  man  to  speak  upon  this  subject. 
At  times  there  is  confusion  as  to  where  the  border  line  between  Ohio  and  In- 
diana runs,  so  that  some  of  the  statesmen  out  there  have  to  think  twice  before 
they  are  quite  certain  as  to  which  of  the  two  states  they  represent.  One  of  our 
political  poets  once  said,  '  I  care  not  who  writes  the  people's  songs,  so  long  as 
Ohio  furnishes  the  governors,  senators  and  congressmen  for  all  the  adjoining 
states.'     (Laughter.) 

"  Both  senators  from  Indiana  were  born  in  Ohio,  and  the  gentleman  who 
will  address  us,  representing  the  old  Colfax  constituency  in  Indiana,  was  also 
bom  in  our  native  state. 

"  We  will  now  hear  from  Hon.  Charles  B.  Landis,  representative  in  Con- 
gress from  Indiana."     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Landis  said :  "  I  am  what  might  be  called,  perhaps,  a  hyphenated 
American  citizen.  I  am  an  Ohio-Indianian,  a  Hoosier-Buckeye.  I  remained 
in  Ohio,  where  I  was  bom,  until  I  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  in  all  those 
years  being  neither  elected  to  Congress  nor  made  governor  of  the  common- 
wealth, I  decided  that  it  was  a  reckless  waste  of  precious  time,  and  I  turned 

474 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

my  back  on  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Miami  and  my  face  toward  the  rich  valley 
of  the  Wabash — where  '  the  candle  lights  are  gleaming — on  the  banks  of  the 
Wabash,  far  away.' 

"  Indiana  and  Ohio,  sister  states,  daughters  of  the  ordinance  of  1787, 
united  by  bonds  of  kinship,  reverencing  the  same  memories,  inspired  and 
guided  by  the  same  instincts.  But  for  the  mark  set  by  the  surveyor,  it  were 
impossible  to  tell  where  Ohio  ceases  and  Indiana  begins.  The  line  is  simply 
imaginary,  Ohio  is  but  a  child  of  older  and  stronger  growth.  I  have  taught 
my  children  to  reverence  their  father's  state.  Reading  some  time  ago  to  my 
little  boy  of  the  voyage  of  Columbus  and  the  discovery  of  America,  he  inter- 
rupted me  by  asking  if  Christopher  Columbus  was  bom  in  Ohio,  I  told  him 
he  was  not,  and  he  then  asked  why  it  was  that  we  named  the  capital  of  the 
state  after  him.  I  extricated  myself  from  embarrassment  by  explaining  to 
him  that  it  was  to  commemorate  the  fact  that  there  was  one  great  achievement 
in  human  history  in  which  an  Ohioan  was  not  an  active  participant.  (Laugh- 
ter and  applause.) 

"  Ohio  was  fitted  by  nature  to  be  the  nursery  of  great  men.  Great  hills, 
great  valleys,  great  forests,  great  rivers,  her  conformation  rugged,  rolling  and 
level,  her  climate  one  continuous  inspiration  to  endeavor  and  to  ambition. 
Washington  visited  the  state  when  a  young  man,  was  greatly  impressed  by 
its  beauty  and  its  wealth,  and  when  asked,  after  the  Revolution,  what  he  would 
have  done  had  the  cause  of  the  colonists  failed,  he  replied  that  he  would  have 
gathered  together  the  remnants  of  his  strugghng  bands,  would  have  led  them 
over  the  Alleghanies,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  they  would  have  settled 
and  there  lived  in  peace,  in  security,  and  in  happiness  forever.  Thus  you  see 
how  narrow  an  escape  Washington  had  from  being  a  son  of  Ohio.  But  some 
things  are  necessary  besides  climate  and  soil  to  make  great  men  and  women. 
There  must  be  blood,  good  blood,  and  Ohio  got  it.  Revolutionary  fathers  and 
mothers,  their  minds  strengthened  and  enlarged  by  the  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence and  by  the  solution  of  those  problems  incident  to  the  adoption  of  the 
constitution,  they  came  to  Ohio,  led  by  grand  old  Rufus  Putnam.  In  one 
hand  they  carried  the  Bible  and  in  the  other  the  school  book,  and  in  their 
hearts  was  a  consecration  to  human  liberty  and  to  the  inviolable  will  of  God. 
Europe's  best  faith  and  hope  settled  New  England,  and  New  York,  and 
Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia;  and  the  flower  of  that  manhood  and  womanhood 
went  to  Ohio  and  gave  us  the  foundation  for  her  greatness  and  her  character. 
And  those  people  builded  a  state ;  yes,  they  builded  a  state,  a  state  that  boasts 
enough  pride,  enough  achievements,  enough  glory  to  stock  twenty  ordinary 
nations  for  a  hundred  years,  instead  of  but  one  little  state  for  a  century  and  a 
little  over.  A  great  and  glorious  state,  Ohio.  God  was  good  to  Ohio.  You 
ask  me  where  are  her  sons?  Rather  should  you  ask  me  where  are  they  not.  They 

475 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

are  in  every  state  and  territory  in  this  Union,  and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
Some  one  has  said  that  the  Maine  was  blown  up  in  the  habor  of  Havana,  and 
that  Ohio  men  came  down  all  over  the  world.  Two  milHons  of  Ohio's  sons 
settled  in  other  states.  There  are  nine  sons  of  Ohio  to-day  in  the  United  States 
senate ;  thirty-two  of  them  in  the  national  house  of  representatives ;  two  of 
them  in  the  cabinet  of  the  President,  an  array  of  greatness  recognized  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  And  here  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
Republic,  if  you  gathered  about  these  boards  are  a  sample  of  Ohio  in  New 
York,  how  lonesome  Father  Knickerbocker  would  be  without  you!  And  how 
lonesome  my  beloved  state  of  Indiana  would  have  been  in  the  years  gone  by, 
without  Ohio,  and  would  be  to-day!  Our  first  railroad  was  built  by  John 
Brough  of  Ohio.  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  Vice-President  of  the  United  States, 
a  grand  and  gifted  man ;  he  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  eloquent 
and  generous,  on  the  platform  magnificent,  he  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  Joseph  E. 
McDonald,  true  and  loyal,  a  senator  of  the  United  States  of  distinction,  he 
was  a  son  of  Ohio.  Benjamin  Harrison,  President  of  the  United  States,  pure 
and  great,  and  his  administration  ideal  (applause),  Benjamin  Harrison  was  a 
son  of  Ohio.  And  our  two  United  States  senators,  Charles  W.  Fairbanks  and 
Albert  J.  Beveridge,  the  former  it  seems  to  be  nominated  for  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States  by  unanimous  consent,  they,  too,  are  sons  of  Ohio.  Oh,  how 
lonesome  Indiana  would  be  without  Ohio!  How  lonesome  the  states  and  terri- 
tories of  this  union  would  be  without  Ohio ! 

"  It  is  not  my  purpose,  and  I  haven't  time,  to  review  all  of  the  achieve- 
ments in  the  various  avenues  of  human  endeavor  of  the  sons  of  Ohio.  It  would 
require  a  volume,  it  would  require  a  year's  time.  I  will  content  myself  with 
giving  some  little  attention  to  those  who  have  come  upon  the  scene  of  action 
since  I  became  a  citizen  of  Ohio  forty-five  years  ago.  Gen.  William  H.  Harri- 
son, President  of  the  United  States,  hero  of  Tippecanoe — ^he  was  a  son  of 
Ohio.  And  in  I860,  when  Lincoln  was  given  the  choice  between  courage  or 
cowardice,  war  with  the  preservation  of  the  Union  or  peace  without  that 
Union,  he  choose  the  former  and  recognized  that  two  things  were  all  important, 
a  currency  and  an  army ;  and  the  currency  he  turned  over  to  Salmon  P.  Chase 
and  the  army  to  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  and  both  were  sons  of  Ohio.  A  committee 
representing  the  house  and  the  senate  on  the  conduct  of  the  war  had  to  be 
appointed,  and  it  had  to  have  a  head.  That  head,  as  chairman,  was  bluff  old 
Ben  Wade,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  At  first  reverses  came,  darkness  invaded 
the  land,  we  needed  some  one  to  lead  our  armies.  A  plain  simple  man  who 
had  never  traveled  with  a  brass  band  accompaniment  was  given  rather  an  un- 
important command,  but  he  climbed  and  he  climbed,  and  at  last  Donelson  fell, 
and  the  first  great  victory  for  the  Union  was  won,  and  the  name  of  the  world's 
greatest  captain  was  on  the  lips  of  millions  of  men,  and  he  remained  at  the 

476 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

head  of  the  army  until  Appomattox.  He  was  a  son  of  Ohio,  and  his  name  was 
Grant.  (Applause.)  He  had  two  great  helpers,  both  his  right  hand,  you 
might  say.  One  was  William  Tecumseh  Sherman,  and  the  other  was  Phil 
Sheridan,  and  they  were  sons  of  Ohio. 

"  The  war  over,  twenty  sons  of  Ohio  came  out  of  that  conflict  wearing 
the  epaulets  of  a  major-general;  twenty-seven  of  them  brevetted  major-gen- 
eral. In  addition  to  the  great  triumvirate  of  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan, 
there  was  McClellan,  MacPherson,  Rosecranz,  Steedman,  three  McCooks,  INJEc- 
Dowell,  Schenck,  Buell,  James  A.  Garfield,  Cox,  Custer  and  a  score  of  others 
whose  names  are  synonymous  with  daring  and  victory,  all  of  them  from  Ohio. 
There  was  one  family  in  the  state  of  Ohio  that  gave  to  the  North  in  that  rebel- 
lion a  father  and  nine  sons.  One  of  them  came  out  a  major-general,  three  of 
them  as  brigadier- generals,  and  they  were  known  as  the  '  Fighting  iNIcCooks.' 
(Applause  and  cheers.)  The  only  surviving  member  of  that  branch  of  the 
family  honors  this  board  to-night — sits  at  the  head  of  this  table  and  presides  at 
this  banquet.  Another  branch  of  that  same  McCook  family  gave  five  brothers 
to  the  naval  and  military  service,  all  of  them  distinguished,  two  becoming  gen- 
eral officers.  Every  President  of  the  United  States  elected  to  that  office  since 
Abraham  Lincoln,  except  one,  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  That  state  gave  to  the  su- 
preme bench  of  the  United  States  five  members,  two  of  whom  occupied  the  place 
of  chief  justice.  And  when  it  became  necessary  to  bring  about  a  condition  of 
peace  in  the  Philippines,  to  capture  Aguinaldo,  to  trace  him  to  his  lair  and 
throttle  him,  it  was  done  by  Fred  Funston,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  And  when 
American  citizens  were  cooped  up  in  Pekin,  beleaguered,  and  we  were  anxious 
to  the  point  of  hysteria,  the  American  army  marched  to  the  capital  of  that 
great  empire  and  planted  the  American  flag  upon  its  battlements.  And  at  the 
head  of  that  army  was  Chaffee,  who  is  with  us  to-night,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
Ohio. 

"  Joseph  Benson  Foraker  is  a  son  of  Ohio.  And  his  name  will  be 
identified  for  all  time  with  the  insular  legislation  that  has  been  written  on  the 
statute  books  of  this  Republic  during  the  last  seven  years. 

"  William  McKinley  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  (Applause.)  Forty  years  ago  a 
poor  boy  in  a  little  country  town  in  northern  Ohio ;  his  mother  kept  boarders  and 
his  elder  sister  worked  and  saved  to  assist  in  his  education.  For  four  decades 
he  wrought,  and  when  we  laid  him  away  business  was  hushed  in  every  land 
that  civilization  lights ;  the  electric  current  was  dead  around  the  world ;  rapid 
flying  trains  and  steamships  paused  in  their  course;  noblemen  and  peasants 
stood  in  tears ;  he  was  the  greatest,  gentlest  captain  of  his  time.  Rich  in  saving 
common  sense  and,  as  the  greatest  always  are,  in  his  simplicity  sublime.  Oh, 
how  he  wrought  for  the  Republic ;  oh,  his  deportment  in  the  Eastern  sea  when 
the  crisis  came !    In  1860  a  poor  boy  in  a  little  country  town  in  northern  Ohio ; 

477 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

forty  years  later  the  gentle  yet  majestic  character  of  all  Christendom,  teach- 
ing the  world  a  lesson  in  international  equity,  and  dictating  terms  to  monarchs 
in  whose  veins  flowed  the  blood  of  centuries  of  kijigs.  If  Ohio  had  no  other 
possession  of  which  to  boast  than  that,  she  would  be  rich  indeed. 

"  Mark  Hanna  was  a  son  of  Ohio.  (Applause.)  Abused  and  misrepre- 
sented, but  finally  vindicated.  During  those  hours  of  his  sickness  a  nation  in 
tears  stood  by  his  bedside.  Calumny  ran  to  the  mountains  and  hid  and  detrac- 
tion and  defamation  asked  for  an  opportunity  to  apologize.  I  recently  saw  a 
tribute  paid  by  a  carcaturist  who  pursued  him  through  his  political  life,  in 
which  he  said  that  Senator  Hanna's  character  had  demonstrated  that  no  honest 
man  need  fear  a  cartoon.  When  I  saw  that  I  thought  of  a  similar  tribute  paid 
when  Lincoln  fell.  London  Punch  had  pursued  him  mercilessly  throughout 
the  terrible  ordeal  of  civil  war;  but  that  awful  tragedy  seemed  to  shock  that 
caricaturist  into  a  condition  of  sanity  and  good  sense,  and  he  confessed  his 
error  against  Lincoln  in  these  words : 

" '  You,  lay  a  wreath  on  murdered  Lincoln's  bier. 

You,  wtio  with  mocking  pencil  wont  to  trace 
Broad  for  the  self-complacent  British  sneer, 

His  length  of  shambling  limb,  his  furrowed  face. 
His  gaunt,  gnarled  hands,  his  unkempt  bristling  hair. 

His  garb  uncouth,  his  bearing  ill  at  ease, 
His  lack  of  ail  we  prize  as  debonair. 

Of  power  or  will  to  shine,  of  art  to  please. 
You,  whose  smart  pen  backed  up  the  pencil's  laugh, 

Judging  each  step  as  though  the  way  were  plain; 
Reckless,  so  it  could  point  a  paragraph. 

Of  chiefs  perplexity,  or  people's  pain. 
Beside  that  corpse,  that  bears  for  winding  sheet 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  he  lived  to  rear  anew. 
Between  the  mourners  at  his  head  and  feet. 

Say,  scurril  jester,  is  there  room  for  you? 
Yes;  he  lived  to  shame  me  from  my  sneer, 

To  lame  my  pencil  and  confute  my  pen. 
To  make  me  own  this  hind  of  princes  peer. 

This  railsplitter  a  true  born  king  of  men.' 

"  So  it  was  with  Mark  Hanna,  but  we  have  consolation  in  the  fact  that 
he  lived  to  know  the  victory  he  had  won,  and  to  be  recognized  by  the  whole 
world  as  '  a  true  bom  king  of  men.'      (Applause.) 

"  A  New  York  man  sits  in  the  White  House,  but  there  are  two  Ohioans 
who  are  members  of  his  cabinet,  John  Hay  and  William  Howard  Taft.  John 
Hay ;  his  name  will  be  forever  associated  with  the  progressive  and  practical 
diplomacy  which  marks  the  birth  of  the  twentieth  century.  His  patience,  his 
calm  deportment,  his  rare  good  sense,  have  made  the  American  Republic  the 
great  umpire  of  Christendom.  He  says  he  will  not  meddle  in  the  domestic 
affairs  of  other  nations,  but  we  will  insist  on  an  open  door  in  the  Far  East,  and 
upon  a  strict  compliance  with  all  treaty  stipulations,  and  upon  our  rights  in 

478 


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^    YORK 


forty  years  later  the  gent 

on  inHTuici  Hi 
tho^  blood  of 
possession  ol  whic' 

"M 
,    nteti,  bi      ^  ^^^ 
'i  cars  stood  bj^  (^  " 


■N  hich  he  said  tJ>l 
'  fear  a 
.roln  f. 
the  terrible  01 


b& 


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^-s^^a  true  bom  king  0(  ,.  -  ^ .     '  Aj^^'^'- 
New  York  man  slts^.<:  '  hite  Hr 


^  "3         O     !^    O    ;« 

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'v'^/>5j*c  net  cou'ii/iaiicf  with  all  treaty  stipulations,  and  upon  .  '.;r  lig; 
L'^^  iH  e*  CO  ^ 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

foreign  harbors.  And  the  haste  with  which  the  nations  of  the  world  ratified  his 
note  to  the  powers  was  at  once  a  tribute  to  his  sagacity  and  to  the  potentiality 
of  the  American  Republic  among  the  nations  of  the  world. 

"  And  William  H.  Taft,  the  secretary  of  war.  He  succeeded  a  splendid 
citizen  and  an  ideal  American,  Elihu  Root,  of  New  York.  A  man  whose 
administration  touched  high  tide  every  hour  he  sat  in  that  chair.  War  took 
the  banner  to  the  Philippine  Islands,  but  the  splendid  trophies  of  peace  are  all 
about  it  to-day ;  and  the  most  beautiful  victory  won  by  Columbia  in  the  last 
century,  in  my  judgment,  has  been  won  over  there  in  that  archipelago,  and  the 
name  of  Taft  is  written  all  over  it.     (Applause.) 

"  I  must  not  detain  you  longer,  but  if  I  can  say  one  thing  in  conclusion  it 
would  be  this:  That  the  most  beautiful  thing  about  the  sons  of  Ohio  is  that 
they  can  make  love  of  their  state  secondary  to  love  of  their  country.  Country 
first,  and  state  afterwards.  I  am  reminded  of  an  incident  that  occurred  a  year 
ago  last  May.  I  was  invited  down  into  Butler  county,  Ohio,  to  deliver  the 
Decoration  Day  address.  A  man  came  to  me,  carefully  unwrapped  a  news- 
paper, and  handed  me  a  letter  saying  that  I  would  probably  like  to  read  it. 
It  was  old  and  worn ;  the  envelope  bore  the  postmark  of  Murf reesboro,  dated, 
as  I  remember,  1863.  I  recognized  in  the  handwriting  the  tracings  of  the 
pen  made  by  my  own  father,  and  I  read  the  letter.  It  was  to  my  uncle  Jacob, 
and  told  him  of  the  death  of  a  son,  Simon,  which  had  occurred  on  the  battle- 
field the  day  before.  He  told  my  uncle  how  his  boy  had  died ;  and  he  said  to 
him,  '  This  is  the  third  son  that  you  have  given  a  sacrifice  to  your  country.' 
Said  he,  '  This  will  be  a  terrible  shock  to  you,  but  in  the  hour  of  your  afflic- 
tion you  have  this  consolation :  Simon  and  his  brothers  died  fighting  for  the  best 
government  upon  which  the  sun  has  ever  shone.'  That  was  a  tribute  from  the 
battlefield ;  that  was  the  consolation  that  kinship  offered  to  grief.  '  The  great- 
est country  upon  which  the  sun  has  ever  shone ! '  It  was  true  then,  it  is  true 
now,  and  it  has  been  true  every  hour  since  Independence  Hall !  We  love  Ohio, 
but  better  still  we  love  our  country,  the  best  country  upon  which  the  sun  has 
ever  shone."     (Applause.) 

President  McCook  said :  "  On  one  of  the  panels  in  the  ante-room  of  the 
secretary  of  war  at  Washington  are  four  portraits.  One  of  Stanton,  the  great 
war  secretary  of  Lincoln's  cabinet,  while  grouped  about  him  are  the  portraits 
of  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan,  the  chief  commanders  of  our  armies  at  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War,  and  all  four  of  them  sons  of  Ohio. 

"  A  similar  condition  exists  in  these  piping  times  of  peace.  Taft,  from 
Ohio,  is  secretary  of  war.  Chaffee,  from  Ohio,  is  the  lieutenant  general,  and 
Corbin,  from  Ohio,  is  the  senior  major-general  of  our  army.  They  are  all 
guests  of  honor  at  our  table  to-night,  and  right  proud  are  we  of  this  Buckeye 
triumvirate,  who,  like  their  splendid  predecessors,  while  exercising  military  au- 

479 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

thority,  do  so  as  the  servants  of  the  people  and  as  the  patriotic  exponents  of  lib- 
erty under  the  law.  After  listening  for  a  few  moments  to  Governor  Herrick,  I 
am  going  to  ask  Lieutenant-General  Chaffee,  the  chief  of  the  general  staff,  and 
Major-General  Corbin,  commanding  the  division  of  the  East,  the  senior  officers 
of  the  American  army,  and  Rear-Admiral  Watson,  the  senior-rear-admiral  on 
the  active  list  of  the  navy,  to  stand  up  and  let  us  look  at  them,  while  we  give 
them  a  hearty  and  enthusiastic  cheer  of  greeting. 

"  We  will  now  hear  a  word  from  the  governor  of  our  own  state,  who  was 
called  to  that  office  by  the  largest  maj  ority  ever  given  to  an  Ohio  man  in  public 
life.  It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  introduce  the  Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick, 
Governor  of  Ohio."     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

Governor  Herrick  said :  "  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Members 
of  the  Ohio  Society :  A  little  girl  in  Butte,  Montana,  once  wrote  to  Longfellow, 
'  You  are  my  poet ;  the  greatest  poet,  and  I  love  your  poetry,  and  I  want  to  ask 
you  how  it  can  be  that  so  great  a  poet  can  live  so  far  away  from  Butte.'  Per- 
haps those  of  us  who  reside  in  Ohio  have  the  little  girl's  point  of  view. 

"  I  know  something  of  the  allurements  of  New  York,  and  of  the  delights 
of  Indiana  and  of  Illinois ;  I  have  heard  of  the  pleasures  of  Washington ;  but  I 
cannot  understand  why  it  is  that  these  gentlemen,  so  many  of  whom  I  see  before 
me  here  to-night,  are  willing  to  leave  their  old  state — their  native  state  of  Ohio 
— and  go  elsewhere  to  seek  their  fortunes.  But  while  they  seem  willing  to  oc- 
cupy the  soil  of  other  states,  the  love  for  the  old  home  remains  with  them. 

"  Mr.  Landis  has  called  the  roll  of  the  nation's  leaders  in  naming  Ohio 
men.  It  is  true  that  Waterloo  was  won  at  Eton  and  Harrow;  then  it  is 
equally  true  that  every  momentous  question  that  has  been  settled  in  this  Re- 
public in  the  last  forty  years  was  settled  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio.  The 
past  we  know ;  the  roll  has  been  called  of  Ohio  men,  and  I  am  glad  to  have  it 
called  by  a  man  outside  of  our  state,  because  I  do  not  wish  to-night,  in  a  boast- 
ful spirit,  to  speak  of  our  men.  We  have  splendid  men  at  home,  and  we  send 
splendid  men  abroad.  We  have  supplied  the  nation,  and  we  are  raising  boys  in 
the  public  schools  to  supply  it  in  the  years  to  come.  (Laughter  and  applause.) 
We  have  so  many  great  men  in  Ohio,  waiting  for  the  call  of  the  nation,  that 
they  sometimes  even  jostle  each  other  within  the  borders  of  the  state.  (Laugh- 
ter and  applause.) 

"  The  past  is  behind  us,  and  the  history  of  Ohio  and  its  importance  in 
the  nation  has  been  so  well  told  by  Mr.  Landis  that  I  need  not  dwell  upon  it ; 
but  it  is  of  the  future  that  I  would  speak.  Virginia  in  her  day  occupied  the 
position  in  this  nation  that  is  now  and  has  been  for  the  past  forty  years  held 
by  Ohio.  The  glories  of  Virginia  are  those  of  the  setting  sun ;  those  of  Ohio 
are  of  the  rising  sun,  and  the  sun  is  just  over  the  yard  arm.  New  conditions 
are  arising  in  our  nation,  conditions  which  the  citizens  of  every  state  must  take 

480 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

heed.  In  the  early  settlement  of  this  country,  especially  the  early  settlement  of 
the  East,  the  pioneer  labored  over  the  mountains  with  his  ox  team  and  hewed 
out  of  the  forest  a  home.  It  was  then  the  farm  first,  the  village  next,  and  then 
the  railway.  The  West  has  not  been  settled  that  way.  This  was  truly  the  basis 
for  a  solid  and  conservative  citizensliip,  but  the  great  West  has  not  been  set- 
tled in  that  way ;  it  has  been  the  railway  first,  the  village  next  and  the  farm 
last.  And  this  domain  has  been  rapidly  filling.  It  is  this  which  has  been 
bringing  to  us  these  new  conditions.  If  we  stop  for  a  moment  to  think  that 
beyond  the  Mississippi  River  are  1,830,000  square  miles  of  arable  land;  on  this 
side  of  the  Mississippi  River  are  only  800,000  square  miles,  and  the  country  is 
rapidly  filling.  The  sceptre  may  soon  depart  from  Ohio.  Congress  and  sen- 
ate— the  country — is  eventually  to  be  controlled  by  the  dominant  West  that  is 
so  rapidly  coming  to  the  front.  And  those  conditions  which  confront  us  to-day 
in  tliis  country  are  the  result  of  the  rapid  settlement  of  the  West  and  the  taking 
up  of  the  tillable  lands. 

"  Macaulay  made  a  prophecy  so  far  back  as  1857  relating  to  this  condi- 
tion, which  comes  home  to  us  with  tremendous  force  to-day.  He  wrote  a  friend 
in  1857  in  this  country :  '  Your  fate  I  believe  to  be  certain,  though  it  is  de- 
feiTed  by  a  physical  cause.  As  long  as  you  have  a  boundless  extent  of  fertile 
and  unoccupied  land,  your  laboring  population  will  be  far  more  at  ease  than 
the  laboring  population  of  the  old  world.  But  the  time  will  come  when  New 
England  will  be  so  thickly  peopled  as  old  England.  Wages  will  be  as  low 
and  will  fluctuate  as  much  with  you  as  with  us,  and  in  those  Manchesters  and 
Birminghams  hundreds  and  thousands  of  artisans  will  assuredly  be  sometimes 
out  of  work.  Through  such  scenes  the  United  States  will  have  to  pass  in  the 
course  of  the  next  century  if  not  in  this.  I  wish  you  a  good  deliverance,  but 
my  reason  and  my  wishes  are  at  war,  and  I  cannot  help  foreboding  the  worst.' 

"  Garfield  said  of  this  in  later  years :  '  When  I  read  Macaulay's  state- 
ment it  startled  me  like  an  alarm  bell  in  the  night.' 

"  We  have  our  Manchesters  and  our  Birminghams  to-day  in  this  country, 
and  the  conditions  so  clearly  foretold  by  INIacaulay  seem  to  be  gradually  ap- 
proaching us,  if  they  are  not  already  here.  What  the  great  Englishman  be- 
held has  made  an  American  discern  in  the  mists  of  the  future  the  different 
causes  and  effects,  and  led  liim  to  make  a  mental  picture;  but  IMark  Hanna's 
vision  was  none  the  less  clear  and  penetrating.  What  man  cannot  be  flattered  ? 
But  it  is  to  the  eternal  glory  of  our  departed  friend's  memory  that  he  not  only 
knew  this  condition,  but  had  the  courage  to  meet  it  open  handed  and  to  boldly 
undertake  its  solution.  What  a  loss  to  the  country !  What  a  loss  this  country 
suffered  in  his  taking  off !  Years  ago  he  realized  that  the  harmonious  relations 
of  capital  and  labor  was  the  most  vital  question,  the  all-involving  problem  of 
the  hour.     He  felt  that  until  that  was  settled  there  could  never  be  any  lasting 

481 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

peace  in  the  land,  nor  any  enduring  security  in  conditions.  Hanna,  while  of 
very  tender  sentiment,  was  no  idealist.  He  had  seen  theory  after  theory  fail 
without  benefit  to  either  side.  What  was  needed  was  practical  common  sense 
and  openness  of  action,  above  all  honesty.  In  his  rugged  fashion  he  said  to  the 
master:  '  You  are  lacking  in  this  respect.'  He  said  to  the  laborer:  '  Your  de- 
mands are  unjust;  modify  them.'  Each  instinctively  recognized  the  justice  of 
the  reproof,  and  felt  that  here  was  an  unselfish  friend  to  whom  it  was  best  to 
listen.  '  You  think  your  rights  are  invaded,'  he  said  to  the  millionaire  master 
of  a  thousand  discontented  workmen.  '  It  is  your  dignity,  your  pride,  that  is 
offended.  It  is  your  pride  that  is  keeping  you  from  your  plain  and  manifest 
duty.'  The  great  man  heard  the  reproof,  and  pondered  over  it.  There  was  a 
struggle,  but  the  innate  justice  conquered,  and  the  strike  was  averted. 

"  Like  our  honored  friend  and  counsellor,  we  must  be  honest  with  the 
world  and  with  ourselves.  There  must  be  no  surrender  of  principles  in  dealing 
witli  this  question.  We  met  it  fairly  in  Ohio  last  year,  and  the  unerring 
judgment  of  the  people  was  with  us,  was  in  our  favor.  Let  us  have  no  more 
hypocrisy,  no  more  sycophancy,  or  demagoguery.  Let  us  say  to  capital: 
*  You  must  not  in  the  face  of  public  sentiment  insist  upon  the  dictation  and 
control  of  legislation,  and  above  all  you  must  respect  human  rights.'  To 
labor  let  us  say :  '  You  must  not  seek  to  legislate  in  advance  of  public  senti- 
ment, and  you  must  respect  the  same  rights  of  property,  and  you  must  also 
respect  human  rights.'  To  them  that  are  in  authority  let  us  say :  '  Cease 
pandering  to  emotion,  and  make  your  purposes  honest;  heed  not  public  clamor 
or  the  mouthings  of  the  demagogue,  but  be  ever  mindful  of  the  great  heart 
of  the  people  speaking  the  message  of  truth.  Rely  on  the  people.  They 
are  honest,  they  are  just,  and  they  are  grateful,  and  they  love  justice  and 
hate  iniquity.' 

"  McKinley  said  to  you  here  in  this  room  in  1900 :  '  A  self-governed 
people  will  never  permit  despotism  in  any  government  which  they  foster  and 
defend.'  '  Because  they  loved  him  so,'  was  the  answer  to  the  question  why 
capitalist  and  wage  earner  wept  over  him  whom  we  mourn.  Why  did  the 
people  love  Mark  Hanna,  we  ask,  and  they  answer:  *  Because  he  was  honest, 
because  he  was  just  in  all  his  dealings  with  them,  because  he  tried  to  be  right 
for  right's  sake,  and  because  he  despised  hypocrisy  and  loved  frankness.' 
What  a  mighty  lesson  in  statesmanship  it  was.  A  help  and  example,  it  has 
taught  us  something  we  should  never  forget,  but  keep  ever  before  us  as  we 
urge  the  solution  of  the  problem  which  these  conditions  have  been  steadily 
forcing  to  the  front,  that  the  man  who  dares  to  be  right  will  ultimately  be 
vindicated  by  a  justice-loving  American  people."      (Applause.) 

President  McCook  said:  "Before  declaring  the  adjournment  of  the 
eighteenth  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  I  will  ask  the 

482 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

senior  representatives  of  our  army  and  navy,  Rear-Admiral  Watson,  the  man 
who,  as  his  flag  lieutenant,  lashed  Farragut  to  the  rigging  of  the  flagship 
Hartford  at  the  battle  of  Mobile  Bay,  and  Lieutenant-General  Chaffee  and 
Major-General  Corbin  to  stand  up  and  receive  our  cordial  salutations." 

(These  guests  arose,  as  requested.) 

Hon.  Charles  B.  Landis  said:  "I  propose  three  cheers,  three  buckeye 
cheers  for  Generals  Chaff'ce  and  Corbin  and  Admiral  Watson." 

When  the  distinguished  military  and  naval  guests  stood  in  their  places 
at  the  president's  table,  the  members  of  the  Society  and  their  guests,  amid 
a  spontaneous  outburst  of  applause,  rose  to  their  feet  and  gave  three  hearty 
and  enthusiastic  cheers  for  the  distinguished  soldiers  and  sailor  who  bowed 
their  acknowledgments  of  the  honor  done  them. 

President  McCook  said :     "  This  meeting  stands  adjourned." 


483 


CHAPTER    XXI 

1904-1905 

A  PLEASANT  meeting  was  that  of  the  Society  on  April  10th,  on  the 
occasion  of  a  reception  to  Ohioans  in  New  York  who  were  eligible 
to  membership.  There  was  a  gratifying  attendance.  President 
McCook  greeted  the  assembled  guests,  stating  the  desirability  of  membership 
in  the  Ohio  Society;  that  it  was  increasing  rapidly,  the  number  of  resident 
members  being  318 ;  non-resident,  215 ;  total,  533,  not  including  those  elected 
to-night,  of  which  there  were  28,  making  the  total  membership  of  the  Society 
to  date  561,  the  largest  ever  enjoyed. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  to  Mr.  Parsons  for  his  presentation  to  the 
Society  of  a  portrait  of  General  Chaffee  and  of  Col.  E.  L.  Drake.  Thanks 
were  tendered  to  President  McCook  for  his  presentation  of  a  portrait  of 
Secretary  of  War  Taft.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  to  Mr.  Hawk,  of 
the  Manhattan  Hotel,  for  the  entertainment  of  the  guests  at  the  annual  ban- 
quet. 

Mr.  Southard  moved  that  Secretary  Taft  be  made  an  honorary  member 
of  this  Society.  Carried,  and  laid  over  for  one  month,  as  required  by  the 
by-laws.     He  was  subsequently  elected. 

After  the  adjournment  the  members  and  guests  enjoyed  an  excellent 
programme  prepared  by  the  entertainment  committee,  consisting  of  vocal 
and  instrumental  music  by  various  artists,  closing  with  a  wonderful  exhi- 
bition of  card  tricks  of  all  kinds  by  Mr.  Arnold.  Refreshments  were  then 
served.  ' 

At  the  meeting  of  May  9th  the  chair  called  on  Mr.  Hoyt  to  give  an 
account  of  the  very  interesting  and  remarkable  dinner  of  the  Canton  Society, 
which  Mr.  Hoyt  and  President  McCook  had  attended  on  the  Saturday  night 
previous,  Judge  Day,  of  Canton,  being  the  guest  of  honor.  Mr.  Hoyt 
thereupon  gave  a  very  interesting  account,  expressing  the  thought  that  the 
Canton  Society  was  a  good  field  for  the  Ohio  Society  to  cultivate  for  new 
members. 

On  June  13th  the  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  prepare  resolu- 
tions in  honor  of  the  memory  of  the  late  Senator  Marcus  A.  Hanna  was 
presented.  The  record  of  these  resolutions  upon  the  minute  book  of  the 
Society  is  specially  honored  in  one  respect,  that  the  signatures  attached  are 

484 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  original  autographs  of  the  prominent  sons  of  Ohio  whose  names  appear 
upon  the  Hst.  One  of  these  gentlemen  has  served  as  governor  of  Ohio,  an- 
other as  United  States  senator  from  Ohio,  and  still  another  as  president  of 
the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York.     The  memorial  was  as  follows : 

"  The  unique  and  brilliant  career  of  M.  A.  Hanna  entitles  him  to  a 
place  among  the  great  Americans.  He  was  a  great  business  man;  a  great 
political  leader;  a  great  statesman;  a  great  orator;  and  a  great  philan- 
thropist. He  won  conspicuous  triumphs  in  more  diversified  fields  of  endeavor 
tlian  any  other  American. 

"  Until  he  was  past  fifty,  he  devoted  himself  to  business.  His  integrity, 
his  courage,  his  energy,  his  sagacity  and  his  power  not  only  to  plan,  but  to 
execute,  made  him  indeed  widely  known  and  respected,  but  only  as  a  busi- 
ness man.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  national  politics.  He  believed  that 
William  McKinley  was  the  fittest  standard  bearer  of  his  party.  With  a  de- 
termination characteristically  inflexible,  and  a  friendship  characteristicaEy 
loyal,  he  set  about  the  task  of  procuring  the  nomination  of  the  great  Ohioan. 
No  obstacle  could  stop  him.  Nothing  could  either  change  or  weaken  his  pur- 
pose. The  defeat  of  1892  did  not  daunt  him.  The  fact  that  most  of  the 
political  leaders  of  national  reputation  were  either  doubtful  of  the  expedi- 
ency or  possibility  of  the  nomination,  or  were  openly  opposed  to  it,  neither 
shook  his  faith  nor  quenched  his  courage. 

"  It  is  indeed  true,  that  had  the  beloved  and  lamented  McKinley  been 
other  than  he  was,  even  Hanna  could  not  have  accomplished  the  result  which 
proved  so  beneficent  to  the  country ;  but  it  is  also  true,  that  if  Hanna  had  not 
been  what  he  was;  loyal,  able,  inexorable,  untiring,  sagacious,  and  above  all, 
masterful,  the  country  might  have  lost  an  administration,  which  not  only 
added  glorious  pages  to  its  history,  but  inaugurated  policies  which  must 
endure,  because  they  promote  not  only  the  prosperity  of  Americans,  but  the 
welfare  of  mankind. 

"  When  the  nomination  was  made,  Mr.  Hanna,  who  had  then  convinced 
people  how  strong  he  was,  and  how  wise  he  was,  was  fittingly  selected  to  lead 
the  Republican  hosts  in  the  field.  His  conduct  of  that  critical  campaign  was 
what  might  have  been  expected  from  him;  it  was  masterly.  And,  when  the 
ballots  were  counted  and  the  victory  for  good  government  and  for  sound 
money  was  assured,  M.  A.  Hanna,  hitherto  well  known  only  as  a  business 
man,  was  recognized  as  the  foremost  political  leader  of  the  time. 

"  He  then  went  to  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  Neither  his  education 
nor  experience  had  apparently  fitted  him  to  excel  in  that  distinguished  body. 
He  had  had  no  training  in  the  craft  of  statesmanship.  He  could  not  clothe 
his  thoughts  in  the  silken  sentences  of  the  phrase-maker;  but  to  everybody's 
surprise  he  took  front  rank  among  his  colleagues.    He  became  one  of  the  lead- 

485 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ers  of  the  senate,  not  only  in  committee  work,  but  on  the  floor,  and  his  speech 
in  favor  of  the  Panama  route,  which  changed  deliberate  conclusions  previously 
reached,  and  his  persistent  and  intelligent  efforts  to  restore  the  American 
merchant  marine,  made  him  known,  and  widely  known,  as  a  statesman. 

"  Shortly  after  his  appointment  to  the  senate,  he  was  elected  to  that  body 
by  a  bare  majority;  but,  six  years  later,  he  was  reelected  by  the  largest  vote 
ever  given  to  a  United  States  senator  in  the  legislature  of  Ohio.  And  why 
was  this  ?  The  cliief  reason  was  that  in  the  meantime,  this  many-sided  man  had 
not  only  gained  the  respect  and  confidence,  and  won  the  admiration  and  af- 
fection of  his  countrymen  by  what  he  had  done,  but  he  had  become  an  orator. 
The  hand  of  his  indomitable  energy  had  placed  another  shining  jewel  in  the 
crown  of  his  accomplishment. 

"  His  campaign  of  1903  was  memorable,  not  only  because  of  the  thou- 
sands who  thronged  to  hear  him,  but  because  of  the  thousands  who  were  con- 
vinced by  his  plain,  clear  logic  and  his  rugged  eloquence. 

"  But  business  and  politics  and  statesmanship  and  oratory  could  not 
exhaust  his  energy  or  limit  his  endeavor.  No  task  was  too  burdensome  for  him 
to  undertake,  or  too  difficult  for  him  to  successfully  accomplish.  He  pos- 
sessed a  heart  as  gentle  and  generous  as  his  mind  was  strong  and  sagacious. 
He  gave  not  only  his  money,  but  himself,  to  charity  and  to  philanthropic 
purpose.  He  sought  to  conciliate  and  bring  into  harmony  capital  and  labor. 
He  himself  belonged  to  one  class,  but  he  held  out  his  hand  to  the  other,  and 
he  became  the  trusted  representative  of  both.  As  was  well  said  of  him  in 
eulogy :  '  He  was  not  only  a  President-maker,  but  a  Peace-maker.'  His 
intelligence  excited  the  admiration  of  his  fellows,  but  his  kindness  touched 
their  hearts. 

"  It  is  fitting  that  this  Society,  of  which  he  was  so  many  years  a  member, 
and  the  members  of  which,  loved  him  not  only  for  what  he  had  done  for  his 
country  and  for  Ohio,  for  Ills  prestige,  his  prominence  and  his  accomplish- 
ments, but  loved  him  for  his  cordial  handclasp  and  his  genial,  kindly  smile — 
it  is  fitting  that  this  Society  should  spread  upon  its  minutes  a  tribute  to  his 
worth,  and  that  in  token  of  their  sincere  and  respectful  sympathy  with  his 
wife  and  family,  a  copy  of  this  resolution  should  be  sent  to  them. 

"  James  H.  Hoyt,  Chairman^ 
"Myron  T.  Herrick, 
"  Charles  Dick, 
"  Samuel  Mather, 
"  John  J.  McCook, 

"  Committee  on  Resolutions." 


486 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

In  the  October  meeting  the  following  gentlemen  were  named  as  a  com- 
mittee on  nominations  of  officers:  H.  H.  Sisson,  H.  H.  Brockway,  C.  D. 
Hilles,  Warren  Higlcy,  L.  D.  INIorrison,  L.  H.  Crall,  John  M.  Chandler.  In 
the  meeting  of  November  14th,  Mr.  Crall,  as  chairman  of  the  nominating 
committee,  reported  the  ticket  for  officers  for  the  coming  year,  to  be  elected 
at  the  annual  meeting  of  November  29,  1904.     The  report  was  as  follows : 

"  In  its  work  of  nominating  a  ticket  for  the  coming  year,  your  committee 
has  held  three  full  meetings,  besides  numerous  consultations.  For  president 
there  was  but  one  thought,  and  quoting  the  language  of  one  of  the  members 
of  the  committee,  '  It  goes  without  saying.  Colonel  McCook  forever ! ' 

"  F'or  vice-presidents,  the  committee  presents  representative  men  of  the 
Society,  of  much  experience,  who  are  largely  in  affairs,  and  of  known  standing 
in  this  city,  Mr.  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Mr.  John  D.  Archbold,  Mr.  Flamen  Ball 
Candler,  Mr.  Eben  B.  Thomas  and  Mr.  Emerson  McMillin. 

"  Our  present  efficient  secretary,  Mr.  Fi'ancis  M.  Applegate,  has  con- 
sented to  serv^e  another  term,  and  we  therefore  present  his  name  for  reelection 
to  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Society. 

"  There  is  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  recording  secretary,  made  by  the 
recent  death  of  the  incumbent,  Mr.  Charles  Morris,  and  we  have  had  some 
difficulty  in  selecting  a  member  who  is  willing  to  give  the  necessary  time  to 
this  work.  By  virtue  of  his  office,  the  recording  secretary  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  governors.  It  is  a  very  responsible  position,  and  upon  this  officer 
the  smooth  running  of  the  business  of  the  board  of  governors,  as  well  as  of 
the  Society,  largely  depends.  The  committee  is  most  fortunate  in  securing 
its  acceptance  by  a  gentleman  most  admirably  qualified  to  fill  the  position, 
Mr.  Seth  Thayer  Stewart,  who  is  district  superintendent  of  the  New  York 
schools,  and  for  many  years  was  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Union  League 
Club  of  Brooklyn. 

"  In  the  opinion  of  the  committee  one  most  important  and  exacting 
office  of  the  Society  is  that  of  treasurer.  The  present  efficient  treasurer 
positively  refused  the  nomination.  In  fact,  some  months  ago,  giving  as  his 
reasons  that  he  could  not  afford  the  time  necessary  for  the  performance  of 
the  duties  of  this  office,  he  presented  his  resignation  to  the  board  of  governors, 
and  consented  to  sers-e  out  his  term  only  under  strong  pressure.  Several 
members  who  could  fill  the  office  most  acceptably  were  sounded,  but  declined 
to  accept  the  nomination.  A  suggestion  was  made  by  one  of  the  members  of 
tlie  committee  which  met  with  hearty  approval,  to  nominate  for  treasurer 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular  members  of  the  Society.  Unfor- 
tunately, this  gentleman  was  a  member  of  our  committee;  worse  still,  he  was 
our  chairman,  and  that  fact  placed  him  in  a  delicate  and  embarrassing  position. 
It  required  all  our  powers  of  persuasion  to  prevail  upon  him  to  accept  the 

487 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

nomination.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  our  Society,  and  during  the 
eighteen  years  of  its  existence,  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  its  affairs;  he 
has  served  upon  more  committees  than  any  other  member,  has  been  a  mem- 
ber and  chairman  of  the  board  of  governors,  a  vice-president,  and  it  is  only 
because  of  his  love  for  and  loyalty  to  the  Society  that  he  has  consented  to  as- 
sume the  onerous  and  exacting  duties  of  the  office.  The  members  of  the  com- 
mittee are  more  than  gratified  to  nominate  as  treasurer  of  the  Society,  Hon. 
Warren  Higley. 

"  Three  of  the  nine  trustees  retire  from  the  board  annually.  It  is  wise 
that  the  trustees  be  men  of  marked  business  ability,  and  that  they  be  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  Society's  affairs,  as  they,  together  with  the  presi- 
dent, recording  secretary,  and  treasurer  constitute  the  board  of  governors. 
The  committee  nominate  three  members  for  trustees  who  fully  meet  these  re- 
quirements, Mr.  H.  B.  Brundrett,  one  of  our  earliest  members,  Mr.  Albert  F. 
Hagar,  our  secretary  for  several  years,  and  our  retiring  treasurer,  Mr. 
Samuel  H.  Parsons." 

Recapitulating,  the  ticket  reported  was  as  follows:  President:  John  J. 
McCook;  Vice-presidents:  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Flamen  Ball  Candler,  John  D. 
Archbold,  Eben  B.  Thomas,  Emerson  McMillin;  Secretary:  Francis  M.  Apple- 
gate  ;  Recording  secretary :  Seth  Thayer  Stewart ;  Treasurer :  Warren  Higley ; 
Trustees:  H.  B.  Brundrett,  Albert  F.  Hagar,  Samuel  H.  Parsons. 

On  the  evening  of  November  14th,  Orrel  A.  Parker,  Esq.,  a  member,  deliv- 
ered before  the  Society  a  most  admirable  address  on  Porto  Rico,  illustrated  by 
stereopticon  views.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  Mr.  Parker  for  the  enter- 
tainment. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1904*  was  held  on  November  29th,  and  took  the 
form  of  a  most  excellent  dinner  at  the  Hotel  Manhattan,  with  President  Mc- 
Cook in  the  chair.  The  following  gentlemen  sat  at  the  president's  table :  Col. 
John  J.  McCook,  Colgate  Ployt,  Leander  H.  Crall,  H.  B.  Brundrett,  Gen. 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  Chancellor  MacCracken,  David  Homer  Bates,  John  T. 
Granger,  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard,  George  Follett,  Louis  D.  Clarke,  Ernest 
E.  Baldwin. 

The  reports  of  the  various  officers  and  committees  were  presented,  that  of 
the  governing  committee  being  as  follows : 

"  At  its  first  meeting  the  committee  was  organized  by  the  selection  of 
Flamen  B.  Candler  as  its  chairman.  Therefrom  the  following  house  com- 
mittee was  appointed :  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  chairman ;  Leonard  D.  Morrison 
and  Norman  C.  Raff. 

"  In  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Candler,  it  was  ordered 
that  the  president  appoint  a  committee  of  three  members  to  consider  whether 
the  by-laws  of  the  Society  do  or  do  not  require  alteration  and  amendment. 


488 


I 


"^^^^^^^^^''^^^''^^^^''^^ 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  following  were  appointed:  Lcander  H.  Crall,  H.  L.  Burnett,  Andrew 
J.  C.  Foye." 

Treasurer  Parsons  presented  his  third  annual  report,  showing  that  the 
finances  of  the  Society  were  in  excellent  condition,  with  a  balance  of  $18,- 
537.08. 

The  secretary  was  instructed  to  cast  one  ballot  for  the  ticket  proposed  at 
the  last  meeting,  and  those  gentlemen  were  declared  unanimously  elected. 

The  Society  then  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  short  addresses  from 
Colonel  McCook,  Chancellor  MacCracken,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Hon.  Milton  I. 
Southard  and  Gen.  H.  L.  Burnett. 

The  governing  committee  met  immediately  after  the  adjournment  of 
the  meeting  of  the  Society.  President  McCook  announced  that  Mr.  Stewart, 
the  newly-elected  secretary,  would  record  the  proceedings  of  the  meetings,  as 
secretary  of  the  governing  committee.  Andrew  Ernest  Foye  was  unani- 
mously elected  chairman  of  the  committee.  It  was  decided  that  the  treasurer 
give  a  bond  in  the  sum  of  $10,000,  and  that  the  expense  of  arranging  for  the 
bond  with  the  surety  company  be  borne  by  the  Society.  The  committee  again 
met  on  the  evening  of  December  8th  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  as  the  guests  of 
Leander  H.  Crall,  at  an  informal  dinner.  The  following  gentlemen  were 
unanimously  elected  as  a  house  committee:  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  chairman; 
Leonard  D.  Morrison  and  Nonnan  C.  Raff. 

Mr.  Crall  moved  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  confer  with 
the  entertainment  committee,  the  house  committee  and  the  membership  com- 
mittee, as  to  the  policy  to  be  adopted  for  the  fiscal  year  in  providing  enter- 
tainment for  the  regular  monthly  meetings.  The  motion  was  adopted,  and 
the  following  gentlemen  named  as  that  committee:  A.  E.  Foye,  A.  F.  Hagar 
and  Warner  Ells. 

The  December  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  the  evening  of  the 
12th,  with  Vice-President  Ewing  in  the  chair.  Judge  Higley  moved  that  the 
Society  have  an  annual  banquet  at  such  time  during  the  winter  as  might  be 
decided  upon,  and  that  the  president  be  authorized  to  appoint  a  banquet  com- 
mittee.   It  was  so  ordered. 

A  communication  was  received  from  President  McCook  announcing  the 
standing  committees,  and  historian  and  chaplain,  to  serve  during  the  coming 
year  as  follows :  Literature  and  art :  Albert  Shaw,  Robert  Johnstone  Mooney, 
Edward  J.  Wheeler,  Howard  Chandler  Christy,  Cass  Gilbert;  entertainment: 
Orrel  A.  Parker,  Francis  X.  Butler,  Sturges  S.  Dunham,  Roland  Hazen, 
jNIilton  P.  Jackson;  auditing:  Edward  H.  Childs,  David  Homer  Bates,  A.  S. 
Gorham,  S.  Frederick  Tavlor,  J.  M.  Chandler;  library:  Winchester  Fitch,  P. 
Tecumseh  Sherman,  V.  Clement  Jenkins,  Frederic  L.  Matthews,  E.  F.  Bald- 
win ;  membership :  Charles  D.  Hilles,  Colgate  Hoyt,  James  G.  Newcomb,  Emory 

489 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

A.  Stedman,  L.  C.  Ruch;  historian:  James  H.  Kennedy;  chaplain:  Rt.  Rev. 
Wilhani  A.  Leonard,  LL.D. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  on  January  9,  1905,  the  treas- 
urer was  authorized  to  have  one  thousand  year  books  printed.  At  the  meeting 
of  the  Society  on  the  same  evening,  Charles  D.  Hilles  reported  a  series  of 
resolutions  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  Hon.  George  K.  Nash,  a  former  gov- 
ernor of  Ohio.  They  were  adopted,  and  it  was  ordered  that  an  engrossed 
copy  be  sent  to  the  family  of  the  deceased.  The  president  announced  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  as  a  committee  for  the  annual  banquet,  to  be  held  on  the 
evening  of  Saturday,  March  18,  1905:  Colgate  Hoyt,  chairman;  Henry  L. 
Burnett,  Milton  I.  Southard,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Eben  B.  Thomas,  John  D. 
Archbold,  William  H.  Truesdale,  J.  G.  Schmidlapp,  Tod  B.  Galloway,  Nich- 
olas jMonsarrat,  James  G.  Newcomb,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Emerson  McMillin, 
William  L.  Brown,  E.  W.  Oglebay,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr., 
William  S.  Hawk,  George  W.  Perkins,  James  H.  Hoyt,  Samuel  Mather,  Lean- 
der  H.  Crall,  Charles  C.  Tegethoff,  Henry  W.  Taft,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler, 
Francis  Key  Pendleton,  William  C.  Beer,  George  S.  Russell,  Warren  Higley, 
treasurer;  Francis  M.  Applegate,  secretary. 

Judge  Higley  moved  that  a  ladies'  reception  be  arranged  for  February ; 
the  time  and  character  to  be  announced  by  the  entertainment  committee,  with 
the  approval  of  the  governing  committee.  The  motion  was  unanimously 
adopted.  Colgate  Hoyt  was,  on  motion,  delegated  to  convey  to  the  Ohio 
Society  of  Philadelphia  the  greetings  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  first  formal  banquet  to  be  given  by  the  Philadelphia  organi- 
zation. Changes  in  the  composition  of  the  entertainment  committee  were 
announced  by  the  president;  the  committee  to  consist  of  the  following  m.em- 
bers:  Francis  X.  Butler,  Sturges  S.  Dunham,  Orrel  A.  Parker,  Roland 
Hazen,  Milton  P.  Jackson. 

In  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  February  11th,  Thomas  Ewing.  Jr., 
was  requested  to  convey  to  Hon.  Milton  I.  Southard  the  sympathy  of  the 
Society  because  of  his  long-continued  illness.  President  McCook  called 
especial  attention  to  the  coming  ladies'  reception,  and  also  to  the  annual 
banquet  to  be  given  on  March  18th  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  adding  the  pleas- 
ant and  welcome  announcement  that  the  Hon.  Charles  W.  Fairbanks,  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States,  would  be  the  guest  of  honor. 

Hon.  David  Kemper  Watson,  of  Washington,  ex-attorney-general  of 
Ohio,  a  member  of  the  commission  appointed  by  President  McKInley  to  revise 
the  laws  of  the  United  States,  was  then  introduced,  and  delivered  an  instructive 
and  interesting  address  on  "  Lincoln  as  a  Lawyer." 

On  the  evening  of  Thursday,  February  23d,  the  Hotel  Astor,  on  Times 

490 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Square,  was  temporarily  in  the  possession  of  the  Ohio  colony  in  New  York, 
from  an  early  hour  of  the  evening  until  an  hour  or  so  after  midnight. 

The  occasion  was  the  winter  reunion  and  reception  of  the  Ohio  Society 
of  New  York,  which  on  this  occasion  took  the  form  of  a  dinner  and  a  dance. 

The  arrangements  were  in  the  hands  of  the  standing  entertainment  com- 
mittee, which  was  composed  as  follows :  Orrel  A.  Parker,  chairman ;  Francis 
X.  Butler,  Roland  Hazen,  Sturges  S.  Dunham,  Milton  P.  Jackson.  These 
gentlemen  were  ably  assisted  by  the  chairman  of  the  house  committee,  A.  J.  C. 
Foye,  and  a  floor  committee  constituted  as  follows :  A.  Ernest  Foye,  Charles 
D.  Hilles,  Winchester  Fitch,  Robert  M.  Fulton,  William  L.  Stout,  Addison  W. 
Gilmore,  Mark  A.  Noble,  George  M.  Parker,  E.  H.  Patrick,  Kirke  E.  Bishop, 
Andrew  McL.  Parker.  The  members  of  the  entertainment  committee  were 
designated  by  the  wearing  of  red  carnations,  and  the  floor  conMnittee  by  the 
same  flower  in  white. 

The  rooms  engaged  for  the  evening  are  what  was  known  as  the  large  ball- 
room and  the  small  ballroom,  although  either  of  them  is  sufScient  in  size  to 
come  under  the  former  designation.  They  are  connected,  and  have  a  large 
coiTidor,  cloak  rooms  and  balconies  attached.  The  dinner  was  served  in  the 
large  room,  and  dancing  occurred  in  the  other. 

The  members  and  their  guests  began  to  arrive  at  seven,  the  hour  set  for 
the  reception,  and  it  was  a  half  hour  and  more  before  the  seats  were  taken  at 
the  tables.  There  were  some  forty  of  these,  averaging  seven  or  eight  persons 
to  a  table.  There  were  also  three  or  four  tables  larger  in  size,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  special  groups  arranged  among  the  members  and  their  friends. 

There  was  no  speechmaking  or  foniial  exercises  of  any  sort.  Thomas 
Ewing,  Jr.,  the  first  vice-president,  presided  in  the  absence  of  President  John 
J.  McCook,  and  in  a  few  words  welcomed  the  guests  of  the  evening. 

The  music  furnished,  both  during  the  dinner  and  at  the  dance,  was  by 
Van  Baar's  orchestra,  one  of  the  best  in  the  city.  The  committee  in  charge 
did  not  think  it  wise  to  arrange  a  formal  order  of  dances  in  advance,  but 
made  up  the  progi'amme  as  the  evening  advanced,  selecting  such  dances  as 
seemed  most  desired  by  the  dancers.  A  card  was  hung  out  before  each  dance, 
naming  the  one  then  announced  and  the  one  next  succeeding. 

The  evening  was  one  of  unalloyed  enjoyment.  A  guest  from  Ohio 
touched  upon  one  feature  in  these  words :  "  I  had  no  idea  that  Ohio  could 
muster  in  New  York  any  such  an  assemblage  of  '  fair  women  and  brave  men.' 
The  '  three  hundred  Buckeyes  '  need  not  feel  afraid  to  compare  themselves 
with  the  '  four  hundred  '  of  New  York." 

In  the  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  on  March  13th,  a  sub- 
committee suggested  that  the  Society  should  secure  oil  portraits  of  ex-Presi- 
dents Grant,  Hayes,  Harrison  and  McKinley. 

491 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  nineteenth  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  given 
on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  March  IS,  1905,  in  the  banquet  hall  of  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  was  an  unqualified  success,  as  have  been  all  of  the  festal 
gatherings  of  this  organization.  It  was  given  in  honor  of  Hon.  Charles 
Warren  Fairbanks,  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  a  son  of  Ohio.  He  was 
for  a  number  of  years  a  non-resident  member  of  the  Society,  and  recently,  by 
unanimous  vote,  had  been  enrolled  upon  its  small  and  select  Kst  of  honorary 
members.  Beside  the  vice-president  a  number  of  other  prominent  men,  whose 
names  will  be  found  below,  were  present  as  the  guests  of  the  Society. 

Fully  five  hundred  members  and  their  guests  sat  down  to  the  banquet, 
while  the  two  galleries  were  filled  with  ladies,  who  came  in  when  the  speech- 
making  commenced. 

The  vice-president  and  the  other  guests  from  the  seat  of  government 
arrived  in  New  York  in  a  special  car  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Ohio 
Society  by  courtesy  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  They  were 
escorted  to  the  Manhattan  Hotel,  whose  proprietor,  William  S.  Hawk,  is  a 
member  of  the  Society,  and  always  insists  upon  entertaining  its  guests  free 
of  charge.  At  a  little  after  six,  the  vice-president  and  the  others  were  es- 
corted to  the  Waldorf-Astoria  by  members  of  the  reception  committee,  where 
for  a  half  hour  and  more  an  informal  reception  was  held. 

At  a  little  after  seven  o'clock  the  doors  of  the  banquet  hall  were  thrown 
open,  and  the  members  entered  and  took  their  designated  places.  The  guests 
of  honor  were  then  conducted  to  the  president's  table,  Vice-President  Fair- 
banks heading  the  procession  under  escort  of  President  John  J.  McCook. 
Grace  was  said  by  Rev.  Charles  E.  JeiFerson,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Broadway 
Tabernacle. 

The  names  of  those  who  had  been  invited  to  occupy  seats  at  the  table  of 
honor  were  as  follows.    With  few  exceptions,  all  of  the  gentlemen  were  present : 

Mr.  Colgate  Hoj^t,  past  president  Ohio  Society;  Mr.  Gilbert  E.  Roe, 
president  Wisconsin  Society;  Mr.  Marion  J.  Verdery,  president  Southern 
Society;  Rev.  J.  Nevett  Steele,  president  Maryland  Society;  Rev.  Wayland 
Hoyt,  D.D.,  president  Ohio  Society  of  Philadelphia;  Hon.  James  E.  Camp- 
bell, ex-governor  of  Ohio;  Mr.  W.  Butler  Duncan,  president  St.  Andrew's 
Society;  Hon.  Charles  A.  Towne,  M.C.,  of  New  York;  Brig.-Gen.  Frederick 
D.  Grant,  U.  S.  A. ;  Gen.  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  president  New  England  So- 
ciety; Maj.-Gen.  James  F.  Wade,  U.  S.  A.;  Hon.  M.  Linn  Bruce,  Heutenant- 
goveraor  of  New  York;  Hon.  Stephen  B.  Elkins,  senator  from  West  Virginia; 
Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  of  New  York;  Hon.  Charles  Warren  Fairbanks,  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States ;  Mr.  John  J.  McCook,  president  of  the  Ohio 
Society;  Hon.  Leslie  M.  Shaw,  secretary  of  the  treasury;  Mr.  E.  H.  Harri- 
man,  of  New  York;  Hon.   Nathan  B.   Scott,  senator  from  West  Virginia; 

492 


/f,'T 


A^  L        r-^^  Donor  ojL^  V — y 


Or  VH : 
UNIVERSiTY 

OF 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Hon.  Warren  G.  Harding,  lieutenant-governor  of  Ohid ;  Rear-Admiral  Joseph 
B.  Coghlan,  U.  S.  N. ;  Mr.  August  Belmont,  of  New  York ;  Mr.  Samuel  Rea, 
vice-president  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company;  Hon.  Melville  E.  Stone, 
president  Illinois  Society ;  Hon.  George  C.  Holt,  United  States  District  Judge ; 
Rev.  Charles  E.  Jefferson,  pastor  Broadway  Tabernacle;  Dr.  Henry  N.  Tifft, 
president  Board  of  Education  of  Greater  New  York ;  Hon.  Robert  C.  Ogden, 
president  Pennsylvania  Society;  Hon.  Oscar  S.  Straus,  of  New  York;  Gen. 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  past  president  Ohio  Society. 

The  room  presented  a  beautiful  sight,  especially  after  the  ladies  had 
filled  the  boxes  surrounding  the  haU  in  the  two  balconies.  There  was  a  raised 
dais  at  one  end,  where  was  placed  the  president's  table,  while  the  members 
and  their  friends  sat  at  round  tables  in  groups  of  ten.  Flowers  were  upon  each 
table,  while  a  beautiful  array  of  flags  filled  the  wall  space  behind  the  dais. 
The  star  spangled  banner  was  there  in  abundance,  as  were  also  the  flags  and 
coats  of  arms  of  New  York  state  and  New  York  city.  Conspicuous  among 
them  was  the  flag  of  the  buckeye  state,  bearing  the  word  "  Ohio  "  in  letters 
of  gold,  with  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  state  woven  into  the  silken  folds  of  the 
banner. 

At  each  plate  was  a  handsome  souvenir  programme,  prepared  by  the 
souvenir  committee.  Judge  Warren  Higley,  chairman.  It  was  designed  by 
Thomas  A.  Sindelar. 

The  programme  was  in  a  fine  kid-finished  box  with  the  seal  of  Ohio  upon 
the  lid.  The  cover  was  a  bucke3'e  brown,  tied  with  a  white  silk  ribbon  and  the 
words,  "  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  nineteenth  annual  banquet,"  were  printed 
upon  it  in  old-fashioned  text. 

The  frontispiece  was  a  photogravure  portrait  of  Vice-President  Fairbanks. 
Opposite  was  a  handsome  design,  containing  the  maps  of  Ohio  and  Indiana. 
On  the  map  of  Ohio  was  a  picture  of  a  log  cabin  like  that  in  which  Mr.  Fair- 
banks was  bom.  On  the  map  of  Indiana  was  a  picture  of  his  modest  home  in 
Indianapolis.  Perched  on  top  of  the  maps  was  an  American  eagle,  with  the 
national  capitol  as  a  background.  The  maps  were  surrounded  by  an  artistic 
arrangement  of  buckeye  leaves  and  blossoms.     Beneath  were  the  words: 

Nineteenth  Annual  Banquet 
Ohio  Society  of  New  York 

in  honor  of 

Charles  Warren  Fairbanks 

Vice-President  of  the  United  States 

at  the 

Waldorf-Astoria 

Saturday,  March  18,  1905 

493 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

On  succeeding  pages  were  the  menu,  the  programme  of  toasts  and  a  list 
of  the  committees.  The  banquet  committee  has  been  ah'eady  given.  The 
reception  and  souvenir  committees  were  constituted  as  follows:  Reception: 
Andrew  Ernest  Foye,  chairman;  H.  B.  Brundrett,  Charles  E.  Warren,  Charles 
C.  RuthraufF,  Edward  W.  Parker,  Charles  D.  Hilles,  Winchester  Fitch,  Orrel 

A.  Parker,  Scott  R.  Hayes,  George  A.  Beaton,  H.  H.  Brockway,  P.  S.  Jen- 
nings, Horace  J.  Morse,  Charles  A.  Moore,  P.  Ryan,  James  G.  Shaw,  Andrew 
]McC.  Parker,  Leonard  D.  INIoii'ison,  Peter  H.  Burnett,  John  J.  Welch,  Philip 

B.  Gaynor,  Lewis  C.  Ruch,  John  E.  Weeks. 

Souvenir:  Warren  Higley,  chainnan;  Charles  D.  Hilles,  Carlton  T. 
Chapman,  Lewis  C.  Ruch,  Orrel  A.  Parker,  Seth  Thayer  Stewart. 

At  the  plate  of  each  member  and  guest  was  a  small  box  containing  a  re- 
production of  "  One  Bucke3^e  Cabin,"  upon  which  was  the  date  of  the  even- 
ing of  the  banquet,  in  letters  of  gold,  and  the  name  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York. 

The  order  of  toast  was  as  f oUows : 

John  J.  McCook,  presiding.  Grace  by  Rev.  Charles  E.  Jefferson,  D.D., 
pastor  of  the  Broadway  Tabernacle. 

"  The  President  of  the  United  States."  The  members  of  the  Society  and 
their  guests  will  respond  by  standing  while  the  band  plays  "  The  Star  Spangled 
Banner." 

"  Ohio  in  its  Relation  to  the  Nation."  Responded  to  by  the  Hon. 
Charles  Warren  Fairbanks,  vice-president  of  the  United  States. 

"  The  Empire  State  Salutes  Her  Adopted  Bucke^^e  Sons."  Responded 
to  by  the  Hon.  M.  Linn  Bruce,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state  of  New  York. 

"  Ohio  Patriotism."  Responded  to  by  the  Hon.  Warren  G.  Harding, 
lieutenant-governor  of  Ohio. 

"  The  Great  Ordinance  of  1787."  Responded  to  by  the  Hon.  Charles  A. 
Towne,  M.C. 

"The  Anny."     Responded  to  by  Maj.-Gen.  James  F.  Wade,  U.  S.  A. 

"  The  Navy."  Responded  to  by  Rear-Admiral  Joseph  B.  Coghlan, 
U.  S.  N. 

At  9:28  p.  m..  President  McCook  arose,  and  after  obtaining  silence  said: 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Fellow  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  and  Our 
Honored  Guests: — It  is  the  privilege  of  the  president  of  our  Society,  at  each 
of  these  annual  gatherings,  to  extend  a  cordial  and  hearty  welcome,  a  genuine, 
heartfelt,  buckeye  welcome  to  all  who  are  present  with  us,  and  this  I  do  to- 
night.    (  Applause. ) 

"  No  one  can  cast  his  eye  about  this  room  without  being  proud  of  a  state 
that  has  given  birth,  or  a  sheltering  home,  to  so  many  fair  women  and  brave 
men.     The  Ohio  Society  is  unquestionably  the  oldest  of  the  state  organiza- 

494 


I 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tions  here  in  New  York,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  the  largest,  unless  the  progres- 
sive Pennsj'lvania  Society,  under  the  leadership  of  its  aggressive  president, 
Mr.  Ogden,  who  honors  us  by  his  presence  to-night,  may  have  relegated  us 
to  a  second  place.  We  question  the  fact,  however,  and  we  will  still  claim  to 
be  the  oldest  and  the  largest  of  the  state  societies. 

"  The  other  states,  carved  out  of  the  original  Northwest  Territory,  have 
each  established  societies  here  in  New  York,  with  the  exception  of  Indiana,  and 
their  organization  is  now  being  effected.  We  have  the  honor  of  welcoming 
here  to-night  the  Hon.  Melville  E.  Stone,  president  of  the  Illinois  Society 
(applause),  and  the  Hon.  Gilbert  E.  Roe,  president  of  the  Wisconsin  Society 
(applause),  and  we  hope  before  long  to  welcome  on  these  occasions  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Michigan  and  Indiana  societies.     (Applause.) 

"  At  the  date  of  the  annual  meeting  two  years  ago,  the  Society  had 
435  members;  in  1904  we  had  an  enrollment  of  536  members,  including  the 
honorary  members;  and  this  year  we  have  a  membership  of  over  600,  ex- 
clusive of  our  honorary  members.  Ought  we  not,  as  a  matter  of  state  patriot- 
ism and  pride,  see  to  it  that  our  Society  is  strengthened  and  increased  by 
the  addition  of  many  new  and  valuable  members  during  the  next  twelve 
months  ? 

"  During  the  last  year  the  Society  has  lost  by  death,  the  Hon.  George 
K.  Nash,*  an  ex-governor  of  the  state,  and  twelve  ether  valuable  members. 
As  these,  our  friends  and  companions,  pass  over  to  the  great  majority,  we 
mourn  their  absence,  but  we  rejoice  in  their  lives  and  will  always  cherish 
their  memory. 

"  This  Society  has  no  debts,  and  has  a  surplus  fund  of  some  $15,000. 
(Applause.)  That  is  not  a  very  large  sum,  but  it  is  adequate  for  our  pur- 
poses, and  3'et  not  so  large  as  to  be  a  temptation  to  any  aggressive  female 
Ohio  financier.      (Laughter  and  continued  applause.) 

"  I  call  the  attention  of  the  treasurer  to  the  manner  (  applause  and  laugh- 
ter) in  which  that  innocent  remark  was  received,  and  warn  him  to  see  that 
our  funds  are  not  '  Cassied,'  as  I  believe  they  call  it  now  in  Cleveland.  (Ap- 
plause and  laughter.)  The  satisfa,ctory  membership  and  financial  condition 
of  our  Society  reflects  credit  upon  the  officers,  the  members  of  the  governing 
board,  and  the  committees  who  have  administered  its  affairs  during  the  past 
year.  I  can  say  without  hesitation  that  no  organization  that  I  know  of  (with 
the  exception  of  its  president)  is  better  officered,  and  has  more  efficient  com- 
mittees, with  stronger,  abler,  hard-working  members  than  those  working  in 
the  interest  of  this  Ohio  Society. 

"  Patriotism  is  always  recognized  as  holding  a  high  place,  if  not  the 
highest,  among  the  civic  virtues.  Ohio  as  a  state,  and  Ohio  men  have  always 
been  patriotic,  and  they  have  been  patriotic  at  a  time  when  it  meant  some- 

495 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

thing  for  them  to  be  patriotic,  when  they  were  called  upon  to  make  sacrifices 
in  the  interest  of  their  state  and  of  the  nation. 

"  There  are  two  characteristics  which  all  Americans  like  to  see,  but  un- 
fortunately do  not  always  find  in  their  public  men,  namely,  honesty  and  cour- 
age. Personal  honesty,  honesty  of  conviction,  and  the  courage  to  carry  into 
effect  what  the  conviction  teaches  to  be  right,  at  the  time  and  in  the  way  that 
God  permits  the  man  with  the  conviction  to  see  what  he  conceives  to  be  the 
right.  The  exceptionally  great  honor  recently  paid  to  an  American  citizen 
by  the  people  of  all  parties,  irrespective  of  creeds,  irrespective  of  any  divisive 
line,  makes  us  feel  that  the  people  of  this  country  have  found  a  man,  with 
those  characteristics  of  honesty  and  courage  in  Theodore  Roosevelt,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.     (Applause  and  cheers  long  continued.) 

"  On  an  occasion  like  this  it  always  becomes  the  loyal  sons  of  Ohio  to 
indicate  their  sentiments  of  national  loyalty  by  drinking  the  health  of  the 
president  of  the  United  States.  The  members  of  tlie  Society  and  their  guests 
will  respond  to  this  toast  by  standing,  while  the  band  plays  the  '  Star  Spangled 
Banner.'  " 

(The  members  remained  standing  until  the  conclusion  of  the  national 
hymn,  which  was  followed  by  applause.) 

President  McCook :  "  The  ordinary  annual  meetings  of  the  Ohio  So- 
ciety are  held  on  the  S9th  day  of  November  in  each  year,  an  anniversary 
which  is  surrounded  by  much  uncertainty,  and  yet  it  is  claimed  by  many  of  us 
as  one  of  great  interest  to  our  state.  There  is  possibly  more  satisfaction  in 
celebrating  an  event,  the  date  of  which  you  are  not  sure  of,  than  one  that 
is  absolutely  certain.  However  that  may  be,  we  hold  our  annual  meetings  on 
the  29th  day  of  November.  On  such  occasions  a  good  dinner  is  usually  served, 
and  then  the  retiring  officers  present  their  final  reports,  new  officers  are  elected, 
and  we  have  a  heart  to  heart  talk  about  anything  that  is  of  interest  to  Ohio 
people,  especially  that  kind  of  interest  that  makes  an  Ohio  man  leave  his  native 
state  to  better  his  condition  in  another,  or  to  find  one  where  there  is  less  com- 
petition for  public  office. 

"  On  the  29th  day  of  November,  two  years  ago,  we  had  such  an  ordinary 
annual  meeting,  but  we  had  with  us  two  members  of  our  Society,  first,  the 
Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid,  who  has  since  been  honored  by  his  promotion  to  the 
highest  diplomatic  post  in  the  gift  of  our  government  by  his  appointment  as 
ambassador  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  Mr.  Reid  is  absent  to-night  in  Cali- 
fornia, but  he  asks  me  to  express  his  cordial  salutations  and  heartiest  regards 
to  all  members  of  the  Society  and  their  guests  present.  The  other  distin- 
guished member  who  was  with  us  on  that  occasion  was  Hon.  Charles  Warren 
Fairbanks.  (Applause  and  cheers.)  Something  that  was  said  or  done  by 
Mr.  Fairbanks,  Senator  Fairbanks,  as  he  was  then,  moved  one  of  the  mem- 

496 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

bers  of  the  Society  to  prophesy.  The  prophecy  was  that  Senator  Fairbanks 
would  be  the  next  vice-president  of  the  United  States.  (Applause  and  cheers.) 
With  that  easy  manner  and  grace  with  which  the  great  pohtician  can  turn 
away  a  tempting  proposal  (laughter)  Senator  Fairbanks  gave  us  to  under- 
stand that  such  an  event  was  not  at  all  likely  to  occur.  I  was,  however,  deeply 
impressed  by  the  prophec}' ,  and  alwaj^s  having  the  interest  of  the  Ohio  Society 
at  heart,  I  turned  to  the  Senator  at  once,  and  said,  '  I  engage  you  now  as  the 
guest  of  honor  at  the  next  annual  banquet  of  the  Ohio  Society,  when  we  shall 
expect  you  to  appear  as  vice-president  of  the  United  States.'  And  here  he 
is.     (Applause.) 

"  I  am  not  going  to  engage  in  any  prophecy  to-night.  It  is  a  bad  thing 
to  foretell  the  future  too  often,  for  the  best  informed  prophet  will  some- 
times slip  up,  but  that  effort  worked  out  splendidly,  and  Senator  Fairbanks 
received  the  honor  in  which  we  all  rejoice,  and  which  is  for  the  great  good  of 
tliis  country.  He  is  an  Ohio  man  born;  he  was  brought  up  in  Ohio;  he  had 
the  advantage  of  receiving  his  education  at  what  was  then  a  small  Ohio  col- 
lege ;  he  studied  law  in  Ohio ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Ohio ;  and  best  of 
all  he  got  his  wife  in  Ohio.  (Applause  and  cheers.)  With  this  wonderful 
equipment  of  Ohio  advantages  he  stepped  over  into  Indiana  to  see  what  oppor- 
tunities were  offered  for  that  kind  of  a  man.  (Laughter.)  It  has  been  my 
privilege  to  have  known  him  personally  and  professionally  for  many  years 
— I  won't  tell  how  many  years — and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  at  the  end  of  every 
five  years  his  friends  could  not  fail  to  note  that  Charles  W.  Fairbanks  oc- 
cupied a  higher,  better,  and  loftier  position  than  ever  before.  I  will  not 
take  your  time  by  speaking  of  his  great  professional  success,  or  of  the  fine, 
even  brilliant  services  he  has  rendered  to  the  country  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  That  record  is  written  and  read  of  all  men.  It  has  stood  the  test 
of  numerous  campaigns,  which  is,  I  believe,  the  best  test  of  a  record.  We 
have  the  satisfaction  of  receiving  him  to-night  as  our  chief  guest  of  honor, 
and  I  consider  it  a  great  privilege  to  present  to  this  assemblage  of  Ohio  men 
and  their  guests,  the  Hon.  Charles  Warren  Fairbanks,  vice-president  of  the 
United  States."     (Applause  and  cheers,  given  standing.) 

To  the  toast,  "  Ohio  in  its  Relation  to  the  Nation,"  Mr.  Fairbanks  re- 
sponded as  follows :  "  President  McCook,  Members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of 
New  York,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — I  thank  you  for  this  cordial  greeting,  for 
your  more  than  generous  welcome.  It  is  always  a  real  pleasure  to  me  to  meet 
the  members  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  and  it  was  never  more  gratify- 
ing than  it  is  to-night. 

"  The  distinguished  chairman,  the  president  of  this  great  Society,  whose 
name  has  added  honor  to  the  state  of  Ohio,  has  been  guilty  of  a  little  bit  of 
ungenerous  and  unkindly  treatment.     You  would  not  suspect  it,  looking  at 

497 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

him.  (Laughter.)  When  he  came  to  Washington  to  extend  the  invitation  of 
this  Society,  he  said  to  me  at  the  outset,  '  You  will  not  be  expected  to  make 
a  speech.'  I  instantly  accepted  the  invitation.  (A  voice:  "Oh,  McCook!" 
Mr.  McCook:     "  WTiat  did  you  think  we  wanted  you  for.''  ") 

"  I  was  betrayed  then,  and  I  am  in  the  trap  now.  Think  of  my  surprise, 
after  that  very  generous  statement,  asking  me  simply  to  come  and  have  a 
heart  to  heart '  talk  '  with  the  boys  from  Ohio,  as  he  affectionately  expressed  it, 
when  day  before  yesterday  I  received  a  telegram  reading,  '  When  will  the 
manuscript  of  j^our  speech  be  sent  to  New  York.'  (Laughter.)  Now,  he 
has  got  to  take  just  what  I  am  going  to  give  him. 

"  Fellow  Buckeyes,  as  we  meet  about  this  festal  board,  we  seem  to  be 
brought  closer  and  closer  together.  We  are  brought  into  more  intimate  fel- 
lowship; we  seem  to  have  a  common  interest  in  each  other;  our  memories  go 
back  to  the  old  state  of  Ohio,  venerable  mother  of  us  all,  where  cluster  so 
many  happy  recollections  of  the  long  ago.  I  am  not  in  favor  of  class  dis- 
tinctions in  the  United  States,  but  having  talked  much  of  Ohio  to  one  of  my 
young  boys,  he  said  to  me  once,  '  You  seem  to  be  in  favor  of  creating  classes 
in  the  United  States.'  I  said,  '  No,  what  do  you  mean?  '  '  You  seem  to  be 
in  favor  of  creating  two  classes,  those  born  in  Ohio,  and  those  who  were  not 
bora  in  Ohio.'     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  There  is  something  about  the  Buckeyes  I  like.  How  they  take  pride 
in  their  state !  They  love  it ;  they  have  an  affection  for  it ;  they  have  alwaj^s 
believed  in  the  ascendancy  of  its  star,  in  Ohio's  destiny.  I  think  I  never  knew 
the  pride  of  Ohioans  in  Ohio  illustrated  better  than  in  the  case  of  a  justice  of 
the  peace  who  exercised  his  high  judicial  functions  in  the  old  neighborhood 
where  I  was  born,  in  Union  county,  Ohio.  He  appreciated  the  great  privilege 
the  good  Lord  had  given  him  of  being  born  in  Ohio,  and  what  was  greatest 
and  best  of  all,  next  to  being  born  in  Steubenville  was  to  be  born  in  Union 
county,  Ohio.  This  justice  of  the  peace  was  elected  to  the  high  and  honor- 
able office  he  held  by  the  partiality  of  his  neighbors,  and  when  he  came  to  try 
his  first  case  and  swear  the  first  witness,  he  seemed  to  be  impressed  with  the 
fact,  first,  that  he  was  an  Ohioan ;  second,  that  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
Said  he  to  the  trembling  witness,  '  Hold  up  your  right  hand.'  The  witness 
held  up  his  hand.  Said  he,  '  You  do  solemnly  swear,  before  me  and  Almighty 
God,  that  you  will  tell  the  truth.'  (Laughter  and  applause.)  And  I  may  say 
that  he  was  one  of  the  most  modest  of  our  fellow  citizens. 

"  We  are  all  proud  of  Ohio.  She  has  been  a  «trong  and  conservative 
state.  She  has  been  a  patriotic  state.  Wherever  the  nation's  good  name  was 
involved,  she  responded  in  full  measure.  She  has  made  her  ample  contribution 
of  men  in  all  the  walks  of  life.  She  has  contributed  men  who  have  been 
mighty  in  the  councils  of  the  nation.     She  has  contributed  some  of  the  great- 

498 


Hon.  Charles  Warren  Fairbanks 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

est  captains  that  ever  haA^c  led  annies  doA\n  to  the  battlefields  of  any  country. 
(Applause.)  We  ai'e  proud  not  only  of  what  she  has  been,  but  we  are  proud 
of  what  she  is.  We  are  gratified  to  know  that,  great  and  splendid  as  her  past 
has  been,  her  present  is  greater,  and  her  future  looms  high  with  hopeful 
promise.  The  sons  of  Ohio  are  to-day  upholding  the  best  traditions  of  those 
who  in  the  past  added  lustre  to  her  name. 

"  We  are  not  only  proud  of  Ohio,  but  we  are  proud  of  our  countr}-  to 
which  she  has  made  her  mighty  contribution.  We  are  proud  of  our  country  be- 
cause she  has  taken  a  guiding  place  in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  We  are  proud 
of  Ohio — of  the  United  States — Mr.  Chairman,  that  slip  was  not  an  unnatural 
one,  for  Ohio  and  the  United  States  are  almost  synonymous.  (Laughter  and 
applause.)  We  are  proud  of  the  United  States  because  of  her  incomparable 
material  resources.  The  centuries  may  come  and  go,  and  they  will  not  be 
exhausted.  We  may  say  without  boastfulness  that  the  United  States  can, 
if  supreme  need  be,  stand  against  the  entire  world.  The  United  States  fears 
not  the  strongest  among  the  alien  powers,  not  only  because  of  her  mighty 
armies,  not  only  because  of  her  fleets  which  have  so  splendidly  vindicated  her 
name  upon  the  seas,  but  because  of  the  spirit  of  justice  which  abides  in  the 
American  heart.     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

"  We  are  gratified  to  see — but,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  don't  wish  to  take  up 
any  more  time." 

Mr.  McCook :   "  Please  go  ahead." 

"  Now  he  is  asking  me  to  go  ahead.  When  I  came  here  Senator  Scott, 
from  the  state  of  West  Virginia — and  the  best  thing  about  him  is,  he  was 
bom  in  Oliio — took  me  aside  and  said,  '  How  long  are  you  going  to  speak.'* ' 
I  said,  '  Ten  minutes.'  '  Good,'  he  said,  '  you'll  make  a  hit,  and,'  said  he,  '  if 
you  make  it  five  minutes  you  will  carry  the  audience  before  you.'  (Laughter 
and  applause.)     And  now  the  chairaian  wants  me  to  speak  on." 

Voices :  "  Go  on !     Go  on !  " 

"  We  are  gratified  to  know  that  there  is  abroad  among  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  a  strong,  healthy,  a  growing  sentiment  in  favor  of  settling  in- 
ternational differences  by  an  appeal  to  the  supreme  court  of  reason.  (Ap- 
plause. )  And  in  making  that  remark  I  am  gratified  to  know  that  there  sits  at 
my  right  here  one  of  the  most  powerful  advocates  of  that  great  doctrine  in 
the  United  States,  the  Hon.  Andrew  Carnegie.  (Applause  and  cheers.)  We 
are  gratified  to  see,  in  the  onward  and  upward  march  of  the  human  race  that 
the  tribunal  at  The  Hague  has  been  established,  and  in  the  centuries  to  come, 
when  the  councillors  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  meet  about  the  deliberative 
board  to  settle  great  international  questions,  they  will  meet  under  a  roof  raised 
by  the  hand  of  the  greatest  philanthropist  since  the  world  began,  (Con- 
tinued applause  and  cheers.) 

499 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  I  realize  that  we  share  a  common  pride  in  the  glories  of  a  common  state. 
I  realize  that  we  share  in  common  the  honor  of  a  great  republic,  yet  we  do 
not  share  allegiance  to  a.  common  political  party.  Nevertheless,  I  may  say, 
without  fear  of  violating  the  proprieties  of  this  non-partisan  occasion,  that 
there  has  been  rendered  inestimable  sei-vice  to  the  cause  of  international  ar- 
bitration by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Theodore  Roosevelt.  (Ap- 
plause and  cheers.) 

"  There  is  a  difference  among  eminent  statesmen  with  respect  to  details, 
but  it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  President  has  given  to  the  cause  of  international 
arbitration  an  impetus  world-wide  and  of  lasting  benefit.  Differences  as  to 
details  will  be  eradicated  or  harmonized.  In  good  time  the  doctrine  of  inter- 
national arbitration  will  be  firmly  established,  and  in  the  future  most  of  the 
questions  which  vex  the  governments  of  the  earth  will  be  settled,  not  by  a  cold 
and  merciless  appeal  to  arms,  but  in  the  deliberative  chamber,  where  a  high 
sense  of  international  justice  holds  supreme  sway.      (Cheers.) 

"  The  world  is  coming  more  and  more  to  think  at  the  same  time  upon  the 
same  questions.  The  cable  and  the  telegraph  knit  together  capitals  and 
centres  of  commerce;  railways  bind  governments  to  each  other;  the  mighty 
merchantmen  of  all  powers  thread  the  seas,  bringing  the  marts  and  the  cita- 
dels of  commercial  power  into  closer  touch  with  each  other  than  ever  before. 
We  read  in  the  same  paper  the  debates  in  the  American  Congress,  in  the  French 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  in  the  German  Reichstag, 
upon  social,  political,  and  commercial  questions.  The  United  States  is  des- 
tined in  the  future  to  exercise  a  more  wholesome  and  a  more  powerful  in- 
fluence on  the  world  than  ever  in  all  of  her  splendid  past.  (Applause.) 
She  will  exercise  it  not  through  the  sword;  she  will  exercise  it  not  through 
her  mighty  ships  of  war ;  she  will  exercise  it  not  through  her  invincible  armies ; 
she  will  exercise  her  influence  upon  the  thought  of  the  world  through  her  high 
ideals;  high  and  lofty  they  are.  (Applause.)  For  the  United  States  is 
inspired  with  a  spirit  of  justice.  Let  us  inculcate  amongst  our  countrymen 
that  commanding  sense  of  international  right,  which  makes  for  international 
righteousness  and  international  peace.  (Applause.)  That  international 
peace  which  is  the  result  of  the  operation  of  moral  forces  is  to  be  desired  far 
beyond  that  peace  which  is  enforced  as  a  matter  of  might.  That  peace  which 
comes  to  the  nations  of  the  earth  by  the  exercise  of  justice,  is  a  peace  which 
is  abiding,  which  is  everlasting.  Let  us  hope,  my  countrymen,  that  the  United 
States  will  be  true  to  her  supreme  opportunity;  and  while  she  prepares  her 
ships  of  war,  while  she  makes  more  efficient  her  armies,  that  she  lead  in  the 
eff'ort  to  bring  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  the  serene,  deliberative  chamber  where 
the  voice  of  reason  wiU  be  the  all  important,  the  omnipotent  voice.  (Applause 
and  cheers.) 

500 


1 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  My  friends,  pcmiit  me  to  again  acknowledge,  from  the  depths  of  a 
Buckeye  heart,  my  gratitude  for  j^our  kindly  greeting.  I  shall  carry  it 
through  life  as  one  of  my  most  cherished  memories.  In  leaving  you,  as  I  am 
loath  to  do,  let  me  indulge  the  hope,  and  I  have  no  doubt  our  good  friends  who 
>were  not  bom  in  Ohio  will  share  in  it,  that  tlie  Oliio  of  to-day  may  prove  a 
truthful  prophecy  of  the  Ohio  of  to-moiTOw.  I  thank  you  all."  (Continued 
applause  and  cheers,  the  audience  standing.) 

Mr.  McCook:  "Those  of  us  who  have  unselfishly  surrendered  the  joys  of 
life  in  Ohio  for  the  benefits,  delights  and  satisfaction  of  life  here  in  New  York 
can  never  be  sufficiently  grateful  for  the  open-anned  welcome  with  which  we 
have  been  received  and  with  which  we  are  encouraged  to  remain  and  live  on  for- 
ever here  in  New  York.  We  shall  now  listen  to  a  few  remarks,  responsive  to 
the  toast  '  Tlie  Empire  State  Salutes  Her  Adopted  Buckeye  Sons,'  which  will 
be  responded  to  by  the  Hon.  M.  Linn  Bruce,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state  of 
New  York."     (Applause.) 

Lieutenant-Governor  Bruce  said :  "  Colonel  McCook,  Members  of  the 
Ohio  Society  and  Fellow  Guests:  I  also  am  here  under  some  misapprehension. 
Like  the  distinguished  vice-president,  I  was  given  the  impression  that  I  was 
not  expected  to  say  anything,  I  assumed  that  our  presence  was  desired  simply 
to  lend  distinction  to  the  occasion. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  have  a  scat  at  this  board,  and  to  look  into  the  faces  of 
so  many  prodigals  from  the  old  Buckeye  state  Avho  are  here  in  New  York 
wasting  their  substances  in  riotous  living.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  Let  me 
give  you  a  word  of  counsel.  These  good  times  may  not  always  last.  The 
other  fellows  may  get  in,  and  then,  of  course,  there  will  arise  a  mighty  famine 
in  this  land  and  you  will  begin  to  be  in  want.  The  surplus  in  your  treasury 
will  dwindle  down.  You  will  then  no  longer  assemble  in  this  gilded  hall,  but 
somewhere  over  on  the  East  Side  and  dine  on  husks.  Then  you  will  turn  your 
faces  backward  to  the  old  Buckeye  state,  but  I  assure  you  that  the  older 
brothers  are  there  and  they  are  not  out  in  the  fields  either.  Tliey  are  sitting 
around  holding  fat  jobs,  wearing  the  best  robes  and  the  rings,  and  keeping 
one  eye  on  the  veal  in  the  stall.  You  need  not  expect  to  get  the  welcome  that 
the  prodigal  of  the  Scriptures  received. 

"  This  magnificGnt  assembly,  however,  is  as  much  a  tribute  to  the  Empire 
state  as  it  is  to  the  Buckeye  state.  "When  we  hear  a  Bucke^^e  talk  we  think 
there  is  no  place  so  desirable  as  old  Ohio,  but  I  notice  that  a  great  many  have 
been  Avilling  to  leave  the  Buckeye  state  (laughter)  and  establish  their  homes 
here  in  the  Empire  state.  In  fact  much  of  the  achievement  that  has  given  this 
state  the  title  of  the  Empire  state  is  due  to  the  splendid  serv^ice  and  the  splen- 
did work  of  her  adopted  sons.  I  am  willing  to  admit  this  because  I  myself 
was  bom  in  Pennsylvania.    I  remarked  this  to  my  distinguished  neighbor  upon 

501 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

my  left  (Mr.  Carnegie),  a  citizen  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Scotland, 
Great  Britain  and  the  whole  world  (applause),  and  he  said:  '  Yes,  New  York 
is  getting  along  pretty  well,  but  she  is  pretty  hard  pushed  by  Pennsylvania, 
and  if  it  wasn't  for  Greater  New  York  she  would  be  passed.'  And  he  intimated 
that  the  pre-eminence  of  Pennsylvania  was  soon  coming.  Well,  if  we  are  to 
give  way  to  any  other  state,  I  prefer  to  give  way  to  the  state  in  which  I  was 
bom. 

"  It  has  been  said  that  '  Next  to  the  worship  of  the  Father  of  us  all,  the 
grandest  and  the  noblest  of  human  emotions  is  love  for  the  land  that  gave  us 
birth.'  There  is  a  certain  sort  of  patriotism,  however,  among  some  men  which 
manifests  itself  in  a  love  for  the  entire  country,  but  no  love  for  any  particular 
town  or  city  or  state.  I  am  glad  to  know  that  such  men  are  not  reared  in 
Ohio.  A  Buckeye  man  is  always  talking  to  you  about  the  Buckeye  state  and 
what  the  Buckeye  state  has  done.  Of  course  it  would  be  a  great  impropriety 
for  those  of  us  of  the  Empire  state  to  boast.  Those  who  lead  may  leave  boast- 
ing to  others.  Other  cities  may  be  great,  but  New  York  is  always  Greater. 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  We  are  citizens  of  no  mean  state  and  of  no  mean  city.  And  I  wish 
that  we  had  more  pride  of  the  city  in  which  we  live.  I  was  bom,  or  reared, 
rather,  up  in  a  little  village  in  Delaware  county  with  less  than  500  inhab- 
itants, and  do  you  know  if  any  fellow  went  out  of  that  town  and  didn't  say 
a  good  word  for  the  town  it  were  well  if  he  never  came  back.  You  don't  find 
the  same  sentiment  in  those  living  here,  the  second  city  of  the  world,  the  first 
on  this  continent,  yes,  upon  this  hemisphere;  first  in  population,  in  finance,  in 
commerce,  in  all  that  should  make  us  proud.  You  never  meet  a  man  from 
'  Frisco '  but  3'ou  find  him  praising  '  Frisco.'  You  meet  a  man  from  Denver 
and  he  will  tell  you  that  it  is  the  finest  city  in  the  West.  You  meet  a  man  from 
Chicago  and  you  can't  stop  him  talking  about  the  greatness  of  Chicago.  You 
meet  a  man  from  Boston  and  he  is  all  the  time  sounding  the  praises  of  Boston. 
But  you  meet  a  man  from  New  York  and  he  is  usually  finding  fault,  whining 
about  the  shortcomings  of  New  York. 

"  New  Yorkers,  let  us  learn  a  lesson  right  here  to-night  from  these  Buck- 
eyes. Let  us  start  right  out  from  this  time,  and  wherever  we  are,  sound  loud 
and  long  the  praises  of  tliis  the  grandest  city  in  the  world.  (Applause  and 
cheers.)  I  was  speaking  not  long  ago  with  a  citizen  of  New  York,  and  he 
spent  most  of  the  time  berating  the  police  and  other  departments  of  the  city 
of  New  York.  Well,  now,  we  have  our  troubles ;  troubles  in  the  police  depart- 
ment, but  they  are  up  near  the  top.  There  is  not  a  city  in  the  world  that  has 
a  braver  or  better  rank  and  file  than  we  have  in  the  police  department  of  the 
city  of  New  York.  Look  at  our  fire  department;  at  our  public  charities ;  at  our 
public  parks ;  at  our  magnificent  harbors ;  at  our  financial  and  commercial  su- 

502 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

premacy.  New  Yorkers,  wake  up !  Sound  the  praise  of  New  York !  New  York 
cit}^  and  New  York  state,  as  tlie  Bucke^'e  shouts  for  the  Buckeye  state.  I  pro- 
pose the  toast.  The  City  and  State  of  New  York."     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

Mr.  McCook  said :  "  Fellow  members,  I  have  been  especially  warned  to  do 
no  prophesying  to-night;  but  it  won't  hurt  any  man  who  is  interested  in  and 
who  wishes  well  to  the  greater  city  of  New  York  and  the  great  Empire  state  of 
New  York  to  keep  his  eye  on  the  man  who  has  just  spoken  to  us,  M.  Linn 
Bruce,  the  lieutenant-governor  of  New  York.     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

"  The  next  toast  comes  very  close  to  the  heart  of  every  Buckeye.  We 
always  have  at  these  annual  meetings  an  official  representative  of  our  dear 
old  home  state.  Last  year,  you  will  remember,  we  had  with  us  our  good 
friend,  the  true  and  devoted  friend  of  Senator  Hanna  and  President  McKinley, 
Governor  Myron  T.  Herrick.  (Applause.)  This  year  we  have  v/ith  us  the 
lieutenant-governor  of  the  state  of  Oliio,  the  Hon.  Warren  G.  Harding,  who 
will  speak  to  us  upon  '  Ohio  Patriotism.'  "     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

Lieutenant-Governor  Harding  said:  "Mr.  Toastmaster,  Gentlemen  and 
Ladies :  If  I  may  make  official  response  to  the  speech  of  the  lieutenant-governor 
of  New  York,  I  bid  you  know,  when  you  want  to  return  to  Ohio,  that  there  are 
a  thousand  fatted  calves  browsing  upon  the  hills  awaiting  your  return. 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  I  wish  I  might  make  excuses,  but  the  introduction  of  your  toastmaster 
has  forbidden  it.     I  was  invited  here  to  speak." 

President  McCook :  "  Thank  you." 

"  I  feel  just  a  little  bit  like  a  j'oung  friend  of  mine  in  my  own  county, 
who  is  now  our  prosecuting  attorney,  a  well  meaning,  industrious  young  Re- 
publican, who  ran  for  office  in  a  Democratic  county,  without  means ;  and  he 
made  a  personal  canvass  throughout  the  county,  and  stopping  one  evening  at 
the  Messenger  home,  he  found  Mr.  Messenger  busy  milking.  The  cow  was 
very  restless  and  the  milking  was  difficult,  and  Mr.  Clark,  to  further  his 
political  influence,  said,  '  Mr.  Messenger,  can't  I  help  you  in  your  work,  milk- 
ing that  cow?  '  And  he  said,  '  You  might  stand  at  her  head,  if  you  will,  and 
distract  her  attention.'  So  Mr.  Clark,  true  to  his  promise,  stood  at  the  cow's 
head,  and  thus  distracted  she  yielded  the  milk.  And  then  Clark,  true  to  his 
candidacy,  said,  '  Mr,  Messenger,  I  am  a  candidate  for  prosecuting  attorney ; 
I  am  running  against  Wilbur  Jacob}'  on  the  Democratic  ticket.'  And  Mr. 
Messenger  said,  '  Yes,  I  know.'  And  Clark  said,  '  Well,  has  Jacoby  been  out 
to  see  3'ou  3'et.'^ '  And  he  said,  '  Yes,  he  is  back  of  the  straw  stack  now,  hold- 
ing that  pesky  calf.'     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  You  know,  I  am  suspicious,  sometimes,  of  these  distinguished  public 
speakers.  I  heard  Daniel  Sully  tell  the  story  of  Father  O'Brien,  who  an- 
nounced to  his  parish  that  inasmuch  as  the  October  days  had  come,  on  the 

503 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

next  Sunday  he  would  take  up  a  collection  to  raise  funds  to  buy  coal  with 
which  to  heat  the  church.  '  We  have  a  large  church,'  he  said,  '  and  it  will 
require  a  large  fund  to  buy  coal,  and  next  Sunday  I  want  every  one  of  you 
to  contribute  according  to  his  means,  if  only  a  penny,  or  a  nickel,  or  a  dime, 
or  a  dollar  if  you  can.'  The  next  Sunday  he  again  announced  the  collection 
and  said,  '  To  make  sure  you  will  do  j^our  duty,  I  am  going  to  take  the  col- 
lection myself.'  And  then  the  good  Father  started  out  with  the  box,  and 
everybody  contributed  a  penny,  or  a  nickel,  or  a  dime  or  more,  until  he  struck 
O'Haggerty,  and  as  he  handed  the  box  to  O'Haggerty,  O'Haggerty  winked 
and  gave  nary  a  cent.  Meeting  O'Haggerty  on  the  street  the  next  day,  the 
good  Father  said,  '  O'Haggerty,  what  did  you  mean  yesterday,  when  you 
winked  in  my  face,  and  gave  nary  a  cent  to  the  contribution  ?  '  And  O'Hag- 
gerty said,  *  Oh,  Father,  I  was  the  only  man  in  the  congregation  onto  your 
game;  you  heat  this  church  with  steam.'     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  One  story  sometimes  suggests  another.  Senator  Scott  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, who  is  good  enough  to  be  an  Ohio  man,  in  addition  to  being  one  by 
birth,  said,  '  You  ought  to  tell  these  fellows  the  story  of  the  minister,  who 
asked  his  congregation,  or  the  members  of  it  who  wanted  to  go  to  heaven,  to 
stand  up.'  They  all  stood  up  but  one  man,  and  he  marvelled  a  little  at  that, 
and  then  said,  '  All  of  you  who  want  to  go  to ' — well,  I  need  not  mention  the 
place — '  stand  up.'  And  nobody  stood.  There  was  that  lone,  uncommitted 
man.  And  he  said,  '  I  would  like  to  know  from  the  brother  sitting  in  the  end 
of  pew  No.  3,  what  he  means  by  not  taking  either  end  of  this  proposition.' 
And  the  man  said,  '  Well,  Mr.  Minister,  if  it  doesn't  make  any  difference  to 
you,  I  live  in  Ohio,  and  I  would  like  to  stay  there  just  as  long  as  I  can.' 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

"  I  wish  I  might  make  some  fitting  remark,  on  an  occasion  of  this  kind, 
that  would  be  a  fitting  tribute  to  your  native  state.  Sitting  here,  gazing  upon 
you  sons  of  Ohio,  and  on  those  balconies  rich  with  the  womanhood  of  Ohio,  I 
have  been  seeking  for  a  reason  to  account  for  the  accomplishment  and  the 
attainment  of  the  buckeye  state,  and  it  seems  to  me  I  have  found  the  reason 
in  the  splendid  womanhood  that  finds  its  birth  in  Ohio.  Don't  you  know 
that  back  of  every  achievement,  back  of  the  development  of  genius  and  art, 
and  everything  of  value  accomplished,  is  somewhere  a  woman's  love? 

"  Mr.  Toastmaster,  to  speak  of  Ohio  patriotism  is  to  speak  of  American 
patriotism,  which  has  made  this  new-world  republic  the  astonishing  nation 
of  the  earth.  Whether  one  alludes  to  patriotism  as  it  flames  in  war,  or  as  it 
proves  the  enduring  energy  of  peace,  buckeye  patriotism  is  firmly  rooted  in 
an  exultant  and  exalted  citizenship,  is  the  best  the  world  knows,  not  necessarily 
indigenous  to  the  soil,  but  developed  in  the  very  atmosphere  which  is  the 
breath  of  a  hopeful  and  confident  people.     All  Americans  love  this  matchless 

504 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

country  of  ours.     Pulses  arc  quickened  and  hearts  are  aglow  when  thoughts 
are  turned  to, 

My  native  country,  thee, 
Land  of  the  noble,  free. 

"  Pride  is  well  developed  and  firmly  anchored,  and  I  fancy  sometimes 
that  the  Buckeye  has  just  a  little  reason  for  that  spirit  and  the  special  pride 
in  his  heart.  Ohio  was  the  first  territory  to  be  illumined  by  the  glorious  star 
of  empire  in  its  westward  course.  Our  hills  and  fertile  valleys  and  the 
stretches  of  plains  for  which  the  adventurous  settlers  contended  against 
savage  and  foreign  foe,  when  heroes  perished  without  Fame's  acclaim — this 
was  the  first  pearl  in  the  crown  of  an  expanded  republic.  The  sturdy  fore- 
fathers had  thundered  their  proclamation  of  liberty  at  Lexington  and  Con- 
cord, and  reared  new  standards  of  freedom  in  battling  for  their  inherent 
rights.  But  peace  brought  the  problem  of  government  to  be  solved,  and  a 
mighty  task  was  that.  Old  world  republics  had  come  and  gone,  monarcliies 
had  held  their  sway  and  had  crumbled  or  faded  and  been  forgotten  save  in 
the  warning  pages  of  history;  but  these  new  world  patriots,  warriors  and 
statesmen,  all  conquering  and  unconquerable,  turned  to  build  a  temple  to  a 
new  and  enduring  republic.  On  Bunker  Hill,  Liberty's  beacon  was  lighted, 
was  set  aglow,  to  guide  the  oppressed  and  down-trodden  of  the  old  world 
to  this  haven  of  refuge,  where  they  might  drink  freely  of  the  waters  of 
political  life,  and  those  stalwart  men,  filled  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  new 
era,  snatched  the  torches  of  hberty  and  enlightenment,  started  to  plant 
them  an  imperishable  flame  in  a  westward  course  that  encircles  the  globe 
to-day.     (  Applause. ) 

"  With  contagious  hopefulness  and  ii-repressible  determination  they 
came  westward  by  the  lakes,  or  pushed  through  the  gateway  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  planting  the  banners  of  hope  and  freedom  and  laying  the  foundation 
of  American  homes.  Puritan,  Quaker  and  Cavalier  joined  in  shaping  tliis 
western  jewel  for  fair  Columbia's  crown,  but  more  important  than  their 
blending  of  stalwart  colonial  strains  was  the  impelling  purpose  back  of 
these  sturdy,  yea,  these  heroic  pioneers.  Don't  you  know,  the  first  settler  is 
a  conqueror  in  heart  and  mind,  and  a  giant  in  accomplishment?  Two  types 
make  up  the  class,  one  loving  adventure  and  impelled  by  a  desire  to  accom- 
plish, the  other  driven  by  firm  resolution  and  an  unalterable  purpose  to  start 
anew  and  attain  for  himself.  Little  wonder  that  they  accomplished  mightily. 
Nothing  strange  that  they  proved  a  sturdy  race  and  bred  stalwart  men  and 
women.  By  the  very  laws  of  inheritance  and  development  they  gave  to  the 
state  and  the  nation  a  race  of  men  and  women  who  were  dominant  at  home, 

505 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  sped  on  their  sons  and  daughters  to  the  awakening  of  the  West  and  the 
development  of  this  incomparable  country  of  ours.     (Applause.) 

"  Participants  in  every  struggle  for  liberty,  until  the  name  in  America 
stands  for  the  best  type  the  world  has  ever  known,  hating  intolerance,  and 
believing  in  enlightenment  and  activity  as  the  best  means  of  accomplishment 
and  attainment,  the  proud  bucke3^e  citizen  may  well  glory  in  Ohio  patriotism, 
in  peace  or  war. 

"  When  an  ambiguity  in  the  constitution  and  the  freedom  of  a  race  led 
to  a  tragedy  that  gi'ieved  the  world,  the  men  of  Ohio  gave  300,000  soldiers 
to  the  cause  of  Union.  I  will  not  yield  to  the  promptings  of  pride  to  remind 
you  of  Ohio  leaders  who  wrote  their  names  in  enduring  fame.  In  the  forum 
or  on  the  battlefield,  Ohio  leadership  has  been  ineffaceably  written  in  history, 
but  I  think  that  Ohio  patriotism  is  best  revealed  in  the  glad  offering  of  her 
brave  sons,  the  men  and  boys  Avho  made  up  more  than  one-ninth  of  all  the 
armies  that  executed  the  commands  of  that  hero  of  heroes,  the  great,  sad- 
faced  Emancipator  of  a  human  race,  stalwart  savior  of  the  Union,  Abraham 
Lincoln.     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

"  From  out  the  Northwest  Territorj^,  Virginia's  splendid  gift  to  this  Gov- 
ernment, which  must  ever  be  her  pride,  and  of  which  Ohio  is  a  large  and  im- 
portant unit,  there  were  sent  to  war,  to  battle,  in  the  four  years  of  civil  strife, 
a  million  muskets  and  thirty  thousand  swords.  These  men  who  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  Union  were  willing  volunteers  for  the  Union's  preservation.  In 
history,  the  mighty  army  of  the  Potomac  is  written  as  made  up  almost  ex- 
clusively of  Eastern  men ;  but  gaze  on  Gettysburg's  silent  field  to-day,  and 
standing  well  to  the  front  of  the  great  battle  line  which  turned  the  tide  of 
rebellion,  are  monuments  to  Ohio  regiments,  grateful  marks  of  buckeye  patriot- 
ism, which  flamed  and  perished  there  in  the  cause  of  Union  forever. 

"  When  the  draft  riots  threatened  this  great  city  in  the  stirring  days 
of  '63,  and  troops  were  needed  to  execute  the  honorable  purposes  of  the 
government  without  fear  or  favor,  the  victorious  troops  from  Gettysburg 
were  summoned,  and  two  regiments  of  Ohio  soldier  boys  stacked  their  arms 
in  Wall  street,  and  pitched  their  tents  on  Long  Island's  nearby  shores.  And 
New  York  went  to  grateful  sleep  when  the  Ohio  soldier  boys  came. 

"  Why,  Ave  men  of  to-day,  we  younger  fellows,  know  little  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  stirring  events  of  those  trying  times ;  but  stand  with  me,  ye  men 
of  Ohio,  before  Chattanooga  cemetery,  near  where  Grant  looked  from  Orchard 
Knob,  and  saw  our  Ohio  soldiers  charge  up  Missionary  Ridge :  on  the  gateway 
you  read,  '  On  Fame's  eternal  camping  gi-ound,  etc'  Gaze  on  the  far- 
stretching  lines  of  modest  stones  that  make  one  fancy  the  martial  heroes  in 
line  of  light  eternal,  and  the  eye  moistens  and  the  heart  is  stirred,  to  read 
in  eloquent  and  pathetic  frequency,  '  Ohio,  Ohio,  Ohio,  Ohio ; '  until  there  are 

506 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  thousand  softened  echoes   of  the  subHme   pathos  of  the  patriotism  that 
made  this  sacrifice  that  a  nation  might  endure. 

"  Sometimes,  my  fellow  citizens,  former  Ohio  neighbors,  there  are 
triumphs  of  patriotism  in  peace.  We  are  making  the  farms  yield  their  trib- 
utes and  the  mines  their  wealth;  we  are  sharing  in  the  development  of  com- 
merce and  industry.  We  are  apace  with  American  progress,  but  we  take  our 
fliers  of  course  when  we  accumulate  wealth  rapidly ;  we  do  a  Chadwickian  stunt 
now  and  then.  (Laughter.)  Now  and  then,  just  to  remind  Wall  street  that 
she  is  not  the  only  only,  and  incidentally  to  bring  our  friend,  Mr.  Carnegie, 
out  to  see  what  Ohio  is  like.  But  I  want  to  remind  you  that  in  Ohio,  in  the 
villages,  and  the  cities,  and  on  the  farms,  is  a  gi'eat,  tranquil,  sober-headed 
people,  confident  and  grateful,  which  is  the  balance  wheel  to  the  public  senti- 
ment that  makes  the  law  of  this  republic. 

"  And  so  we  look  with  confidence,  glorifying  Ohio's  sons  and  their 
achievements  in  the  past.  We  look  with  confidence  on  our  sons  to-day;  and 
for  the  future  there  is  inspiring  assurance,  for  there  is  the  sparkling  music 
of  schochng  j^ouths  who  breathe  the  same  atmosphere  the  fathers  did,  and 
they  are  gathering  inspiration  and  exalted  purpose  from  their  traditions  and 
glorious  history.  And,  my  friends,  we  know  that  American  history  has  only 
begun.  It  is  only  sunrise  to  the  national  day.  A  century  and  a  quarter  is 
only  a  little  while;  and  yet,  how  mightily  we  have  achieved.  Yet  the  won- 
ders accomplished  are  mere  suggestions  of  the  future.  Who  can  foretell 
what  the  human  thought  is  equal  to,  wliat  the  sun  at  its  meridian  will  reveal, 
what  God  intended  in  peopling  this  nation,  this  country  with  a  dominant  race 
of  liberty-giving,  liberty-loving  men.  And  so  I  say  that,  vrhile  we  may  not 
be  called  upon  to  rule  the  world,  with  our  ideals  and  an  ideal  republic  we 
may  idealize  the  governments  of  the  earth.  And  when  that  day  comes, 
around  the  festal  fires  illuminating  the  world  will  be  sung  the  songs  of  the 
triumphs  of  peace;  and  on  that  day  the  glad  voices  of  Ohio's  sons  and 
daughters,  from  every  company,  regiment,  and  division,  from  every  state 
and  province,  will  swell  the  heaven-reaching  strains.  And  that  will  be  pride 
enough  for  the  sons  of  Ohio."     (Applause  and  cheers.) 

President  McCook  said :  "  This  organization  of  ours  has  always  been 
kept  entirely  free  from  any  political  or  partisan  bias.  It  Is  sometimes  difficult 
to  demonstrate  this  proposition,  for  if  you  bring  Ohio  men  here  to  New  York 
to  speak  about  Ohio,  with  such  Republican  majorities  as  are  given  out  there, 
you  are  not  alwaj's  sure  of  finding  a  Democrat. 

"  We  have  the  great  satisfaction  of  welcoming  to-night  a  man  of  dis- 
tinguished, I  may  properly  say  national  reputation  as  a  Democrat.  While 
not  Invited  here  in  any  political  capacity,  this  gentleman  had  the  good  for- 
tune of  being  bora  in  Miclilgan,  one  of  the  states  set  off  from  the  Northwest 

507 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Territory.  He  has  rendered  distinguished  service  in  Congress,  both  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  in  the  Senate  from  a  northwestern  state,  and 
he  is  now  a  representative,  a  Democratic  representative  in  Congress  from  our 
own  great  city  of  New  York.  The  Hon.  Charles  A.  Towne,  of  this  city, 
will  speak  to  us  upon  '  The  Year  1787.'  "  (Applause  and  cheers.) 

Hon.  Charles  A.  Towne  said :  "  Mr.  Toastmaster,  Mr.  Vice-President, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — If  I  might  paraphrase  the  language  of  a  very 
familiar  anecdote,  I  should  venture  to  observe  that  this  is  scarcely  the  place 
for  a  modest  man.  If  I  may  say  it  without  offence,  I  am  quite  reconciled, 
at  this  stage  of  the  performance,  to  not  having  been  born  in  the  state  of 
Ohio.  After  all  that  has  been  said  as  to  the  unparalleled  merits  of  Ohio 
citizenship,  a  man  who  should  at  this  hour  arise  and  claim  to  exemplify  it 
would  be  justly  suspected  of  mature  self-complacency.  But  I  desire,  sir, 
to  render  my  acknowledgments,  as  one  born  in  another  of  the  sister  states 
carved  out  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  for  that  generous  latitude  of  con- 
struction which  permits  me  to  participate  in  your  festivities  almost  after  the 
manner  of  one  native  in  the  great  commonwealth  whose  name  sanctions  tliis 
occasion.  In  fact,  sir,  I  very  narrowly  missed  an  opportunity  to  challenge 
a  vested  right  to  be  here ;  for  my  birthplace  in  Michigan  was  only  a  few  miles 
northward  of  that  line  of  demarcation  between  the  two  commonwealths  which 
was  long  a  subject  of  controversy,  resulting,  as  those  familiar  with  the 
ancient  history  of  Oliio  and  Michigan  will  recall.  In  what  is  known  as  the 
'  Toledo  War.'  The  condition,  by  the  way,  of  the  compromise  that  ter- 
minated hostilities  was,  as  is  usual  in  cases  where  Ohio  is  a  party  to  the  com- 
promise, that  the  boundary  established  was  the  line  that  Ohio  wanted. 
(Laughter.)  Now,  sir,  if  Ohio  had  only  chosen  to  lay  claim  to  a  little  more 
of  southern  Michigan,  it  would  have  been  my  lot  to  be  born  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Ohio  constellation.  Therefore,  while  I  may  not  avail  myself 
of  the  privileges  of  a  native  son,  I  may  venture  to  speak  with  something  of 
the  freedom  of  a  kinsman." 

Mr.  Towne  spoke  eloquently  of  Ohio  and  of  the  Northwest  Territory. 
He  then  discussed  the  Philippine  question  and  others  in  relation  to  our  foreign 
policy,  and  in  conclusion  said: 

"  The  ultimate  national  sovereignty  is  reserved  to  the  people.  Our 
liberties  depend  upon  the  obsen^ance  of  its  constitutionally  delegated  func- 
tions by  each  branch  of  the  national  government.  Any  substantial  impair- 
ment of  this  peculiar  and  characteristic  adjustment  of  our  system  Is  a  crime. 
Said  Daniel  Webster :  '  Other  misfortunes  may  be  borne  or  their  effects  over- 
come. If  disastrous  war  should  sweep  our  commerce  from  the  ocean,  an- 
other generation  may  renew  it ;  if  it  exhaust  our  treasury,  future  industry'  may 
replenish  it;  If  it  desolate  and  lay  Avaste  our  fields,  &till,  under  a  new  culti-- 

508 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ration,  they  will  grow  green  again  and  ripen  to  future  harvests.  It  were  but 
a  trifle  even  if  the  walls  of  yonder  capitol  were  to  crumble,  if  its  lofty  columns 
should  fall  and  its  gorgeous  decorations  be  all  covered  with  the  dust  of  the 
valley.  All  these  might  be  rebuilt.  But  who  shall  reconstruct  the  fabric  of 
demolished  government?  Who  shall  rear  again  the  well-proportioned  columns 
of  constitutional  liberty.''  Who  shall  frame  together  the  skilful  architecture 
which  unites  national  sovereignty  with  state  rights,  individual  security  and 
public  prosperity.''  No,  if  these  columns  fall  they  will  be  raised  not  again. 
Like  the  Coliseum  and  the  Pai*thenon  they  will  be  destined  to  a  mournful,  a 
melancholy,  immortality.  Bitterer  tears,  however,  will  flow  over  them  than 
were  ever  shed  over  Grecian  or  Roman  art;  for  they  will  be  the  remnants  of 
a  more  glorious  edifice  than  Greece  or  Rome  ever  saw,  the  edifice  of  consti- 
tutional  American   liberty.' 

"  And  so,  men  of  Ohio,  men  of  America,  as  we  face  the  new  problems 
and  the  new  glones  of  the  twentieth  century,  let  us  remember  that  we  can  be 
worthy  of  such  a  destiny  only  upon  the  condition  of  fidelity  to  the  spirit  of 
1787;  to  the  principles  of  morality,  education  and  justice  embodied  in  the 
great  Ordinance,  and  to  the  obsei'vance  of  those  wise  provisions  of  political 
liberty  and  responsibility  secured  to  us  by  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States."     (Applause.) 

]\Ir.  McCook  said :  "  At  our  banquet  a  year  ago,  which  took  the  fonn  of 
an  army  and  navy  function,  we  had  present  with  us  the  Secretary  of  War,  an 
Ohio  man,  Lieutenant-General  Chaffee,  an  Ohio  man,  and  Maj  or-General 
Corbin,  then  commanding  this  part  of  the  United  States,  an  Ohio  man.  We 
have  with  us  to-night,  as  the  senior  major-general  in  command  of  this  division, 
another  Ohio  man,  who  bears  a  name  beloved  of  all  Ohioans,  the  name  of  Wade. 
A  son  of  that  able,  brave,  forceful,  aggressive,  splendid  Buckeye,  the  repre- 
sentative of  Ohio  on  the  floor  of  the  United  States  Senate  during  the  stormy 
period  of  the  Civil  War,  whom  we  all  admired  and  like  to  recall  as  '  Old  Ben 
Wade,'  of  blessed  memory.  We  will  now  hear  a  word  of  salutation  from 
Maj  .-Gen.  James  F.  Wade,  United  States  Army."     (Applause.) 

General  Wade,  responding  to  the  toast,  "  The  Army,"  spoke  as  follows : 
"  ]\Ir.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — The  subject  assigned  me  to- 
night is  a  very  large  one.  The  first  training  of  an  army  officer  is  to  see  and 
take  instant  advantage  of  conditions  as  they  occur,  and  the  reference  by  our 
distinguished  guest  of  the  evening  to  five  or  ten  minutes  was  not  lost  upon 
me.  (Laughter.)  I  am  not  going  to  keep  you  here  to  give  you  a  history  of 
the  United  States  army,  which  would  be  a  history  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  colonies  preceding  it.  The  United  States  army  reminds  me  forcibly  of  the 
Ohio  Society.  The  Ohio  Society  is  made  up  of  men  of  Ohio.  The  United 
States  army  is  made  up  of  men  of  the  United  States.     The  first  requisite  to 

509 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

a  man  joining  that  army  is  that  he  must  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  made  up  of  the  people  you  know.  Looking  at  this  audience  to-night,  so 
far  as  any  marks  or  anything  is  to  distinguish  them,  they  may  be  officers  of 
the  United  States  army  in  plain  clothes.  I  want  you  to  remember,  when  you 
hear  of  the  United  States  army  in  our  own  country  or  abroad,  that  it  is 
brave,  patriotic,  and  efficient.  Of  course  it  is.  It  is  made  up  of  our  own 
people,  our  relatives,  our  neighbors,  our  friends.  When  you  hear  that  it  is 
binital,  bloodthirsty,  and  cruel,  say,  '  It  cannot  be  so,  our  people  are  not 
that  way;  that  is  not  characteristic  of  the  American  people.' 

"  Another  thing  I  would  like  to  say :  That  when  I  entered  the  army 
in  1861,  it  was  then,  as  now,  the  United  States  army;  but  in  many  sections 
of  the  country  it  was  known  as  '  our  army,'  or  '  your  army,'  the  '  federal 
anny,'  and  by  various  names.  To-day,  wherever  you  go.  North,  South,  East 
or  West,  it  is  '  Our  army,'  the  army  of  the  United  States."     (Applause.) 

Mr.  McCook  said :  "  The  heart  and  affection  of  every  American  goes 
out  not  only  to  our  army,  but  especially  to  the  navy  of  the  United  States. 
We  will  have  a  word  now  from  Rear-Admiral  Coghlan,  who  commanded  the 
U.  S.  ship  '  Raleigh,'  under  Dewey  at  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay,  who  is  now 
in  command  of  the  New  York  navy  yard."     (Applause.) 

Admiral  Coghlan  said :  "  IMr.  Pi^sident,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — 
Being  a  sailor,  and  this  being  Saturday  night,  before  I  say  anything  I  will 
give  you  the  toast  of  the  sailor  at  this  time  of  night  and  this  day  of  the  week, 
and  that  is,  '  Sweethearts  and  Wives.'  (Applause.)  Mr.  Toastmaster,  and 
members  of  the  Ohio  Society,  I  was  very  much  struck  this  evening  when  I 
came  in  with  the  number  of  Ohioans  who  were  present.  I  imagined  that  there 
were  very  few  of  you  remaining  at  home  in  the  state,  until  fortunately  I 
remembered  the  returns  of  last  November  in  Ohio.  And  then  I  saw  that 
you  had  left  enough  there  to  roll  up  big  majorities  in  the  right  way.  That 
is  not  partisan,  nor  is  it  political.  (Laughter.)  This  reminds  me  of  a  story 
I  heard  some  time  ago — I  mean  the  speaking  this  evening  has  reminded  me 
of  the  story.  A  man  was  traveling  along  the  road  and  had  got  near  the 
boundary  line  of  the  state  of  Indiana,  on  the  east,  and  came  to  a  milestone, 
inscribed,  '  1  M.,'  as  usual,  '  1  M.  from  Ohio.'  And  he  declared  that  even 
in  death  Ohioans  were  proud  of  themselves.  '  Look  at  that  tombstone,'  he 
said,  '  the  only  thing  on  it  is,  "  I'm  from  Ohio."  '     (Laughter.) 

"  Ohio !  The  fame  of  the  state  has  gone  all  over  the  world.  I  am  sure 
you  don't  know  it  as  well  as  I  do,  I  was  riding  in  a  carriage  in  the  city  of 
Yokohama,  in  Japan,  when  your  grand  old  man,  Judge  Bingham,  had  been 
recently  appointed  minister  to  that  country.  The  friendly  salutation  of  the 
Japanese  is  to  bow  low  and  to  draw  in  his  breath,  forming  the  sound, 
'  0-ai-o  ' ;  and  when  Mr.  Bingham  heard  that  he  grasped  my  arm  and  said, 

510 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

'  Would  you  have  thought  it?  These  are  the  most  intelligent  people  on  God's 
earth.  Who  would  ever  imagine  that  that  poor  peon  there  would  have  known 
that  I  was  from  Ohio.'     That  is  true.     That  anecdote  I  can  vouch  for. 

"  Brother  Townc,  over  on  the  right  there,  has  been  talking  about  the 
Philippines.  I,  too,  am  a  little  interested  in  the  Philippines,  because  I  hap- 
pened to  be  with  the  admiral  when  we  got  them.  (Applause  and  cheers.) 
I  have  listened  to  many  argniments  pro  and  con  about  holding  the  Philip- 
pines, and  I  never  heard  but  one  good  one  against  holding  them.  That  was 
by  a  disappointed  officeseeker  from  Indiana.  He  said,  '  Of  course  we  can't 
hold  the  Philippines ;  it  is  impossible.'  He  said,  '  Think  of  it !  We  have 
fourteen  hundred  islands  in  the  Philippine  group.  That  means  fourteen 
hundred  governors,  fourteen  hundred  secretaries,  fourteen  hundred  marshals, 
five  or  six  time  fourteen  hundred  other  officers.  It  will  be  utterly  impossible  to 
hold  them.  We  can't  afford  it.  It  would  depopulate  Ohio.'  (Laughter  and 
applause.)  Well,  I  notice  that  Ohio  is  not  depopulated,  and  that  we  have 
the  Philippines. 

"  I  have  been  taught  by  various  experiences  in  New  York,  that  the  art 
of  after  dinner  speaking  consists  in  saying  nothing,  and  saying  that  very 
briefly.  I  think  you  will  admit  that  I  have  shown  the  attributes  of  an  orator 
in  this  respect,  because  I  now  bid  you  all  good-night." 

Mr.  McCook :  "  It  is  now  my  duty  to  declare  the  nineteenth  annual  ban- 
quet of  the  Ohio  Society  at  an  end.     I  bid  you  all  good-night." 


511 


CHAPTER    XXII 
1905 

IN  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  April  10,  1905,  President  McCook  con- 
gratulated the  members,  and  especially  the  officers  and  committees,  on  the 
success  which  had  attended  the  banquet.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to 
President  A.  J.  Cassatt  and  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  for  favors 
extended  in  connection  with  that  event,  and  to  William  S.  Hawk,  proprietor 
of  the  Manhattan  hotel,  for  repeated  favors  in  the  way  of  entertainment  of 
the  Society's  guests ;  not  only  on  the  occasion  of  this  banquet,  but  in  times 
past. 

The  thanks  of  the  Society  were  extended  to  Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick, 
governor  of  Ohio,  for  the  handsome  portrait  of  himself,  sent  on  request  of 
President  McCook.  A  letter  was  read  from  Hon.  Charles  W.  Fairbanks, 
vice-president  of  the  United  States,  conve^dng  an  expression  of  appreciation 
of  the  honor  conferred  upon  him  in  electing  him  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Society,  and  also  for  the  courtesy  shown  him  at  the  annual  banquet. 

Secretary  Applegate  announced  that  on  April  13th  a  meeting  was  to 
be  held  for  the  formation  of  an  Ohio  Society  in  Portland,  Maine,  and  Presi- 
dent McCook  added  that  another  Ohio  Society  had  recently  been  launched 
in  Detroit,  Mich. 

Winthrop  E.  Scarritt,  recent  president  of  the  Automobile  Club  of 
America,  delivered  an  interesting  and  instructive  address  on  "  The  Auto- 
mobile a  New  Factor  in  Civilization." 

The  meeting  of  the  Society  on  May  8th  was  saddened  by  the  announce- 
ment of  the  death  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  on  Wednesday,  May  3,  1905,  of  Hon. 
Milton  I.  Southard,  a  former  president  of  the  Society,  and  for  many 
years  one  of  its  most  active,  useful  and  best  beloved  members.  President 
McCook  stated  that  he  had  sent  to  Mrs.  Southard,  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  a 
telegram  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 

"  New  York,  May  4,  1905. 
"Mrs.  Milton  I.  Southard,  ZanesvUle,  Ohio: 

"  The  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  deeply  sympathizes  with  you  and 
the  members  of  your  family  in  your  irreparable  loss.  In  the  death  of  Mr. 
Southard  the  Society  parts  with  one  of  its  most  highly  esteemed  members 

512 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  ex-presidents.  He  possessed  the  respect,  admiration  and  affectionate 
regard  of  every  member  of  the  Society,  and  we  all  feel  his  death  as  a  per- 
sonal loss. 

"  John  J.  McCook, 
"  President  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York." 

President  McCook,  on  instructions  from  the  Society,  appointed  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  as  a  committee  to  prepare  resolutions  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Southard's  memory:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Warren  Higley, 
Leander  H.  Crall,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.  To  this  committee  the  names  of 
President  John  J.  McCook  and  Secretary  Francis  M.  Applegate  were 
added. 

The  Society  then  listened  to  a  lecture,  with  stereopticon  views,  on  "  The 
Wonders  of  Colorado,"  by  Mr.  William  L.  Mason. 

The  meeting  of  June  12th  was  largely  of  a  memorial  nature.  The 
president  announced  that,  following  the  death  of  Mr.  Southard,  had  come 
that  of  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  whose  services  of  years  in  various  capacities, 
and  especially  as  a  most  able  and  industrious  chairman  of  the  house  com- 
mittee for  many  years,  had  left  an  impress  of  obligation  upon  the  Society 
that  could  never  be  forgotten.  Mr.  Foye  had  died  at  his  home  in  New  York 
city,  after  a  sudden  and  brief  illness,  on  May  26,  1905.  The  president  then 
called  for  the  report  of  the  committee  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Southard,  which 
was  read  by  Mr.  Applegate,  as  follows: 

"  Our  past  president,  Milton  Isaiah  Southard,  having  been  called  from 
this  life,  we  who  have  known  him  as  an  officer  of  our  Society  and  as  an 
intimate  personal  friend,  wish  to  record  the  esteem  and  affection  which, we 
felt  for  him  while  he  was  among  us  and  with  which  we  now  cherish  his 
memory. 

"  Mr.  Southard  was  born  on  the  20th  day  of  October,  1836,  in  Perryton, 
Licking  country,  Ohio,  and  died  at  the  residence  of  his  brother,  the  Hon. 
Frank  H.  Southard,  at  Zanesville,  on  May  4,  1905.  He  was  graduated  from 
Denison  University,  with  the  class  of  1861,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1863.  He  settled  at  Zanesville  in  1866,  where' he  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  his  brother.  Though  later  called  to 
other  duties  and  wider  fields,  he  ever  after  looked  on  Zanesville  as  home.  He 
was  for  three  terms  prosecuting  attorney  for  Muskingum  country,  and  later 
was  a  member  of  Congress  from  1873  to  1879.  Here  he  took  conspicuous 
rank  among  the  leading  Democrats  who  served  under  Samuel  J.  Randall,  in 
the  heated  and  troublous  contests  of  the  second  administration  of  General 
Grant  and  the  administration  of  General  Hayes.  Removing  to  New  York, 
in   1881,  he   formed   a  partnership  with  our  first  president,  the  late   Gen. 

513 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Thomas  Ewing,  which  was  continued  for  many  years.  Tlie  intimacy  between 
them  was  broken  only  by  death. 

"  As  member  and  officer,  the  welfare  of  this  Society  lay  very  close  to 
his  heart.  He  was  one  of  its  founders.  His  devotion  is  illustrated  by  the 
fact  that  he  attended  every  one  of  the  nineteen  annual  meetings  which  have 
been  held.  It  was  very  soon  after  the  meeting  of  last  November  that  he  was 
stricken  with  his  fatal  sickness. 

"  Confined  to  his  bed  for  nearly  five  months  with  a  malady  which  caused 
him  excruciating  and  unremitting  pain,  he  bore  his  suff^ering  with  fortitude 
and  resignation.  But  as  the  dreary  months  passed  by,  his  heart  turned  more 
and  more  toward  the  deai*  brother  and  the  home  which  overlooks  the  beautiful 
valley  of  the  Muskingum  River,  until  at  last  the  yearning  overcame  all  warning 
or  entreaty.  On  the  perilous  journey  everything  that  love  and  skill  could  do 
or  provide  was  brought  to  his  aid.  The  joy  of  returning  to  the  old  home 
was  so  great  that  for  a  time  hopes  of  recovery  were  entertained.  But  the 
end   was   near. 

"  Mr.  Southard  was  a  distinguished  lawyer,  of  wide  reading  and  of 
great  industry,  gifted  with  a  retentive  memory  and  sound  judgment,  in 
manner,  dignified  and  elegant;  in  speech,  ready  and  apt;  he  filled  with  ease 
the  eminent  position  which  he  won  by  his  honorable  career.  But  we,  whose 
Society  he  adorned,  rather  enter  in  our  minutes  that  he  was  a  simple  Christian 
and  a  generous  and  gracious  man,  whom  we  loved  and  whom  we  sadly  miss. 
Therefore,  be  it 

"  Resolved,  That  we  record  our  deep  sense  of  loss  in  the  death  of  Milton 
I.  Southard,  and  that  an  engrossed  copy  of  these  minutes  be  sent  to  his 
bereaved  widow  and  son  as  a  faint  expression  of  our  sympathy  with  them  in 
their  great  sorrow. 

"  Signed,  John  J.  McCook,  president;  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Colgate 
Hoyt,  Warren  Higley,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Francis  M. 
Applegate,  secretary." 

The  report  and  the  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted.  Remarks  in 
tender  recollection  of  Mr.  Southard  were  made  by  a  number  of  the  members. 

Resolutions  on  the  death  of  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye  were  read  by  Judge 
Higley,  and  unanimously  adopted,  as  follows: 

"  At  his  home.  No.  163  West  Seventy-ninth  street.  New  York  city, 
May  26,  1905,  after  an  illness  of  three  weeks,  our  fnend  and  fellow-member, 
Andrew  J.  C.  Foye,  died,  leaving  a  wife  and  only  son  and  a  host  of  devoted 
friends  to  mourn  his  loss. 

"  Mr.  Foye's  unselfish  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  Ohio  Society  was 
remarkable.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  and  earliest  officers.  For 
several  years  he  was  our  first  vice-president;  and  for  many  years  and  up  to 

514 


^^^^-    ^' 


Andrew  J.   C.   Foye 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tlic  time  of  his  death  was  chairman  of  the  house  committee,  and  as  such  faith- 
fully guarded  the  Society  against  unnecessary  expenses.  In  all  matters  re- 
lating to  the  finances  of  the  Society  he  was  wise  and  conservative.  In  all  the 
dinners  and  banquets  given  by  the  Society  he  personally  took  charge  and 
worked  untiringly  for  their  success,  and  ser\'ed  the  Society  in  these  matters 
as  no  other  member  could. 

"  There  was  no  member  of  our  Society  so  well  and  so  generally  known 
as  he.  No  member  brought  into  the  Society  so  many  new  members  as  he. 
He  apparently  knew  every  member  of  the  Society  and  could  call  them  by 
name   as   he   extended   his   enthusiastic   and   cordial   greeting. 

"  How  greatly,  indeed,  will  he  be  missed  from  our  gatherings  at  which 
for  so  many  years  he  was  an  inspiring  presence!  And  how  much  more 
greatly  will  he  be  missed  in  the  general  conduct  of  the  Society's  affairs ! 

"  Mr.  Foye  was  a  successful  business  man.  The  zeal  and  energy  and 
good  judgment  which  he  brought  to  every  undertaking  gave  assurance  of  a 
favorable  outcome.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Standard 
Grapliite  Company — a  business  he  founded ;  a  director  in  the  Consolidated 
National  Bank,  and  a  director  in  the  Parker-Ryan  Construction  Company. 
His  business  integrity  was  never  questioned,  and  he  commanded  the  confidence, 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  had  to  do  in  business  matters. 

"  Few  men  were  endowed  so  generously  with  the  helpful  spirit  as  he. 
The  sick  and  suffering  he  visited  and  comforted;  the  worthy  unfortunate  he 
relieved  and  put  in  the  way  to  help  themselves.  The  beggar  never  went  hun- 
gry from  his  door.  His  kindly  nature  embraced  humanity  in  its  care.  He 
was  a  true  philanthropist. 

"  Mr.  Foye  was  a  singularly  devoted  and  loving  husband  and  father,  and 
liis  home  was  full  of  peace  and  joy.  He  loved  this  Society  next  to  his  home, 
and  we  loved  and  respected  him  for  what  he  was  and  what  he  did.  He  was 
a  true  friend,  generous  and  kind.  His  lofty  character  and  purity  of  life 
ever  commanded  the  confidence,  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  had  the  good 
fortune  to  know  him.  His  life  was  fruitful  in  good  works  which  will  en- 
dure, and  the  world  is  far,  far  better  for  his  having  lived. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  most  sincerel}^  mourns 
the  death  of  our  late  fellow-member,  Andrew  J.  C.  Foye ;  and  that  we  hereby 
extend  to  his  bereaved  widow  and  family  our  sincerest  condolence  and  sym- 
pathy in  their  great  sorrow. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  forgoing  memorial  be  spread  upon  the  minutes  of 
the  Society  and  that  an  engrossed  copy  thereof  be  sent  to  the  widow  and  son. 

"  Signed,  John  J.  McCook,  president ;  Warren  Higlev,  chairman ; 
Henry  L.  Burnett,  Colgate  Ho^^t,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Leonard  D.  iNIorri- 
son,  Leandcr  H.   Crall,  Francis  M.   Applegate,  secretary;   committee." 

515 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  adoption  of  the  report  was  followed  by  appropriate  tributes  to 
the  memory  of  Mr.  Foye  on  the  part  of  President  McCook  and  others. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee,  held  on  the  same  evening,  it 
was  decided  that  the  vacancy  in  the  chairmanship  of  the  house  committee, 
caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Foye,  should  not  be  filled  until  the  next  annual 
meeting,  and  Mr.  Morrison  was  designated  to  act  as  chairman  until  that 
time. 

The  opening  meeting  for  the  fall  of  1905  was  held  on  the  evening  of 
October  9th,  A  committee  for  the  nomination  of  officers  was  selected,  as 
follows:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Colgate  Hoyt,  Richard  J.  Chard,  Samuel  H. 
Parsons,  Orrel  A.  Parker,  Leonard  D.  Morrison,  Leander  H.  Crall.  The 
president  called  the  attention  of  the  members  to  the  receipt  by  the  Society 
of  a  portrait  of  Andrew  J.  C,  Foye,  painted  by  Franklin  Tuttle,  a  member 
of  the  Society.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  Mr.  Tuttle.  Those  present 
listened  to  an  interesting  lecture,  with  stereopticon  views,  on  Berlin,  by 
Prof.  Henry  Zick. 

At  the  gathering  of  November  13th,  the  chairman  of  the  nominating 
committee  read  the  report  of  that  body,  proposing  the  following  gentlemen 
to  serve  as  officers  during  the  ensuing  year :  President :  John  J.  McCook ; 
Vice-presidents:  Henry  P.  Taft,  Eben  C.  Thomas,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr., 
Emerson  McMillin,  William  S.  Hawk ;  Secretary :  Francis  M.  Applegate ; 
Recording  secretary:  Seth  Thayer  Stewart;  Treasurer:  Warren  Higley; 
Trustees :  Charles  D.  Hilles,  Horace  J.  Morse,  James  G.  Newcomb. 

Tlie  president  was  duly  authorized  to  appoint  a  committee  on  the  an- 
nual banquet  of  1906,  with  power  to  determine  its  character.  The  house 
committee  also  received  power  to  make  arrangements  for  the  annual  dinner, 
on  the  evening  of  November  29th.  Those  present  then  listened  to  a  very  in- 
teresting lecture  on  "  Ohio  in  Education,"  especially  prepared  for  the  Ohio 
Society,  with  stereopticon  views,  by  Charles  Whitney  Williams,  assistant 
to  the  president  of  Oberlin  College.  The  address  was  followed  by  remarks 
by  President  McCook  and  Dr.  Charles  F.  Thwing,  president  of  Western 
Reserve  University. 

The  report  of  the  committee  on  the  death  of  Hon.  John  Hay,  late 
United  States  secretary  of  state,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society,  was 
read  and  approved;  and  remarks  in  honor  of  the  great  statesman  who  had 
passed  away  were  made  by  President  McCook  and  Colgate  Hoyt.  These 
speeches  expressed  the  love  felt  for  John  Hay  by  all  who  came  under  his  per- 
sonal influence.  Tribute  was  paid  to  the  manner  in  which  he  had  aided  in  mak- 
ing the  Diplomatic  banquet  one  of  the  great  events  of  its  kind.  The  resolu- 
tions, as  follows,  were  ordered  engrossed  and  sent  to  the  family  of  the  great 
secretary : 

516 


Of  THE. -  »  » 


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^/^I 


/i^Kwy 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  annual  meeting  of  1905  was  held  at  the  Hotel  Manhattan,  on  the 
evening  of  November  29th.  At  the  close  of  a  very  enjoyable  dinner,  the 
annual  reports  were  presented.  That  of  the  governing  committee  showed 
the  Society  to  have  had  a  successful  year,  and  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
The  treasurer's  report  showed  a  balance  of  $17,557.29,  the  largest  the 
Society  ever  had.  The  secretary  read  the  list  of  members  who  had  died 
during  the  year  past,  and  at  the  request  of  the  president  the  members  arose, 
and  in  silence  drank  to  the  memory  of  the  dead.  The  membership  committee 
reported  that  at  that  date  the  list  of  those  belonging  to  the  Society  stood 
as  follows :    Honorary,  6 ;  Resident,  358 ;  Non-resident,  262  ;  total,  626. 

The  election  of  officers  being  in  order,  the  rules  were  suspended  and  the 
secretary  directed  to  cast  a  unanimous  vote  for  the  gentlemen  nominated. 

President  ^IcCook  made  a  graceful  acknowledgment  of  thanks  on  be- 
half of  the  officers  for  the  honor  conferred  upon  them  by  the  vote  that  had 
just  been  recorded.  He  then  called  upon  a  number  of  members  for  remarks, 
the  following  gentlemen  briefly  responding:  Melville  E.  Ingalls,  Colgate 
Hoyt,  Henry  L.  Burnett,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Emerson  ]McMillin  and 
William  S.  Hawk.  At  a  meeting  of  the  governing  committee  held  immedi- 
ately after  the  adjournment  of  the  Society,  Albert  F.  Hagar  was  unani- 
mously elected  chairman  of  that  body,  and  Andrew  Ernest  Foye  chosen 
chairman  of  the  house  committee.  At  a  later  date.  President  McCook  an- 
nounced his  appointments  for  the  coming  year  as  follows :  Committees : 
Literature  and  art :  Albert  Shaw,  Robert  Johnstone  INIooney,  Carlton  T. 
Chapman,  Howard  Chandler  Christy,  Oscar  B.  Thomas;  entertainment: 
Orrel  A.  Parker,  Roland  Hazen,  Karl  R.  ^Nliner,  Lewis  C.  Ruch,  Roy  H. 
Haskins;  auditing:  David  Homer  Bates,  Frank  W.  Hubb\,  Jr.,  Warner 
Ells,  John  :\I.  Chandler,  Joseph  W.  Yost;  library:  Winchester  Fitch,  P. 
Tecumseh  Sherman,  Elmer  Dover,  R.  J.  Chard,  Frank  S.  Stelling;  mem- 
bershrp :  Colgate  Hoyt,  Emory  A.  Stedman,  William  C.  Beer,  Francis  X. 
Butler,  Mark  A.  Noble;  historian:  James  H.  Kennedy;  chaplain:  Rt.  Rev. 
William  A.   Leonard,   D.D. 

Banquet  committee  for  1906:  Henry  L.  Burnett,  chairman;  Colgate 
Hoyt,  Leander  H.  Crall,  Whitolaw  Reid,  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  Ebcn  B. 
Thomas,  William  S.  Hawk,  Emerson  !M'cMillin,  Henry  W.  Taft,  AVarren 
Higley,  Samuel  Mather,  Charles  B.  Landis,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Melville 
E.  Ingalls,  H.  B.  Binindrett,  John  D.  Archbold,  George  W.  Perkins,  William 
H.  Truesdale,  Henry  D.  Lyman,  James  Kilbourne,  Andrew  Ernest  Fc'' 
Jacob  G.  Schmidlapp,  James  H.  Hoyt,  John  H.  Patterson,  D.  S.  Gray, 
Nicholas  INIonsarrat,  Thomas  H.  Wheeler,  James  G.  Newcomb,  Francis  Key 
Pendleton,  William  C.  Beer,  James  H.  Kennedy,  Isaac  Foster  ^Nlack,  William 
E.   Curtis,  Francis  M.   Applegate,  secretary. 

528 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 

THE  FIRST   SETTLEMENT   IN   OHIO 

By  John  Q.  Mitchell 

A  Paper  Read  Before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  Septemher  13,  1886 

THE  first  step  toward  establishing  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  great 
territory  "  Northwest  of  the  River  Ohio,"  was  taken  in  the  month  of 
June,  1783,  by  288  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  colonial  army,  under  the 
lead  of  General  Rufus  Putnam.  It  was  the  result  of  an  appropriation  of 
lands  by  the  Continental  Congress  in  the  year  1776,  and  enlarged  four  years 
later,  to  all  who  had  fought  or  would  fight  for  independence ;  the  grants  vary- 
ing in  size  from  100  to  1,100  acres  each,  according  to  the  various  ranks  in  the 
army.  But  this  appropriation  was  made  without  determining  where  the  lands 
so  appropriated  were,  or  might  be  located.  Before  the  army  had  been  dis- 
banded at  Newburgh,  therefore,  the  officers  and  soldiers  before  mentioned 
petitioned  Congress  to  locate  their  promised  bounties  somewhere  between  Lake 
Erie  and  the  Ohio  River.  They  spoke  of  that  tract  as  "  not  being  the  property 
of  any  particular  state  of  the  Union,"  and  also  as  "  suitable  and  of  sufficient 
extent  to  form  a  distinct  government,  in  time  to  be  admitted  as  one  of  the 
Confederated  States  of  America."  This  petition  was  forwarded  by  General 
Putnam  to  General  Washington  for  presentation  to  Congress,  with  a  long  letter 
detailing  the  advantages  that  would  accrue  to  the  whole  country  from  the 
founding  of  a  colony  in  the  Ohio  Valley.  Washington  labored  earnestly  both 
at  Princeton  and  Annapolis  to  secure  favorable  action  by  Congress  upon  this 
petition ;  but  that  body  was  not  ready  to  regard  that  territory  as  the  common 
property  of  the  several  states — which  had  hitherto  possessed  nothing  in  com- 
mon except  an  enemy — nor  would  it  recognize  the  individual  state  claims ; 
and  as  some  of  the  new  states  had  large  amounts  of  territory  of  their  own  in 
the  market,  the  request  of  these  soldiers  met  with  strong  opposition  and  even 
ridicule.     So  the  project  failed. 

But  General  Putnam  and  some  of  his  associates  were  not  to  be  turned  from 
their  purpose.  They  foresaw  the  value  and  importance  of  the  Ohio  country 
and  did  not  abandon  the  idea  of  starting  a  state.  The  second  and  successful 
plan  for  making  the  first  settlement  upon  national  ground,  and  the  germ  of 
the  present  state  of  Ohio,  began  with  an  all-night  conference  between  General 
Putnam  and  General  Benj.  Tupper,  at  the  residence  of  the  former,  in  Rut- 
land, Mass.,  January  9,  1786.  At  that  meeting  they  drew  up  and  signed  a 
request  addressed  to  all  who  were  interested  in  Western  emigration,  to  choose 
delegates  in  the  several  counties  of  Massachusetts  on  February  15,  to  meet 

531 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

at  Boston  on  the  following  1st  of  March.  This  call  was  pubhshed  in  the 
Boston  papers  of  Januai-y  25th,  1786,  under  the  head  of  "  Information," 
and  announced  the  obj  ect  of  the  proposed  meeting  to  be  "  to  raise  a  fund  in 
Continental  certificates  for  the  sole  purpose  of  buying  lands  in  the  Western 
territory  and  making  a  settlement." 

At  the  appointed  time  eleven  delegates,  representing  eight  counties,  met 
at  the  "  Bunch  of  Grapes,"  tavern,  Boston,  and  organized  by  electing  General 
Putnam  president  and  Winthrop  Sargent  secretary.  This  was  the  first  Ohio 
Society.  It  was  called  the  "  Ohio  Company  of  Associates,"  and  its  officers 
were  to  be  five  directors,  a  treasurer  and  a  secretary.  The  fund  to  be  raised 
was  not  to  exceed  a  million  dollars  in  certificates,  each  share  to  consist  of  one 
thousand  dollars  in  certificates  and  ten  dollars  in  gold  or  silver  for  incidental 
expenses.  No  person  was  to  hold  more  than  five  shares  or  to  represent  more 
than  twenty  shares.  The  land,  when  purchased,  was  to  be  divided  and  appor- 
tioned by  lot.  In  these  respects  the  company  was  somewhat  different  from  a 
syndicate  of  the  present  day. 

At  the  expiration  of  one  year,  which  was  allowed  for  obtaining  sub- 
scriptions, a  second  meeting,  called  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first,  was  held 
at  Brackett's  Tavern,  Boston,  when  it  appeared  that  two  hundred  and  fifty 
shares  had  been  subscribed  and  that  many  were  restrained  from  subscribing 
"  only  by  the  uncertainty  of  obtaining  a  sufficient  tract,  collectively,  for  a 
great  settlement."  Thereupon,  three  directors.  General  Putnam,  Gen.  Samuel 
H.  Parsons  and  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  were  elected  to  make  immediate  application 
to  Congress  for  a  purchase  of  lands.  This  board  employed  Dr.  Cutler  to  make 
a  contract  with  Congress  for  a  tract  of  land  in  the  great  "  Western  Terri- 
tory of  the  Union."  In  the  following  July  he  went  to  New  York  (where  Con- 
gress was  then  sitting)  for  that  purpose,  arriving  there  the  evening  of  the  5th. 
An  ordinance  for  the  government  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was  then  pend- 
ing, awaiting  its  third  reading;  and  it  awaits  its  third  reading  still.  For  two 
or  three  days  after  Dr.  Cutler's  offer  to  purchase  lands  was  made,  a  new  com- 
mittee on  an  ordinance  for  the  government  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Carrington,  Lee,  Dane,  Kean  and  Smith, 
who  reported  an  ordinance  on  the  11th,  which  was  read  the  second  time  on  the 
12th,  the  third  time  on  the  13th,  and  passed.  This  was  the  famous  ordinance 
of  1787,  to  which  the  nation's  greatest  men  have  vied  with  each  other  in  at- 
tempts to  give  sufficient  praise.  In  his  "  History  of  the  Constitution,"  Mr. 
Bancroft  says :  "  Before  the  Federal  Convention,"  then  in  session  at  Phila- 
delphia, "  had  referred  its  resolutions  to  a  committee  of  detail,  an  interlude  in 
Congress  was  shaping  the  character  and  destiny  of  the  United  States  of 
America.  Sublime  and  humane  and  eventful  in  the  history  of  mankind  as 
was  the  result,  it  will  not  take  many  words  to  tell  how  it  was  brought  about. 
For  a  time  wisdom  and  peace  and  justice  dwelt  among  men,  and  the  great 
ordinance  which  could  alone  give  continuance  to  the  Union  came  in  serenity  and 
stillness.  Every  man  that  had  a  share  in  it  seemed  to  be  moved  by  an  invisible 
hand  to  do  just  what  was  wanted  of  him;  all  that  was  wrongfully  undertaken 

532 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

fell  to  the  ground  to  wither  by  the  wayside;  whatever  was  needed  for  the 
happy  completion  of  the  mighty  work  arrived  opportunely,  and  just  at 
the  right  moment  moved  into  its  place."  On  the  same  subject  Mr.  Webster 
said :  "  We  are  accustomed  to  praise  the  law- givers  of  antiquity ;  we  help  to 
perpetuate  the  name  of  Solon  and  Lycurgus ;  but  I  doubt  whether  one  single 
law  of  any  law-giver,  ancient  or  modern,  has  produced  effects  of  more  dis- 
tinct, marked  and  lasting  character  than  the  ordinance  of  1787." 

Upon  the  adoption  of  this  ordinance,  although  the  land  ordinance  of 
1785  directing  sales  to  be  made  through  the  loan  commissioners  of  the  different 
states  was  still  in  force.  Congress  directed  the  board  of  treasury  of  the  United 
States  to  accept  the  proposition  of  the  Ohio  Company  made  by  Dr.  Cutler; 
and  the  board  sold  him  fifteen  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  at  two-thirds 
of  a  dollar  per  acre,  one-half  to  be  paid  when  the  contract  was  closed  and  the 
land  to  be  conveyed  when  the  payment  should  be  complete.  The  contract  was 
executed  October  27,  1787,  and  was  signed  by  Samuel  Osgood  and  Arthur  Lee 
of  the  board  of  treasury,  and  Manasseh  Cutler  and  Winthrop  Sargent  of  the 
Ohio  Company.  This  contract,  written  upon  parchment — the  first  ever  exe- 
cuted by  the  United  States — togethei-  with  the  deed  for  the  lands,  executed 
May  10,  1792,  and  signed  by  George  Washington,  president,  and  Thomas 
Jefferson,  secretary  of  state,  are  now  carefully  treasured  in  the  library  of 
Marietta   College. 

The  location  selected  by  Dr.  Cutler  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum 
River,  between  the  7th  and  17th  ranges  of  townsliips,  counting  westward 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  extending  from  the  Ohio  River  northward  far  enough 
to  include  the  requisite  numbei'  of  acres. 

The  final  preparations  of  the  Company  before  starting  to  its  new  home 
were  made  at  a  meeting  held  at  Brackett's  Tavern,  November  23d,  1787. 
General  Putnam  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  emigrant  party,  which  con- 
sisted of  forty-eight  men  in  two  divisions.  Seven  days  later  the  first  division, 
containing  twenty-two  men,  started  from  Danvers,  Mass.,  in  charge  of  Major 
Haffield  White.  The  second  division,  under  command  of  General  Putnam,  left 
Hartford,  Conn.,  January  1,  1788.  The  journey  was  both  difficult  and  tedi- 
ous ;  when  they  reached  the  mountains  the  roads  were  found  to  be  impassable 
by  wagons  on  account  of  the  great  depths  of  snow.  They  were  compelled  to 
construct  sleds  and  sledges  with  which  to  transport  their  baggage  and  pro- 
visions over  the  Alleghanies.  Thus  the  raw  material  of  the  new  state,  if  not 
the  star  of  empire,  was  wended  westward.  The  two  divisions  of  the  party 
united  at  Sumrill's  Ferry  on  the  Youghiogheny  river,  about  thirty  miles 
above  the  site  of  Pittsburg,  the  one  having  been  fifty-four  days  on  the  way  and 
the  other  forty-five.  About  six  weeks  were  spent  at  this  place  in  constructing 
boats  for  the  completion  of  their  journey.  Their  fleet,  when  completed,  con- 
sisted of  one  boat  about  forty-five  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  which  they 
facetiously  named  "  The  Mayflower,"  and  a  flat  boat  and  three  canoes.  On 
the  first  of  April  they  started  down  the  river,  reaching  their  destination  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  April  7,  1788,  where  they  landed  about  noon 

533 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  in  the  rain.  This  may  be  called  the  first  instance  of  infant  baptism  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  river.  The  tradition  that  Ohio  derives  her  nickname  from 
the  belief  that  a  buckeye  tree,  being  the  most  easily  cut,  was  the  first  to  fall 
by  the  hands  of  a  settler,  is  probably  not  true. 

The  pioneers  were  heartily  welcomed  by  a  tribe  of  the  Delawares,  which 
happened  to  be  encamped  near,  and  were  greatly  encouraged  by  the  contrast 
in  the  appearance  of  vegetation  between  the  region  they  had  left  a  few  days 
before,  where  the  snows  still  lingered,  and  that  of  the  bottoms  of  the  Ohio, 
which  at  once  furnished  food  for  their  hungry  horses.  The  survey  of  their 
lands  and  the  erection  of  houses  were  immediately  begun,  giving  abundant 
proof  that  they  had  come  to  stay.  A  letter  from  one  of  their  number  to  a 
friend  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  dated  May  18th,  about  six  weeks  after  their  arri- 
val, says :  "  This  country,  for  fertility  of  soil  and  pleasantness  of  situation,  not 
only  exceeds  my  expectations,  but  exceeds  any  part  of  Europe  or  America  that 
I  was  ever  in.  We  have  started  twenty  buffaloes  in  a  drove.  Deer  are  as  plenty 
as  sheep  with  you.  Beaver  and  otter  are  abundant.  I  have  known  one  man 
to  catch  twenty  or  thirty  of  them  in  a  single  night.  We  have  already  planted 
a  field  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  corn."  A  letter  dated  July  9th  con- 
tains the  surprising  statement  that  "  the  com  has  grown  nine  inches  every 
twenty-four  hours  for  two  or  three  days  past."  This  com  was  planted  among 
the  deadened  timber  and  of  course  received  Httle  attention  during  the  growing 
season,  although  the  woods  were  comparatively  free  from  underbrush,  owing 
to  the  very  wise  practice  of  the  Indians  which  white  men  have  not  yet  learned, 
of  burning  their  forests  over  every  Autumn.  The  yield  was  about  thirty 
bushels  per  acre,  which  is  not  very  much  below  what  the  present  owners  of  the 
same  lands  with  all  their  improvements  produce  on  the  same  number  of  acres. 

The  first  formal  meeting  of  the  directors  and  agents  of  the  company,  west 
of  the  mountains,  was  held  on  the  2d  of  July,  1788,  when  the  new  settlement, 
which  had  as  yet  been  known  as  "  The  Muskingum,"  was,  by  a  formal  resolu- 
tion, named  "  Marietta,"  in  honor  of  the  beautiful  though  unfortunate  Queen 
of  France.  It  was  believed  that  much  of  the  very  substantial  friendship  of  that 
country  for  the  Americans  was  due  to  her  influence  with  the  king. 

The  first  Fourth  of  July  was  not  allowed  to  pass  without  proper  celebra- 
tion. Thirteen  cannons  were  fired  in  the  morning  from  Ft.  Harmar,  and  a 
like  number  in  the  evening.  The  municipal  laws  were  written  and  published 
by  being  posted  upon  the  ^;mooth  bark  of  a  beech  tree.  A  sumptuous  dinner 
was  served  upon  the  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  at  which  fourteen  toasts,  at  least, 
were  drunk.  Gen.  James  M.  Vamum,  who  had  been  added  to  the  board  of 
directors,  delivered  an  oration,  which  was  the  first  political  address  ever  de- 
livered within  the  present  borders  of  the  state.  A  number  of  others  have  been 
delivered  since.  The  first  one  was  published,  by  request,  before  the  close  of 
that  year,  by  Peter  Edes,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  compares  favorably  with  any 
that  have  followed. 

On  the  14th  of  July  General  St.  Clair  arrived  at  Ft.  Harmar,  and  the 
following  day  at  5  p.  m.  he  was  formally  received  by  the  citizens  of  the  terrl- 

534 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tory,  when  his  own  commission  as  governor,  together  with  those  of  three  newly 
appointed  federal  judges,  was  publicly  read.  These  commissions  were  dated 
the  1st  of  tlie  preceding  February.  The  judges  were  Generals  Parsons  and 
V^amum  and  John  Cleve  Symmes,  who  had  not  yet  arrived. 

Work  was  now  being  rapidly  pushed  by  General  Putnam  upon  "  Campus 
Martins,"  the  famous  garrison,  consisting  of  a  square  inclosed  by  bullet-proof, 
two-story  log  houses.  The  space  within  was  144<  feet  square,  and  in  the  center 
was  a  well  80  feet  deep.  The  house  at  each  corner  was  larger  and  one  story 
higher  than  the  rest,  from  which  observations  might  be  had  in  every  direction. 
In  the  house  at  the  northwest  comer,  on  the  2d  of  September,  1788,  was  held 
the  first  court.  The  people  attended  in  a  procession,  preceded  by  the  sheriff 
with  a  drawn  sword.  It  was  a  court  of  common  pleas  and  was  opened  with 
prayer.  The  commissions  of  the  three  judges.  Generals  Putnam  and  Tupper 
and  Col.  Archibald  Gray,  were  then  read,  and  Paul  Fearing  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  thereby  becoming  the  first  lawyer  in  the  territory.  But  to  the  credit 
of  the  people,  be  it  said,  no  case,  either  civil  or  criminal,  was  brought  before 
the  court  at  its  first  session.  In  the  same  place,  on  the  20th  of  July,  the  first 
sermon  preached  in  the  teri'itory  to  white  men  was  delivered  by  Rev.  William 
Broeck. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1788  eighty-four  men  with  several  women  and 
children  were  added  to  the  settlement,  making  the  whole  number  nearly  two 
hundred.  At  the  close  of  that  year  there  was  not  a  single  white  family  within 
the  present  borders  of  the  state  except  those  in  this  settlement.  As  early  as 
1762  the  famous  Moravian  missionaries  gathered  a  number  of  Indians  into  a 
settlement  on  the  Tuscarawas,  but  it  Avas  broken  up  by  the  massacre  of  the 
Indians  in  1782.  Fort  Laurens  was  built  in  1778  by  General  Mcintosh,  but 
abandoned  the  following  year,  and  Colonel  Harmar,  with  most  of  his  officers 
at  the  fort,  across  the  Muskingum  bearing  his  name,  were  now  members  of  the 
Ohio  company.  Thus  one  of  the  few  individual  attempts  to  gain  a  foothold  in 
the  territory  had  been  successful. 

The  colony  grew  rapidly  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  war.  During 
the  year  1789,  152  men  and  57  families  were  added  to  its  number.  The  fol- 
lowing year  nearly  four  hundred  French  emigrants  arrived,  for  whom  houses 
and  food  were  provided  without  pay.  On  January  2,  1791,  nearly  three 
years  after  the  settlement  was  begun,  the  Indians  made  their  first  attack, 
killing  fourteen  persons  and  carrying  five  into  captivity.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Indian  war,  which  continued  for  four  years.  It  was  a  sad  reverse 
of  fortune,  as  few  of  the  settlers  had  any  considerable  store  of  provisions  or 
money  to  support  their  families,  nor  could  they  go  on  tilling  their  lands  during 
a  state  of  hostilities.  The  attack  was  prudently  made  upon  those  settlers 
farthest  up  the  Muskingum  river,  who  were  least  able  to  defend  themselves. 
Those  at  Marietta,  owing  to  the  wise  foresight  of  General  Putnam,  had  a  safe 
refuge  in  Campus  Martius,  which  probably  saved  the  colony  from  total  destruc- 
tion. In  all  of  its  buildings  there  were  seventy-two  rooms,  sufficient  in  case  of 
necessity  for  eight  hundred  people.     "  For  four  years  the  pioneers  lived  within 

535 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

this  garrison,  in  a  condition  very  similar  to  a  besieged  city.  Although  they 
were  not  closely  infested  by  an  Indian  army,  no  one  could  leave  the  walls  of  the 
fort  without  hazard  from  the  rifle  or  tomahawk  of  an  Indian,  as  they  were  con- 
tinually lurking  arovmd  and  watching  for  the  unwary  white  man,  several  of 
whom  fell  victims  to  their  temerity  in  venturing  too  far  from  their  defenses." 
In  the  prosecution  of  this  war  the  colony  spent  about  $11,000  of  its  own 
money,  for  which  it  was  never  reimbursed.  The  war,  too,  turned  the  tide  of 
emigration  down  the  Ohio,  so  that  large  numbers  who  would  otherwise  have 
added  to  its  strength  passed  it  by. 

Something  should  be  said  about  the  character  of  the  men  by  whom  and  of 
whom  the  state  of  Ohio  was  founded.  If  she  has  been  fortunate  in  her  pros- 
perity, she  was  no  less  happy  in  her  origin.  Among  the  many  distinguished 
men  who  were  members  of  the  Ohio  Company,  but  who  never  became  actual  set- 
tlers, were  Hamilton  and  Dexter,  the  first  and  third  secretaries  of  the  treasury ; 
Henry  Knox,  the  first  secretary  of  war;  three  governors  of  Massachusetts,  of 
whom  one  was  also  a  vice-president  of  the  United  States ;  a  governor  of  Rhode 
Island  and  a  governor  of  Connecticut ;  a  United  States  senator  from  Connecti- 
cut, a  postmaster-general  under  the  Continental  Congress,  an  associate  justice 
of  the  United  States  supreme  court,  and  a  president  of  Harvard  College. 

And  of  those  actively  connected  with  the  first  settlement  there  were  many 
eminent  and  at  least  two  remarkable  men,  Rufus  Putnam  and  Manasseh  Cutler. 
General  Putnam  spent  no  less  than  eighteen  years  of  the  prime  of  his  life  fight- 
ing for  the  soil  upon  which  he  spent  his  last  thirty-six  years.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  abandoned  his  occupation  to  serve  as  a  private  in  the  French 
war ;  as  a  colonel  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  he  was  charged  with  the  defense 
of  New  York  by  fortifications;  constructed  the  fortifications  at  West  Point 
and  commanded  a  regiment  in  General  Wayne's  brigade  until  victory  was  won ; 
and  finally  as  a  brigadier-general,  he  was  successful  in  a  long  and  bitter  conflict 
with  the  Indians,  closing  his  military  services  with  Wayne's  army  at  Detroit. 
His  sword  is  now  one  of  the  choicest  relics  in  Marietta,  where  he  died  in  1824<. 
As  leader  of  the  pioneers  he  insured  their  success.  His  heart  was  not  a  whit 
fainter  nor  his  hand  a  bit  weaker  than  that  of  Miles  Standish. 

Dr.  Cutler  was  a  highly  educated  man,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  a 
member  of  various  philosophical  societies.  His  agency  in  securing  the  adop- 
tion of  the  "  immortal  ordinance  "  is  well  established.  The  similarity  of  that 
ordinance  to  the  constitution  of  Massachusetts  indicates  that  it  was  MTntten 
mainly  by  himself.  To  him,  therefore,  we  are  largely  indebted  for  that  "  inter- 
lude "  which  "  shaped  the  character  and  destiny  of  the  United  States,"  and 
that  law  of  which  some  of  the  "  marked  and  lasting  effects  "  are  the  addition 
of  twenty-five  states  to  the  Union  and  slavery  in  none.  A  man  more  wise  or 
diplomatic  than  Dr.  Cutler  at  that  time  was  not  needed. 

In  his  "  Pioneer  History  "  Dr.  Hildreth  says :  "  Had  the  settlement  at 
Marietta  commenced  like  most  others  in  the  western  country  since  that  period, 
it  would  doubtless  have  been  broken  up  and  destroyed.  But  the  wisdom  and 
firmness  of  the  agents  and  directors,  backed  by  the  counsel  of  so  many  old  offi- 

636 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

cers  of  the  Revolution,  with  General  Putnam  at  their  head,  preserved  it  in 
safety  amidst  all  the  difficulties  and  dangers  that  surrounded  it."  In  a  letter 
dated  June,  1788,  Washington  wrote:  "  No  colony  in  America  was  ever  settled 
under  such  favorable  auspices  as  that  which  has  just  commenced  at  the  Mus- 
kingum. Information,  property  and  strength  will  be  its  characteristics.  I 
know  many  of  the  settlers  personally  and  there  never  were  men  better  calculated 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  such  a  community."  A  short  time  before  he  had 
written  to  Lafayette,  "  Congress  has  sold  in  the  year  past  a  pretty  large 
quantity  of  lands  on  the  Oliio  for  public  securities  and  thereby  diminished  the 
public  debt  considerably ;  many  of  your  military  acquaintances,  such  as  Gen- 
erals Putnam,  Parsons  and  Vamum,  Colonels  Tupper,  Sproat  and  Sherman, 
with  many  more,  propose  settling  there.  From  such  beginnings  much  may  be 
expected." 

So  the  state  of  Oliio  is  not  to  be  blamed  for  becoming  great. 


637 


THE  SECOND  SETTLEMENT  IN   OHIO  AT   CINCINNATI 

By  Hon.  Waeren  Higley 

A  Paper  Read  Before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New   York,  November  8,  1886 


THE  war  of  the  Revolution  was  over.  The  treaty  of  Paris  had  been 
signed.  The  people  of  the  new-bom  Republic  were  addressing  them- 
selves to  the  amicable  adjustment  and  settlement  of  foreign  and  inter- 
state questions — to  devising  and  working  out  a  form  of  government,  wiser, 
juster,  freer  and  stronger  than  that  under  the  Articles  of  Confederation — to 
strengthening  national  credit,  and  to  the  development  of  the  vast  natural  re- 
sources of  the  new  nation.  Under  the  treaty  of  Paris  the  United  States  had  re- 
ceived from  England's  king  liis  title  to  all  that  territory  stretching  from  the 
Alleghanies  to  the  Mississippi,  and  from  the  Ohio  river  to  the  great  lakes,  a 
territory  241,421  square  miles  in  extent,  nearly  twice  as  large  as  that  of 
England,  Scotland,  Ireland  and  Wales  combined ;  with  great  variety  of  climate ; 
with  marvelous  productiveness  of  soil ;  with  inexhaustible  mines  of  coal  and  iron 
and  copper  and  salt;  with  numerous  broad  and  navigable  rivers  and  lakes 
Annding  through  its  vast  area  and  along  either  side  of  it,  and  flowing  for  thou- 
sands of  miles  to  the  ocean  and  the  gulf,  inviting  the  future  commerce  of  the 
world  to  their  shores. 

This  new  acquisition  of  territory  to  that  of  the  original  colonial  states 
soon  came  Into  the  possession  and  control  of  the  nation  and  naturally  attracted 
the  attention  of  Congress  and  the  public  spirited  citizens  of  the  Ea.st  to  its 
Importance  and  development.  It  seemed  to  offer  to  the  government  the  means- 
for  payment  of  the  national  debt,  which  at  that  time  hung  like  a  pall  over  the 
people. 

Nor  was  this  territor}'^  at  that  time  a  terra  incognita.  For  more  than  a 
hundred  years  had  the  Indomitable  Jesuit  missionaries  traversed  its  wilds  and 
held  aloft  the  emblem  of  the  religion  of  Christ  for  conversion  of  the  savage 
tribes ;  and  France  had  erected  a  line  of  fortifications  to  protect  the  territory 
against  the  invasion  of  her  English  enemies. 

But  no  settlements  had  been  made  save  those  on  the  shores  of  the  northern 
lakes,  and  a  few  within  the  territory,  and  these  were  established  for  missionary 
purposes,  to  aid  in  the  work  of  converting  the  Indians  to  Christianity,  rather 
than  for  permanent  settlement  and  the  Introduction  of  a  new  civilization.  It 
now  remained  for  the  citizens  of  the  new  republic  to  go  In,  purchase  from  the 
natives,  and  take  possession  and  build  up,  on  this  wide  border-land  homes  and 
free  local  government,  and  a  prosperity  before  unsurpassed,  under  the  benefi- 
cent Ordinance  of  1787. 


538 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


THE    MIAMI    PURCHASE 


On  the  29th  of  August,  1787,  John  Cleves  Symmes,  of  Morristown,  New- 
Jersey,  being  encouraged  by  the  resolutions  of  Congress  of  the  23d  and  27th 
of  July  previous,  stipulating  the  conditions  of  a  transfer  of  federal  lands  on 
the  Scioto  and  Muskingum  rivers  unto  Winthrop  Sargent  and  Manasseh 
Cutler,  Esquires,  and  their  associates,  of  New  England,  petitioned  Congress, 
on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  westward  of  Connecticut,  to  direct 
that  a  contract  be  made  with  him  by  the  Hon.  Commissioners  of  the  Treasury 
Board,  for  him  and  his  associates,  similar  to  the  contract  with  Sargent  and 
Cutler,  for  the  purchase  of  the  tract  lying  north  of  the  Ohio  river  and  between 
the  Great  and  Little  Miami  rivers.  Upon  this  application  Congress,  on  the  3d 
of  October,  1787,  authorized  the  Treasury  Board  to  enter  into  a  contract  with 
said  Symmes  for  the  purchase  of  the  tract,  to  be  known  as  the  Miami  Purchase, 
and  on  the  26th  day  of  November  following  Judge  Symmes  issued  a  proclama- 
tion "  To  the  respectable  Public  "  setting  forth  the  terms  and  conditions  of 
purchase  and  settlement  and  inviting  co-operation.  The  price  required  to  be 
paid  was  two-thirds  of  a  dollar  per  acre,  in  hquidated  certificates,  exclusive  of 
the  interest  due  on  such  certificates,  to  be  paid  by  the  purchaser  on  the  receipt 
of  his  land  warrant. 

After  the  1st  of  May  following  the  price  was  to  be  raised  to  $1  per  acre, 
and  after  November  1st  to  a  still  higher  price,  if  the  country  should  be  settled 
as  fast  as  was  expected. 

General  Knox,  the  secretary  of  war,  had  assured  him  of  his  friendly  dis- 
position to  support  the  settlers  against  the  Indians  by  replacing  a  garrison  of 
federal  troops  in  the  fort  which  was  still  remaining  on  the  land  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Miami,  and  this  he  claimed  would  greatly  facilitate  the  settlement 
and  in  some  measure  secure  safety  to  the  first  adventurers. 

In  this  proclamation  Judge  Symmes  announced  that  he  reserved  certain 
rights  as  follows: 

"  The  subscriber  hopes  that  the  respectable  public  will  not  think  it  un- 
reasonable in  him,  when  he  informs  them  that  the  only  privilege  which  he  re- 
serves for  himself,  as  a  small  reward  for  his  trouble  in  this  business,  is  the  ex- 
clusive right  of  electing  or  locating  that  entire  township  which  will  be  the  low- 
est down  in  the  point  of  land  formed  by  the  Ohio  and  Great  Miami  rivers,  and 
those  three  fractional  parts  of  townships  which  may  be  north,  west  and  south, 
between  such  entire  township  and  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  and  Great  Miami.  This 
point  of  land  the  subscriber  intends  paying  for  himself,  and  thereon  to  lay  out 
a  handsome  town  plot,  with  eligible  streets  and  lots  of  60  feet  wide  in  front  and 
rear  and  120  feet  deep,  every  other  lot  of  which  shall  be  given  freely  to  any 
person  who  shall  first  apply  for  the  same  "  on  condition  of  improvement  and 
occupancy  within  two  years  after  purchase,  and  to  continue  for  a  consecutive 
period  of  three  years. 

The  purchase  money  for  the  whole  tract  was  not  paid  within  the  time  stip- 
ulated, but  by  special  act  of  Congress  passed  in  1792,  a  patent  was  issued  to 

539 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

John  Cleves  Symmes  and  associates  for  so  much  of  the  lands  as  he  might  be 
able  to  pay  for^  and  on  settlement  with  the  treasury  department  in  1794  it  was 
found  that  he  had  paid  for  248,540  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  received  a 
patent  September,  1794.  But  as  the  law  of  1792  provided  for  granting  a 
college  toAvnship  for  the  use  of  the  Miami  Purchase,  this  with  other  reserved 
sections  were  included  in  the  patent ;  so  that  the  boundaries  described  in  it  con- 
tained 311,682  acres. 

SETTLEMENTS 

The  first  attempt  toward  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  settlement  in 
this  purchase  was  made  in  the  early  fall  of  1788. 

Matthias  Denman,  of  Springfield,  New  Jersey,  had  purchased  from  Judge 
Symmes  the  fractional  section  lying  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Licking  river,  and  the  section  adjoining  on  the  north. 

On  the  22d  day  of  September,  1788,  Matthias  Denman,  Colonel  Robert 
Patterson,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  John  Filson,  a  surveyor,  in  company  with 
Judge  Symmes,  Israel  Ludlow,  of  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  who  had  been 
appointed  by  Surveyor-General  Hutchins  to  make  a  survey  of  the  purchase, 
and  others,  arrived  at  the  present  site  of  Cincinnati  for  the  purpose  of  observa- 
tion, and  of  laying  out  a  town  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking  river,  in 
accordance  with  the  plan  previously  agreed  upon.  Patterson  and  Filson  had 
taken  each  a  one-third  interest  in  Denman's  purchase,  and  they  had  named  their 
proposed  town  Losanteville  (Le-os-ant-e-ville)  the  village  opposite  the  mouth, 
a  name  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  an  imaginative  Frenchman. 

Ludlow's  business  was  to  survey  the  Miami  Purchase,  Filson's  to  lay  out 
the  town  according  to  the  plat  agreed  upon.  By  the  terms  of  the  contract  the 
east  line  of  Denman's  purchase  was  to  be  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Gfeat  Miami,  and  he  required  that  this  should  first  be  established.  While 
Denman  and  Ludlow  were  engaged  in  this  work,  Symmes,  Patterson,  Filson 
and  others  made  an  excursion  into  the  wilderness.  Filson  separated  from  the 
party,  or  got  lost,  and  was  never  after  heard  of.  The  natural  inference  was 
that  he  was  surprised  and  slain  by  the  Indians.  The  party  at  once  returned 
to  the  site  of  the  new  town  with  this  sad  news,  and  such  was  the  consternation 
and  fear  from  the  loss  of  Filson  that  they  abandoned  their  work,  and  the  whole 
party  went  back  to  Limestone,  now  Maysville,  Ky. 

Here  Denman  and  Patterson  took  Ludlow  into  their  enterprise  with  one- 
third  interest,  in  the  place  of  John  Filson,  and  he  was  to  make  the  surv^ey  of  the 
town.  A  new  plat  was  made,  modeled  after  that  of  Filson's,  and  the  name 
of  the  future  city  was  changed  to  Cincinnati.  So  that  while  the  young  settle- 
ment was  for  some  time  popularly  known  as  Losanteville,  it  never  officially  had 
any  other  name  than  Cincinnati. 

Denman's  purchase  amounted  to  about  eight  hundred  acres,  for  which 
he  paid  five  shillings  per  acre  in  continental  certificates,  worth  only  five  shillings 
on  the  pound  or  15d.  per  acre^  £50  for  the  whole.     While  the  Denman  party 

540 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

were  perfecting  their  plans  and  gathering  recruits  at  Limestone  to  make  their 
settlement  a  permanent  thing,  Major  Benjamin  Stites,  with  a  party  of  eighteen 
or  twenty  associates,  landed  near  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Miami  river,  near  the 
present  site  of  Columbia,  about  five  miles  above  the  site  of  Cincinnati,  in  No- 
vember, 1788,  built  a  block -house  for  protection  against  the  Indians  and  made 
a  settlement  which  prospered  well,  and  for  two  or  three  years  had  more  inhabi- 
tants than  any  other  in  the  purchase. 

Among  these  first  settlers  were  Colonel  Spencer,  Major  Gano,  Judge 
Gofoi-th,  Francis  Dunlavy,  Judge  Foster,  Colonel  Brown,  Major  Kibby,  Rev. 
John  Smith,  Mr.  Hubble,  Captain  Fhnn,  Jacob  White  and  John  Riley,  all 
men  of  energy  and  character,  well  fitted  to  battle  successfully  with  the  hard- 
ships and  dangers  of  this  wild  country. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1788,  Denman,  Patterson  and  others  to  the 
number  of  about  twelve  or  fifteen,  landed  a  second  time  at  the  site  of  their 
proposed  town  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  and  proceeded  to  provide  the 
necessary  means  for  shelter  and  protection  against  the  treacherous  Indians. 

A  third  party  under  Judge  Symmes  left  Limestone  January  29,  1789, 
and  after  a  perilous  voyage,  down  the  Ohio,  consequent  upon  the  floating  ice, 
reached  North  Bend  in  the  early  part  of  February,  where  he  proposed  to  lay 
out  and  build  up  the  important  to^vn  of  the  purchase. 

Thus  were  the  three  settlements  begun  that  were  afterwards  to  be  welded 
together  and  become  the  Queen  City  of  the  West. 

On  application  of  Judge  Symmes,  General  Harmar,  in  command  at 
Marietta  had  sent  Captain  Kearsey  with  forty-eight  rank  and  file  to  protect 
the  settlers  in  the  Miami  country.  The  soldiers  landed  at  North  Bend,  and 
finding  no  fort  fit  for  occupancy  and  having  no  tools  with  which  to  erect 
one,  they  soon  after  left  the  settlem.ent  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to  Louis- 
ville where  they  found  comfortable  accommodation  with  other  troops. 

The  Judge  wrote  to  the  commandant  at  Louisville  complaining  bitterly 
of  the  action  of  Captain  Kearsey,  whereupon  a  company  of  seventeen  or 
eighteen  men  under  com.mand  of  Ensign  Luce  were  dispatched  to  North  Bend, 
with  instructions  to  select  a  suitable  site  for  erecting  a  block-house  or  fort  for 
the  protection  of  the  Miami  settlements.  They  arrived  promptly  and  the 
settlers  were  thus  assured  of  safety. 

The  Ensign  seemed  to  feel  that  he  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  erecting 
fortifications  at  such  place  as  was  best  calculated  to  aff^ord  the  most  extensive 
protection  to  all  the  INIiami  settlers,  and  in  spite  of  the  persistent  entreaties 
and  opposition  of  Judge  Symmes  he  left  the  Bend  and  with  his  command 
went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  at  once  selected  a  favorable  place  and  com- 
menced to  build  strong  military  works.  This  military  movement  was  fol- 
lowed by  very  important  results.  The  settlers  at  the  Bend  realizing  the 
dangers  to  which  they  were  exposed,  in  the  absence  of  trained  soldiers,  soon 
removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  the  hopes  for  the  future  city,  so  fondly  dreamed 
of,  were  thus  destroyed. 

The   following   summer,    1789,   Major  Doughty   arrived   at   Cincinnati 

541 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

with  one  hundred  and  forty  troops  from  Fort  Harmar  and,  approving  the 
mihtary  judgment  of  Ensign  Luce,  began  the  construction  of  Fort  Wash- 
ington, the  most  extensive  and  important  mihtary  work  in  the  territory. 

While  it  is  no  doubt  the  simple  fact  that  the  reason  for  building  Fort 
Washington  on  the  site  where  it  was  erected,  on  the  first  shelf,  fifty  feet  above 
low  water  and  almost  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  was  purely  a  mihtary 
one,  being  near  the  place  where  the  old  Indian  trail  from  the  lakes  down 
through  the  Miami  country  crossed  the  Ohio  and  led  into  Kentucky  and  the 
South,  and  that  this  location  was  by  far  the  best  for  the  protection  of  the 
Miami  settlers,  still  there  is  a  romantic  story  connected  with  the  location  of 
this  site,  related  by  Judge  Burnett  in  his  "  Notes  on  the  Northwest  Territory," 
that  may  be  of  interest.     It  is  this: 

"  It  was  said  and  believed  that  while  officer  Luce  was  looking  out  very 
leisurely  for  a  suitable  site  on  which  to  build  a  block-house  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  beautiful,  black-eyed  female,  who  called  forth  his  most  as- 
siduous and  tender  attention.  She  was  the  wife  of  one  of  the  settlers  at  the 
Bend.  Her  husband  saw  the  danger  to  which  he  would  be  exposed  if  he 
remained  where  he  was,  and  therefore  removed  to  Cincinnati. 

"  When  the  gallant  commander  discovered  that  the  obj  ect  of  his  admira- 
tion had  changed  her  residence  he  began  to  think  that  the  Bend  was  not  an 
advantageous  situation  for  a  military  work.  This  opinion  he  communicated  to 
Judge  Symmes,  who  strongly  opposed  it.  His  reasoning,  however,  was  not 
as  persuasive  as  the  sparkling  eyes  of  the  fair  dulcinea.  He  visited  Cincinnati, 
found  the  military  position  there  superior  to  that  at  the  Bend,  and  com- 
menced the  building  of  a  block-house." 

That  movement,  produced  by  a  cause  whimsical,  and  apparently  trivial 
in  itself,  was  attended  with  results  of  the  greatest  importance. 

It  settled  the  question  whether  North  Bend  or  Cincinnati  was  to  be  the 
great  commercial  town  of  the  Miami  country. 

"  The  incomparable  beauty  of  a  Spartan  dame  produced  a  ten  years' 
war,  which  terminated  in  the  destruction  of  Troy;  and  the  irresistible  charms 
of  another  woman  transferred  the  commercial  emporium  of  Ohio  from  the 
place  where  it  had  been  commenced  to  the  place  where  it  now  is.  If  this  cap- 
tivating Helen  had  remained  at  the  Bend  the  garrison  would  have  been  erected 
there,  population,  capital  and  business  would  have  continued  there,  and  there 
would  have  been  the  Queen  City  of  the  West." 

Upon  such  slender  threads  hang  the  fate  of  cities  and  nations. 

INDIAN    HOSTILITIES 

The  professions  of  friendship  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  made  in  th'' 
winter  of  1788-89,  under  the  treaty  of  Fort  Harmar,  were  of  short  dura- 
tion. The  lives  and  property  of  the  settlers  were  insecure.  Acts  of  violence 
and  murder  followed  in  quick  succession.  The  settlement  of  Major  Stites,  at 
Columbia,  was  plundered;  an  attack  was  made  upon  the  Bend  and  one  of 
the  settlers  there  was  killed.  Hunt,  Cutler,  Freeman,  Truman,  Hardin,  and 
many  others  were  assassinated  not  long  after.     The  protecting  influence  of 

542 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Fort  Washington  was  circumscribed  within  narrow  limits,  and  the  utter  ex- 
teiinination  of  the  Miami  settlement  was  seinously  threatened. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1790,  General  Harmar,  with  1,300  men,  mostly 
undisciplined  militia,  started  north  from  Fort  Washington  an  expedition 
against  the  Indian  villages.  When  within  forty  miloe  of  them  he  learned 
they  were  unoccupied,  and  immediately  sent  forth  a  detachment  of  600  men  to 
destroy  them.  The  villages  were  burned  to  the  ground,  and  the  corn  and 
fruit  trees  were  utterly  destroyed.  The  expedition  returned  to  the  main 
body,  when  General  Harmar  sent  one-third  of  his  troops  back,  under  Colonel 
Hardin,  to  find  and  engage  the  enemy.  They  found  the  enemy  and  were 
badly  defeated  and  cut  to  pieces.  The  survivors  and  the  remainder  of  the 
army  hastened  their  retreat  to  Fort  Washington,  followed  and  harassed  by 
the  victorious  enemy.  The  expedition  was  a  failure,  and  the  savages  were 
naturally  more  hostile  than  before. 

The  following  year  General  St.  Clair  set  out  from  Cincinnati  with  an 
army  of  2,300  men,  determined  to  put  a  stop  to  the  Indian  hostilities.  On 
his  way  up  the  Miami  country  he  built  Forts  Hamilton  and  Jefferson,  about 
fortj'  miles  apart.  But  misfortune  attended  the  expedition  from  the  start. 
When  twenty-seven  miles  beyond  Fort  Jefferson,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th 
of  November,  1791,  the  American  army  was  attacked  by  Indians  in  great 
force,  and  was  defeated  with  heavy  loss.  Among  the  killed  were  the  gallant 
Ma j or-General  Butler,  Colonel  Oldham  and  Major  Ferguson. 

The  settlements  naturally  had  few  accessions  while  subject  to  threatening 
dangers  from  an  infuriated  foe.  This  uncertain  condition  continued  until 
the  spring  of  1794,  when  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  with  2,000  regulars  and 
1,500  mounted  volunteers  from  Kentucky,  met  the  enemy  in  their  own  country, 
at  Fallen  Timbers,  a  few  miles  above  the  present  Maumee  City,  and  defeated 
them.  He  maintained  every  advantage  gained  and  rendered  his  fortifications 
impregnable  to  his  wily  foe.  The  Indian  chiefs  gradually  came  to  a  reahzing 
sense  of  their  inability  to  succeed  against  the  army  of  General  Wayne  and 
began  to  consider  the  terms  of  peace  that  had  already  been  urged  by  the 
United  States,  and  their  deliberations  finally  resulted  in  the  Treaty  of  Green- 
ville, signed  on  the  3d  day  of  August,  1795,  settling  a  permanent  peace  with 
all  the  Indian  tribes  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  giving  security  to  the 
settlers. 

PEACE 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  with  what  joy  the  suffering  pioneers  at 
Cincinnati  hailed  the  proclamation  of  peace.  It  was  no  longer  necessary  for 
them  to  attend  divine  serv'ice  with  loaded  rifles  by  their  side.  They  could  now 
extend  and  cultivate  their  fields  beyond  the  range  of  the  Fort  and  the  block- 
house. 

The  white  population  of  the  whole  northwestern  territory,  including  aU 
ages  and  both  sexes,  was,  at  the  close  of  1795,  only  15,000.  In  1800,  by  the 
census  then  taken  by  the  authority  of  Congress,  the  number  was  45,365. 

543 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Authorities  differ  as  to  the  population  of  Cincinnati  in  1795,  but  it 
probably  fell  considerably  short  of  500.  In  1800  it  is  given  at  750;  1810, 
2,540;  1820,  9,602;  1830,  46,338;  1840,  54,851.  Cincinnati  became  a  city 
in  1819. 

Prior  to  the  Treaty  of  Greenville,  the  improvements  of  Cincinnati  were 
few,  and  of  anything  but  a  permanent  character.  Fort  Washington  was  the 
principal  object  of  interest  and  was  located  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets 
produced  east  of  Eastern  Row,  now  Broadway,  which  was  then  a  two-pole 
alley,  and  was  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town  as  originally  laid  out.  Fort 
Washington  was  evacuated  in  1804  and  the  troops  transfered  to  the  New  Port 
Barracks.  Colonel  Sargent,  secretary  of  the  territory,  had  a  convenient 
frame  house,  on  the  north  side  of  Fourth  street,  immediately  behind  the  fort. 
On  the  east  side  of  the  fort  Dr.  Allison,  the  surgeon-general  of  the  army, 
had  a  plain  frame  dwelling,  in  the  centre  of  a  large  cultivated  garden,  called 
Peach  Grove. 

The  Presbyterian  church,  built  in  1792,  stood  on  Main  street.  Here  the 
Rev.  James  Kemper  was  installed  October  23d  of  that  year.  It  was  a  sub- 
stantial frame  building  about  30x40  feet,  enclosed  by  clapboards,  but  neither 
lathed,  plastered  nor  ceiled.  The  floor  was  of  boat  plank,  laid  loosely  on  the 
sleepers;  the  seats  were  of  the  same  material,  supported  by  blocks  of  wood. 
There  was  a  breastwork  of  unplaned  cherry  boards,  called  the  pulpit,  be- 
hind which  the  clergyman  stood  on  a  piece  of  plank  resting  on  blocks  of  wood. 
In  that  humble  edifice  the  pioneers  and  their  families  assembled  statedly  for 
pubhc  worship ;  and  during  the  continuance  of  the  war  they  always  attended 
with  loaded  rifles  by  their  sides.  The  frame  school  house  stood  on  the  north 
side  of  Fourth  street,  opposite  where  St.  Paul's  church  lately  was.  A  room 
in  the  tavern  of  George  Avery,  near  the  frog  pond,  at  the  comer  of  Main 
and  Fifth  streets,  had  been  rented  for  the  accommodation  of  the  courts,  and 
as  the  penetentiary  system  had  not  then  been  adopted  and  Cincinnati  was  a  seat 
of  justice,  it  was  ornamented  with  a  pillory,  stocks  and  whipping  post,  and 
occasionally  with  a  gallows.  These  were  all  the  structures  of  a  public  char- 
acter then  in  the  place,  according  to  the  authority  of  Judge  Burnett,  who 
took  up  his  residence  in  Cincinnati  in  1796. 

FIRST   NEWSPAPER 

The  first  newspaper  printed  north  of  the  Ohio  was  established  at  Cin- 
cinnati by  William  Maxwell,  November  9,  1793,  and  named  The  Sentinel  of 
the  Northwest  Territory.  It  was  evidently  non-partisan  in  its  character,  with 
the  motto  "  Open  to  all  Parties — Influenced  by  None." 

It  was  printed  on  a  half  sheet,  royal  quarto  size,  and  naturally  had  a 
very  limited  circulation. 

At  a  legislative  session  held  at  Cincinnati  in  the  summer  of  1795,  the 
governor  and  judges,  discovering  that  their  enactments  had  not  been  legally 
approved,  as  required  by  Congress,  and  were  therefore  of  doubtful  authority, 
prepared  a  code  of  laws  adapted  from  the  statutes  of  the  original  states. 

544 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

This  was  printed  at  Cincinnati  by  William  Maxwell,  in  1795,  and  hence 
was  called  the  Maxwell  Code.  It  was  the  first  job  of  printing  ever  executed 
in  the  northwestern  territory. 

In  1799  the  first  regular  weekly  newspaper  was  published  by  Joseph 
Carpenter,  called  the  Westei-n  Spt/  and  Hamilton  Gazette. 

After  the  Treaty  of  Greenville,  the  territory  was  rapidly  settled,  and 
the  country  between  the  Miamies,  from  the  Ohio  up  to  the  Mad  River  soon 
became  thickly  dotted  with  farms  and  abounded  with  evidences  of  a  rapidly 
growing  and  abiding  prosperity. 

TEREITORIAL  GOVERNMENT 

Under  the  ordinance  of  1787  the  people  were  entitled  to  a  change  of 
government  when  there  should  be  5,000  free  males  of  full  age  in  the  territory. 
At  the  close  of  1798  the  northwest  territory  contained  the  requisite  number 
and  Governor  St.  Clair  issued  his  proclamation  for  an  election  to  choose 
representatives  to  a  territorial  legislature.  The  election  was  held  accordingly 
and  on  the  16th  day  of  September,  1799,  the  first  territorial  legislature  of 
the  northwest  met  at  Cincinnati. 

Hamilton  county  was  represented  in  the  first  legislature  by  Jacob  Bur- 
nett, William  McMillan,  John  Smith,  John  Ludlow,  Robert  Benham,  Aaron 
Cadwell  and  Isaac  Martin,  men  of  strong  character  and  eminent  ability. 

William  Henry  Harrison,  at  that  time  secretary  of  the  territory,  was 
chosen  as  the  delegate  to  the  national  Congress. 

Judge  Burnett,  in  speaking  of  the  habits  and  character  of  the  soldiers 
and  citizens  of  Cincinnati  at  this  period  says : 

"  Idleness,  drinking  and  gambling  prevailed  in  the  army  to  a  greater 
extent  than  it  has  done  at  any  subsequent  period." 

This  may  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been  several  j^ears 
in  the  wilderness,  cut  off  from  all  society  but  their  own,  with  but  few  com- 
forts or  conveniences  at  hand,  and  no  amusements  but  such  as  their  own  in- 
genuity could  invent. 

Libraries  were  not  to  be  found;  men  of  literary  minds,  or  polished  man- 
ners, were  rarely  met  with ;  and  they  had  long  been  deprived  of  the  advantages 
of  modest,  accomplished  female  society,  which  ahvays  produces  a  salutary 
influence  on  the  feelings  and  moral  habits  of  men.  Thus  situated,  the  officers 
were  urged  by  an  iiTesistible  impulse  to  tax  their  wits  for  expedients  to  fill 
up  the  chasms  of  leisure,  after  a  full  discharge  of  their  military  duties ;  and 
as  is  too  frequently  the  case  in  such  circumstances,  the  bottle,  the  dice  box 
and  the  card  table  were  among  the  expedients  resorted  to,  because  they  were 
the  nearest  at  hand  and  the  most  easily  procured. 

It  is  a  distressing  fact,  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  officers  under 
General  Wayne,  and  subsequently  under  General  Wilkinson,  were  hard  drink- 
ers. Harrison,  Clark,  Shomberg,  Ford,  Strong  and  a  few  others,  were  the 
only  exceptions. 

As  a  natural  consequence,  the  citizens  indulged  in  the  same  practices 

545 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  formed  the  same  habits.  As  a  proof  of  this  it  may  be  stated  that  when 
Mr.  Burnett  came  to  the  bar  there  were  nine  resident  lawyers  engaged  in  the 
practice,  of  whom  he  was  for  many  years  the  only  survivor.  They  all  be- 
came confirmed  sots  and  descended  to  premature  graves,  excepting  his  brother, 
whose  life  was  terminated  by  a  rapid  consumption  in  the  summer  of  1801. 

I  am  happy  to  know  that  the  character  of  the  Cincinnati  bar  has  radi- 
cally changed  in  tliis  respect  since  those  early  days. 

NAVIGATION    OF    THE    OHIO 

The  original  mode  of  navigation  down  the  Ohio  was  by  flat-boats,  im- 
pelled by  sail  and  oar,  with  the  aid  of  the  current. 

The  pioneer  from  the  east  came  over  the  mountains  at  first  with  pack- 
horses  to  carry  his  goods,  and  later  in  the  Pennsylvania  wagon  to  Pittsburg, 
and  there  took  a  flat-boat  and  floated  down  the  river  to  his  destination.  Up 
to  1795  they  were  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  hostile  savages  from  either  shore. 

In  1794  a  line  of  two  keel  boats,  with  bullet  proof  covers  and  port-holes, 
provided  with  cannon  and  small  arms,  was  established  between  Cincinnati  and 
Pittsburg,  making  the  trip  once  in  four  weeks.  The  brawny  muscle  and  sinew 
of  crew  and  passengers  furnished  the  power  for  propulsion ;  and  so,  for  sev- 
eral years,  was  the  traffic  and  commerce  of  enterprising  Cincinnati  carried  on 
from  Pittsburg  to  New  Orleans,  and  up  the  tributaries  of  the  Ohio  and  the 
Mississippi  by  the  pole,  the  oar  and  the  current. 

It  was  a  necessity  during  this  period,  and  a  custom  for  man}^  years  after, 
for  traders  to  load  their  large  flat-boat  at  Cincinnati,  float  with  the  current 
to  New  Orleans,  dispose  of  their  cargo  and  boat,  and  walk  back. 

In  1811,  Flilton  and  Livingston  established  a  shipyard  at  Pittsburg 
and  built  the  "  Orleans,"  as  an  experimental  boat,  the  first  ever  placed  on  our 
western  waters.  This  boat  had  a  stern  wheel  and  masts;  her  first  trip  from 
Pittsburg  to  New  Orleans  was  made  in  the  winter  of  1812. 

In  1816  Cincinnati  began  to  build  steamboats  and  to  trade  with  the  most 
distant  parts  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 

Cincinnati's  remarkable  growth  is  due  to  her  favorable  situation  for  com- 
merce, and  the  energy  and  business  push  of  her  pioneer  citizens.  She  became 
the  mart  of  a  vast  commerce  and  the  distributing  point  of  a  large  territory 
depending  upon  her  for  supplies. 

The  voyages  to  distant  places  were  now  made  in  as  many  days  as  it  had 
taken  weeks ;  and  suddenly  30,000  miles  of  river  coast  opened  to  this  young 
queen  city  a  commerce  and  traffic  as  extensive  as  if  she  had  been  placed  on 
the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  or  the  Pacific.  New  Orleans  at  1,500  miles 
distant,  and  the  tributaries  of  the  Missouri  at  thousands,  were  as  accessible  to 
her  as  Rome  was  to  ancient  Alexandria. 

Nor  were  the  advantages  of  Cincinnati  and  her  early  and  rapid  gi'owth 
due  alone  to  the  remarkable  river  whose  commerce  she  so  largely  controlled. 

546 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


FAVOEABLE    LOCATIOK 


The  site  upon  which  the  city  is  built  is  pecuharly  favorable  to  comfort 
and  health.  It  lies  on  a  natural  plateau,  through  which  the  Ohio  passes  from 
the  southeast  to  the  southwest.  This  plain  is  nearly  twelve  miles  in  circum- 
ference, and  is  bisected  by  the  river  into  nearly  equal  parts.  On  the  north 
half  is  Cincinnati  and  on  the  south  are  Covington  and  Newport,  separated 
by  the  Licking  River.  This  great  plain  is  almost  entirely  surrounded  by 
hills  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  forming  one  of  the  most  beautiful  natural 
amphitheatres  to  be  found  anywhere  on  the  continent,  from  whose  hilltops 
may  be  seen  the  splendid  panorama  of  the  cities  below,  with  the  winding  Ohio, 
its  steamers  and  barges  and  incessant  movements  along  its  shores.  No  other 
large  city  of  the  United  States  affords  such  a  variety  of  position  and  scenery. 
It  is  one  which  a  painter  would  have  chosen  for  its  beauty,  and  a  shrewd  me- 
chanic for  the  utmost  facilities  of  building,  of  water  and  of  drainage. 

The  growth  and  commanding  influence  of  a  city  depend  more  upon  the 
energ3',  faith  and  wisdom  of  its  citizens  than  upon  the  most  favored  gifts  of 
nature.  Fortunately  for  Cincinnati,  her  early  pioneers  were  men  and  women 
of  great  energy  and  force  of  character.  They  established  manufactories,  fos- 
tered and  built  up  an  extensive  commerce,  opened  and  sustained  large  whole- 
sale houses,  and  made  Cincinnati  for  many  years  the  New  York  of  the  north- 
west. Nor  did  they  neglect  the  still  more  important  matters  of  education, 
religion  and  culture.  In  these  things  they  held  equal  rank  with  the  older  civi- 
lization of  the  eastern  cities. 

The  public  schools  of  Cincinnati  were  the  first  in  the  United  States  into 
which  was  introduced  a  graded  system  of  instruction. 

In  all  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  metropolis  of  Ohio,  we  discern 
the  beneficent  influence  of  her  hardy  pioneers  whose  stalwart  characters  sowed 
the  seed  and  nurtured  the  tender  plant  for  the  abundant  fruitage  of  after 
years. 

All  honor,  then,  to  the  enterprising  spirit,  patient  courage,  lofty  faith 
and  energetic  character  of  those  who  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1788  made  the 
second  permanent  settlement  of  Ohio,  at  Cincinnati. 


647 


THE  ORDINANCE  OF  1787  AND  THE  WAR  OF  1861 

By  Generai.  Wager  Swayne 

An  Address  Delivered  before  the   Ohio  Society  of  New   York, 
September  8,  1890 

THE  fruits  of  the  late  Civil  War  are  gathered  and  preserved,  so  far  as 
its  direct  effect  upon  our  own  government  are  concerned,  in  three  short 
paragraphs  which  are  amendatory  of  the  federal  constitution.  They 
were  adopted  soon  after  the  war,  and  with  the  express  intention  to  make  its  re- 
sults secure. 

There  have  been  fifteen  amendments  to  that  instrument  since  it  was 
adopted  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  March,  1789.  The  first  ten  were  adopted 
as  one,  immediately  after  the  original  indenture,  and  under  circumstances 
which  made  them  really  part  of  the  original  transaction.  Another  followed 
within  ten  years,  and  the  next  one  five  years  later.  Then  there  were  sixty 
years  without  a  change. 

The  three  amendments  which  followed  the  last  war  are  therefore  known 
as  the  thirteenth,  fourteenth  and  fifteenth.  The  first  of  them  was  adopted  in 
1865,  the  next  in  1868  and  the  last  in  1870. 

The  first  of  these  amendments  provides  that: 

"  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for 
crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall  exist  within 
the  United  States  or  any  place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction." 

The  second  provides  that: 

"  All  persons  bom  or  naturalized  in  the  United  States,  and  subject  to  the 
jurisdiction  thereof,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  state  wherein 
they  reside.  No  state  shall  make  or  enforce  any  law  which  shall  abridge  the 
privileges  or  immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  nor  shall  any  state  de- 
prive any  person  of  life,  liberty  or  property  without  due  process  of  law,  nor 
deny  to  any  person  within  its  jurisdiction  the  equal  protection  of  the  laws." 

The  third  provides  that: 

"  The  right  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote  shall  not  be  denied 
or  abridged  by  the  United  States,  or  by  any  state,  on  account  of  race,  color 
or  previous  condition  of  servitude." 

Each  of  them,  in  addition,  provides  that  Congress,  or  "  The  Congress," 
as  the  constitution  designates  our  national  legislature,  may  enforce  its  provi- 
sions "  by  appropriate  legislation." 

There  are  subsidiary  sections  of  the  fourteenth  amendment,  which  regu- 
late representation  in  Congress,  prohibit  men  from  holding  office  (until 
pardoned)  who  having,  before  the  war,  taken  an  oath  of  office  to  support  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States,  were  not  deterred  by  that  fact  from  at- 

548 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tempting  to  overthrow  that  constitution ;  proliibit  questioning  the  vahdity 
of  the  public  debt  incurred  in  suppressing  the  rebelhon;  and  prohibit,  also, 
the  United  States  and  every  state  from  paying  any  debt  incurred  in  aid  of  the 
rebelUon. 

AU  these,  however,  are  of  incidental  or  transient  operation.  The  tliree 
clauses :  inhibiting  slavery ;  making  all  persons  bom  or  naturalized  in  the 
United  States  its  citizens,  and  citizens  of  their  respective  states;  and  then  as- 
suring to  the  citizen  the  fuU  enjoyment  of  all  liis  rights  and  privileges;  these 
are  the  substance  of  these  three  amendments  to  the  federal  constitution,  and 
these  three,  when  grouped  together,  are  perceived  to  be  one.  That  one  is  but 
the  ripened  growth  of  the  primary  enactment,  which  is  itself  an  adaptation 
of  the  corresponding  phrase  in  the  eventful  "  Ordinance  of  1787  " — "  There 
shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  the  said  territory,  other- 
wise than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly 
convicted." 

It  will  be  easily  remembered  that  by  this  Ordinance,  enacted  by  Congress 
before  the  present  constitution,  the  United  States  assumed  jurisdiction  over, 
and  estabhshed  a  government  for,  what  was  then  known  as  the  Northwest 
Territory,  comprising  the  whole  vast  area  between  the  Ohio,  the  lakes,  and  the 
jNIississippi,  which  last  was  at  that  time  the  western  boundary  of  our  country. 

Originally  applicable  to  but  a  limited  area,  this  precept  of  that  Ordin- 
ance is  now  made  to  apply  to  the  whole  Union;  it  is  amplified  to  include  all 
the  rights  of  citizens,  and  for  its  honor  and  security  its  beneficiaries  are  en- 
dowed with  the  right  to  vote.  The  war  was  a  purchase  of  the  rights  of  man ; 
these  three  amendments  are  the  title  deeds,  and  all  their  value  rests  upon  this 
declaration:  that  there  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servi- 
tude,  EXCEPT   FOR   CRIME. 

It  is  a  touching  fact,  when  we  recall  how  much  it  means,  that  only  this 
should  be  the  fruit  of  tliat  great  war.  We  personally  remember  how  for  four 
years  it  kept  this  country  torn  apart,  and  how  it  gathered  and  accumulated 
and  intensified  with  death  and  desolation  all  of  those  feelings  which  urge  upon 
the  human  heart  the  most  vindictive  retribution.  One  of  the  parties  came  to 
be  in  a  position  to  inflict  such  retribution.  The  situation  of  the  other  left  it 
nothing  but  submission.  The  years  since  have  disclosed  the  scope  of  what 
was  actually  exacted.  The  historian  will  find  no  list  of  executions  or  im- 
prisonments; no  lasting  confiscations  or  disfranchisements;  no  state  impaired 
in  full  and  equal  sovereignty.  Nothing,  except  three  short  amendments  to  the 
federal  constitution,  all  securing,  even  to  the  vanquished,  equal  rights.  Per- 
haps it  is  because  of  this  that  since  that  date  this  nation  has  grown  so  great 
that  even  the  future  of  the  world  seems  brighter. 

This  precept  against  slavery  stands,  moreover,  as  the  final  guaranty  of 
individual  freedom  in  this  country;  and  even  beyond  this,  I  cannot  but  feel 
that,  involved  with  its  history  are  not  only  the  origin  of  the  late  war  and  the 
final  triumph  of  the  right,  but,  also,  as  to  very  many  of  us,  our  own  direct 
and  personal  relation  to  the  war. 

549 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

I  have  not  known  till  recently,  and  possibly  you  do  not  fully  know,  how 
far  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  revolution  were  the  source  of  life  and 
strength  of  that  great  Ordinance,  nor  how  their  lives  have  by  its  means  become 
involved  with  our  own  lives,  nor  how  far  that  inscription  came  from  them 
which  is  at  once  the  basis  of  our  liberties  and  the  seal  of  our  own  mihtary 
service. 

I  begin  with  the  first  oflicial  record.  In  a  report  made  in  March,  1792, 
by  a  congressional  committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  to  whom  had 
been  referred  a  petition  from  the  "  Ohio  Company  of  Associates,"  the  com- 
mittee says: 

"  They  find  said  Ohio  Company  laid  its  foundation  in  an  application  to 
the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled ;  a  copy  of  which  marked  '  No.  1  ' 
is  herewith  presented  to  the  House." 

The  petition  referred  to  is  dated  June  16,  1783,  and  is  signed  by  two 
hundred  and  eighty -five  officers  of  the  Continental  army.  The  army  was  at 
that  time  encamped  at  Newburgh  in  this  state,  waiting  to  be  discharged  when- 
ever news  should  be  received  that  the  treaty  of  peace  and  independence  had 
been  formally  concluded. 

Of  these  signers  seven  were  general  officers — Knox,  Putnam,  Stark,  Pat- 
erson,  Huntington,  Greaton  and  Dayton.  Besides  these,  colonels,  lieutenant- 
colonels,  surgeons,  majors,  chaplains,  paymasters,  captains,  lieutenants  and 
ensigns  were  duly  represented.  One  hundred  and  fifty-five  were  from  Massa- 
chusetts, thirty-four  from  New  Hampshire  and  forty- six  from  Connecticut; 
making  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  from  the  New  England  states.  Thirty- 
six  were  from  New  Jersey,  thirteen  from  Maryland,  and  one,  Captain  John 
Doughty,  of  the  artillery,  from  our  own  state  of  New  York. 

To  me  so  much  of  interest  attaches  to  this  petition  that  I  beg  leave  to 
present  it  entire. 

"  To  His  Excellency  the  President,  and  Honorable  Delegates  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  Assembled: 

"  The  petition  of  the  subscribers,  officers  in  the  continental  line  of  the 
army,  humbly  showeth: 

"  That  by  a  resolution  of  the  honorable  Congress  passed  September  20, 
1776,  and  other  subsequent  resolves,  the  officers  (and  soldiers  engaged  for  the 
war)  of  the  American  army,  who  shall  continue  in  sei-vice  until  the  establish- 
ment of  peace  or  in  case  of  their  dying  in  service,  their  heirs  are  entitled  to 
receive  certain  grants  of  land  according  to  their  several  grades,  to  be  procured 
for  them  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States. 

"  That  your  petitioners  are  informed  that  that  tract  of  country  bounded 
north  on  Lake  Erie,  east  on  Pennsylvania,  southeast  and  south  on  the  River 
Ohio,  west  on  a  line  beginning  at  that  part  of  the  Ohio  which  lies  twenty-four 
miles  west  of  the  River  Scioto;  thence  running  north  on  a  meridian  line  till 
it  intersects  with  the  River  Miami  (Maumee)  which  falls  into  Lake  Erie; 
thence  down  the  middle  of  that  river  to  the  lake  is  a  tract  of  country  not 

550 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

claimed  as  the  property  of  or  in  the  jurisdiction  of  any  particular  state  in 
tlie  Union.  That  this  country  is  of  sufficient  extent,  the  land  of  such  quality 
and  situation,  such  as  may  induce  Congress  to  assign  and  mark  it  out  as 
a  tract  or  territory  suitahle  to  form  a  distinct  government  (or  colony  of  the 
United  States),  in  time  to  be  admitted  one  of  the  Confederated  States  of 
America, 

"  Wherefore,  your  petitioners  pray  that,  whenever  the  honorable  Con- 
gress shall  be  pleased  to  procure  the  aforesaid  lands  of  the  natives,  they  will 
make  provision  for  the  location  and  survey  of  the  lands  to  which  we  are  en- 
titled within  the  aforesaid  district;  and  also  for  all  officers  and  soldiers  who 
wish  to  take  up  their  lands  in  that  quarter. 

"  That  provision  also  be  made  for  a  further  grant  of  lands  to  such  of  the 
army  as  wish  to  become  adventurers  in  the  new  government,  in  such  quantities 
and  on  such  conditions  of  settlement  and  purchase  for  public  securities  as 
Congress  shall  judge  most  for  the  interest  of  the  intended  government,  and 
rendering  it  of  lasting  consequence  to  the  American  empire. 

"  And  your  petitioners,  as  in  duty  bound,  shall  ever  pray. 

"  June  16,  1783." 

We  have  here  a  body  of  officers  of  the  Continental  army,  while  yet  in 
camp,  petitioning  Congress  "  to  assign  and  mark  out  a  tract  of  territory  suit- 
able to  form  a  distinct  government  (or  colony  of  the  United  States),  in  time 
to  be  admitted  one  of  the  Confederated  States  of  America  " ;  and  "  to  make 
provision  for  the  location  and  survey  of  the  lands  to  which  we  are  entitled 
within  the  aforesaid  district;  and  also  for  all  officers  and  soldiers  who  wish 
to  take  up  their  lands  in  that  quarter  " ;  and,  further,  that  upon  proper  con- 
ditions of  settlement  and  purchase,  provision  also  be  made  for  a  further  grant 
of  lands  "  to  such  of  the  army  as  may  wish  to  become  adventurers  in  the  new 
government." 

In  other  words,  here  is  a  movement  originating  with  officers  of  the  Con- 
tinental army,  and  resulting  aftei-Avards  in  their  formal  organization,  which 
from  the  first  contemplated  the  distinct  and  apparently  exclusive  settlement 
of  a  new  state  by  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  the  end, 
they  seem  to  have  accomplished  more  than  this,  and,  as  I  have  suggested,  to 
have  left  their  distinct  impression  on  that  war  which  has  associated  us.  Mean- 
time, however,  the  earlier  history  of  the  petition  is  instructive  and  pathetic. 

By  the  terms  of  confederation  of  the  thirteen  colonies,  "  all  charges  of 
war,  and  all  other  expenses  that  shall  be  incurred  for  the  common  defense  or 
general  welfare,  and  allowed  by  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled, 
shall  be  defrayed  out  of  a  common  treasury,  which  shall  be  supplied  by  the 
several  states  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  all  land  within  each  state.  *  *  * 
The  taxes  for  paying  that  proportion  shall  be  laid  and  levied  by  the  authority 
and  direction  of  the  legislatures  of  the  several  states."     *     *     * 

This  method  presupposed,  and  required  for  its  effective  working,  that 
the  continental  Congress  be  cordially  supported  by  the  several  legislatures, 

551 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  all  its  requisitions  promptly  met.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  legislatures 
did  neither.  Concerning  them,  Washington  wrote,  in  1783,  to  General  Greene 
at  Newburgh: 

"  I  have  written  almost  incessantly  to  all  the  states,  urging,  in  the  most 
forcible  tei-ms  I  could  make  use  of,  the  absolute  necessity  of  complying  with  the 
requisitions  of  Congress  in  furnishing  their  contingents  of  men  and  money, 
and  am  unhappy  to  say  the  success  of  these  apphcations  has  not  been  equal 
to  my  expectations." 

This  unsatisfactory  condition  of  affairs  may  have  been  caused  by  jeal- 
ousy of  the  centralized  power  of  Congress;  it  may  have  been  that  popular 
opinion  in  the  colonies  did  not,  after  its  first  impulse,  fully  support  the 
Revolutionary  War;  but  it  is  clear  from  Washington's  writings,  and  from 
those  of  other  contemporary  witnesses,  that  the  requisitions  of  Congress  and 
the  obligation  which  it  had  incurred  were  the  subject  of  indifference,  if  not  of 
aversion,  by  the  states.  Thus,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Harrison  of  Virginia, 
Washington  writes: 

"How  well  the  states  are  provided  for  a  continuance  of  the  war,  let  their 
acts  and  policy  answer.  The  army,  as  usual,  is  without  pay — and  a  great 
part  of  the  soldiery  without  shirts — and  though  the  patience  of  them  is  equally 
threadbare,  the  states  seem  perfectly  indifferent  to  their  cries — in  a  word,  if 
one  were  to  hazard  for  them  an  opinion  on  this  subject,  it  would  be  that  the 
army  had  contracted  such  a  habit  of  encountering  difficulties  and  distress,  and 
of  living  without  money,  that  it  would  be  impohtic  to  introduce  other  customs 
into  it." 

Perhaps  here  is  an  explanation  of  the  fact  that  with  bare  and  bleeding 
feet  the  soldiers  of  the  Continental  army  crossed  the  Delaware.  In  a  letter 
to  Hamilton,  Washington  says  that  to  the  defects  of  the  Articles  of  Con- 
federation, and  to  "  want  of  power  in  Congress  may  justly  be  ascribed  the 
prolongation  of  the  war,  and  consequently  the  expense  of  it."  He  adds: 
"  More  than  half  of  the  perplexities  I  have  experienced  in  the  course  of  my 
command,  and  almost  the  whole  of  the  difficulties  and  distress  of  the  army,  have 
had  their  origin  there." 

The  disposition  of  the  states  towards  Congress,  its  obhgations  and  its 
army,  did  not  improve  when  peace  put  the  objects  of  the  war  in  possession, 
and  when  the  possibility  of  centralized  control  need  no  longer  be  endured  as  the 
alternative  of  foreign  subjugation.  A  review  of  the  situation,  caustic,  but 
probably  just,  is  found  in  a  letter  to  James  Monroe,  which  was  written  from 
this  city  by  William  Grayson,  of  Virginia,  one  of  the  foremost  members  of 
Congress,  during  one  of  its  sessions  here: 

"  The  delegates  from  the  Eastward  are  for  a  very  strong  government, 
and  wish  to  prostrate  all  ye  State  Legislatures,  and  form  a  general  govern- 
ment out  of  ye  whole,  but  I  don't  learn  that  ye  people  are  with  them ;  on  the 
contrary,  in  Massachusetts  they  think  that  Government  too  strong,  and  are 
about  rebelling  again,  for  ye  purpose  of  making  it  more  democratical.  In 
Connecticut  they  have  rejected  ye  requisition  for  ye  present  year  decidedly, 

552 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  no  man  there  would  be  elected  to  ye  office  of  a  constable,  if  he  was  to 
declare  that  he  meant  to  pay  a  copper  towards  ye  domestic  debt.  Rhode 
Island  has  refused  to  send  members;  ye  cry  there  is  for  a  good  government 
after  they  have  paid  their  debts  in  depreciated  paper;  first,  demolish  ye 
PhiUstines  (i.  e.,  their  creditors)  and  then  for  propriety.  N.  Hampshire  has 
not  paid  a  shilling  since  peace,  and  does  not  mean  to  pay  one  to  all  eternity. 
If  it  was  attempted  to  tax  ye  people  for  ye  domestic  debt,  500  Shays  would 
arise  in  a  fortnight.  In  N.  York  they  pay  well,  because  they  can  do  it  by 
plundering  N.  Jersey  and  Connecticut.  Jersey  will  go  great  lengths  from 
motives  of  revenge  and  interest.  Pennsylvany  will  join,  provided  you  let  ye 
sessions  of  ye  Executive  of  America  be  fixed  in  Philadelphia  and  give  her 
other  advantages  in  trade  to  compensate  for  ye  loss  of  State  power.  I  shall 
make  no  obserA^ations  on  jt  Southern  States,  but  I  think  they  will  be  (perhaps 
from  different  motives)  as  little  disposed  to  part  with  efficient  power  as  any 
in  ye  Union." 

It  was  under  these  circumstances,  and  as  usual,  without  pay,  that  the 
army  at  Newburgh  confronted  the  close  of  the  war.  The  country  was  fairly 
prosperous ;  distress  affected  only  its  preservers.  The  army  was  not  slow  to 
see  this.  In  January,  1783,  a  committee  of  officers  presented  themselves  at 
Philadelphia  and  complained  that  "  shadows  have  been  offered  us,  while 
the  substance  has  been  gathered  by  others.  Our  situation  compels  us  to 
search  for  the  causes  of  our  extreme  poverty.  *  *  *  Our  distresses  are 
now  brought  to  a  point.  We  have  borne  all  that  men  can  bear ;  our  property 
is  expended ;  our  private  resources  are  at  an  end ;  and  our  friends  are  wearied 
out  and  disgusted  with  our  incessant  applications.  *  *  *  The  army  en- 
treat that  Congress,  to  convince  the  world  that  the  independence  of  America 
shall  not  be  placed  on  the  ruin  of  any  particular  class  of  her  citizens,  will 
point  out  a  mode  for  immediate  redress." 

The  testimony  of  Pickering,  their  quartermaster-general,  shows  that 
their  complaint  was  in  no  degree  exaggerated: 

"  To  hear  the  complaints  of  the  officers  and  see  the  miserable  condition 
of  the  soldiery  is  really  affecting.  It  deeply  penetrates  my  inmost  soul  to 
see  men  destitute  of  clothing  who  have  risked  their  lives  like  brave  fellows,  hav- 
ing large  arrears  of  pay  due  them  and  prodigiously  pinched  for  provisions. 
It  is  a  melancholy  scene.  *  *  *  Those  brave  and  deserving  soldiers,  many 
of  whom  have  for  six  years  exposed  their  lives  to  save  their  country,  who 
are  unhappy  enough  to  have  fallen  sick,  have  for  a  month  past  been  destitute 
of  every  comfort  of  life.  The  only  diet  provided  for  them  has  been  beef 
and  bread,  the  latter  generally  sour." 

Out  of  this  situation  grew  the  movement  I  am  attempting  to  review. 
In  March,  1783,  news  was  received  in  camp  that,  while  the  treaty  of  peace  was 
not  yet  formally  signed,  it  was  definitely  settled  by  the  preliminary  articles, 
which  had  been  signed,  that  the  territory  westward  of  the  colonies  and  ex- 
tending to  the  Mississippi  River  woiild  be  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

We  have  also  seen  by  the  petition  that  soon  after  the  Declaration  of 

553 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Independence,  and  by  other  subsequent  resolutions,  Congress  had  expressly 
pledged  grants  of  land  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army,  "  to  be  pro- 
cured at  the  expense  of  the  United  States."  The  United  States,  being  now 
about  to  come  into  possession  of  this  vast  territory,  the  plan  at  once  sug- 
gested itself  to  these  expectant  grantees  to  secure  from  Congress  that  their 
grants  might  be  located  together  in  that  part  of  the  territory  which  would 
be  nearest  their  original  homes,  and  then  to  settle  on  these  lands  in  a  bod}'. 
To  that  end  they  would  require  for  their  new  ■  homes  an  established  govern- 
ment. Hence,  they  determined  also  to  ask  leave  to  organize  a  state. 
Just  at  this  time  Pickering  writes: 

"  But  a  new  plan  is  in  contemplation — no  less  than  the  formation  of  a 
new  state  westward  of  the  Ohio.  Some  of  the  principal  officers  are  heartily 
engaged  in  it." 

We  have  already  seen  that  this  project  contemplated  the  settlement  of 
the  new  state  mainly,  if  not  exclusively,  by  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Con- 
tinental army.  It  seems  also  to  have  contemplated  that  the  constitutional 
provisions,  by  which  its  government  would  be  controlled,  should  be  deter- 
mined in  advance  by  the  associates  with  whom  the  project  originated.  We 
are  again  indebted  to  Pickering  for  a  record  of  the  "  propositions  for  settling 
a  new  state  hy  such  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  federal  army  as  shall  associate 
for  the  purpose." 

Aside  from  such  of  these  propositions  as  are  repeated  in  the  petition 
under  review,  I  can  pause  only  to  notice  that  one  of  them  which  provides 
that  "  a  constitution  for  the  new  state  can  be  formed  by  the  members  of  the 
association  previous  to  their  commencing  the  settlement,  two-thirds  of  the 
associates  present  at  a  meeting  duly  notified  for  that  purpose  agreeing 
therein.  The  total  exclusion  of  slavery  from  the  state  to  form  an  essential 
and  irrevocable  part  of  the  constitution."* 

This  has  been  well  said  to  be  the  first  known  proposition  among  men 
to  estabhsh  a  government  whose  distinctive  feature  should  be  universal  free- 
dom.    It  came  from  those  who  for  freedom  had  lost  all,  and  we  shall  find 


*  This  was  thirteen  years  before  slavery  was  abolished  in  New  York,  and  twenty  years 
before  New  Jersey  made  provision  for  its  gradual  extinction.  Vermont  had  done  so  as 
early  as  1777,  others  of  the  New  England  states  in  1780,  or  soon  after.  The  original 
responsibility  for  the  presence  of  slavery  in  the  remaining  states  is  well  illustrated  by  the 
history  of  Virginia  in  this  respect,  as  summarized  by  Professor  Miner  in  his  Institutes. 
Commencing  in  1699,  the  General  Assembly,  between  that  time  and  1772,  passed  twenty-three 
enactments  on  that  subject,  each  designed  to  exclude  slaves  or  make  their  importation  diffi- 
cult. In  1772  the  last  of  these  laws  was  supplemented  by  a  strong  petition  to  the  king  not 
to  permit  "a  trade  of  great  inhumanity  and  dangerous  to  the  very  existence  of  his  majesty's 
American  dominion,"  in  order  that  a  few  of  his  subjects  "might  reap  emolument  from  this 
sort  of  traffic."  The  king's  response  was  cruel  and  outrageous.  Under  his  own  hand  he 
commanded  the  governor,  "  under  pain  of  his  highest  displeasure,  to  assent  to  no  law  under 
which  the  importation  of  slaves  should  be  in  any  respect  prohibited  or  restricted."  In  this 
same  year  the  English  courts  decided  that  a  slave  who  set  his  foot  on  English  soil  was  free, 
and  a  year  later  the  Quakers  in  England  began  the  agitation  which  ended  in  the  abolition  of 
the  slave  trade.  This  action  of  the  King  of  England  is  that  "inhuman  use  of  his  negative" 
which  is  referred  to  in  the  Virginia  Bill  of  Rights. 

554 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

their  later  history  full  of  this  proposition  and  its  outcome,  fuller,  doubtless, 
tlian  they  tliemselves  contemplated. 

"  In  the  eye  of  reason  and  truth,"  says  Bancroft,  "  a  colony  is  a  better 
offering  than  a  victory.  It  is  more  fit  to  cherish  the  memory  of  those  who 
founded  a  state  on  the  basis  of  democratic  liberty."  These  men  of  whom  I 
speak  first  made  their  country  offerings  of  victories,  then  founded  states 
upon  the  basis  of  universal  liberty,  and  afterwards,  as  it  appears  to  me, 
controlled  the  fortune  of  that  war  in  which  we  were  engaged,  and  stamped 
their  own  inscription  upon  its  result. 

The  project  to  form  a  new  state  at  once  enlisted  the  warm  sympathy  of 
Wasliington.  He  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Theodoric  Bland,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Virginia,  and  asked  that  Hamilton  also  be  made  acquainted  with 
his  views.  Bland  presently  introduced  an  ordinance,  seconded  by  Hamilton, 
too  long  and  too  elaborate  to  be  read  or  discussed  here,  but  essentially  in  accord 
with  the  views  of  the  associates;  except  that  provision  was  made  for  the  ulti- 
mate division  of  the  whole  area  into  states.  It  was,  moreover,  conditioned 
upon  the  consent  of  Virginia  to  a  change  in  the  terms  upon  which  that  state 
had  offered  to  surrender  to  the  United  States  her  claims  to  the  entire  territory 
between  tlie  Ohio,  the  Mississippi  and  the  lakes. 

This  was  referred  to  what  was  called  "  Tha  Grand  Committee,"  and  was 
never  afterwards  heard  from.  Doubtless  the  intercourse  between  Congress* 
and  the  army  which  attended  its  introduction  gave  the  army  to  better  under- 
stand the  opposing  interests  that  were  involved.  Congress,  also,  meantime 
was  paying  off  the  army  in  certificates  of  money  due,  "  final  certificates,"  as 
they  were  called,  such  as  were  issued  to  us  under  the  same  name  at  the  end  of 
our  own  enlistment.  The  difference  was  that  these  certificates  would  not  be 
paid  at  once  in  full,  as  ours  were. 

They  were  nominally  to  be  paid  in  six  months,  with  interest  at  six  per 
cent. ;  but  they  sold  in  the  market  at  two  and  three  shillings  specie  in  the 
pound.  Hence  we  find  the  petition  urging,  first,  grants  in  fulfillment  of 
the  pledges  made  by  resolutions  of  Congress,  passed  at  different  times  during 
the  war ;  and,  second,  provision  for  further  grants  "  to  such  of  the  army  as 
may  wish  to  become  adventurers  in  the  new  government,  in  such  quantities 
and  on  such  conditions  of  settlement  and  purchase  with  public  securities  "  as 
Congress  should  approve. 

The  head  of  this  movement,  from  first  to  last,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see, 
was  General  Rufus  Putnam.*     The  fact  that  the  movement  dates  from  the 

*  General  Rufus  Piitnam,  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  great  character,  was  born  in 
Sutton,  Mass.,  April  9,  1738.  When  he  was  seven  years  old  his  father  died.  For  two  years 
thereafter  he  was  under  the  care  of  his  maternal  grandfather,  who  gave  him  such  opportuni- 
ties to  gain  knowledge  as  he  could.  He  learned  to  read,  and  the  divine  fire  of  zeal  for  learn- 
ing was  kindled  within  him.  His  stepfather,  a  rude  and  illiterate  man,  did  everything  in  his 
power  to  quench  this  flame,  but  without  success.  The  boy  was  not  allowed  to  go  to  school, 
nor  to  use  a  candle  in  the  night  season,  but  he  taught  himself  to  write,  and  saved  his  pennies 
to  buy  a  spelling-book  and  an  arithmetic,  which  were  more  valuable  to  him  than  any  earthly 
treasure. 

When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  millwright.  He  worked  by  day 
and  studied  by  night  as  best  he  could.    At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  free.    He  immediately 

555 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

arrival  in  camp  of  news  that  the  northwest  territory  would  be  ceded  to  the 
colonies,  is  taken  from  a  memorandum  of  his  own.  The  propositions  for  set- 
tlement, Pickering  writes,  "  are  in  the  hands  of  Gen.  Rufus  Putnam  and 
General  Huntington."  It  was  Putnam  who  sent  to  General  Washington  the 
petition,  with  a  long  letter  detailing  the  considerations  in  its  favor.  We  shall 
see  him  more  and  more  prominent  as  the  project  becomes  tangible,  until  its 
consummation.     This  was  not  to  be,  however,  for  four  long  years. 

Washington  transmitted  to  Congress  tlie  petition,  accompanied  by  Put- 
nam's letter  to  liim,  and  also  himself  wrote  urging  the  movement  as  "  the 
most  rational  and  practical  scheme  which  can  be  adopted  by  a  great  pro- 
portion of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  our  army."  Already  before  the  war 
he  had  advertised  for  sale  "  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  on  the 
Ohio  and  the  Great  Kanawha/'  and  urged  their  advantages  for  settlement. 
Once  at  least  during  the  revolution,  when  his  military  staff  was  depressed  by 
foreign  news,  and  the  question  was  put  to  him,  "  If  this  be  true,  and  we  are 
driven  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  what,  then,  is  to  be  done?  "  he  replied: 

enlisted  in  the  army,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  wars  against  the  French  until  the  conclusion 
of  those  wars  in  1760.  He  then  resumed  his  trade  as  millwright,  giving  his  leisure  time  to 
study,  learning  much  about  surveying  and  navigation.  So  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
broke  out  he  was  a  mature  man,  well  equipped  for  usefulness.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
take  up  arms  in  behalf  of  his  country,  becoming  lieutenant-colonel  of  a  Massachusetts  regi- 
ment. His  services  as  engineer  were  at  once  required,  and  under  his  direction  the  fortifica- 
tions at  Roxbury  and  Sewell's  Point  were  successfully  constructed.  His  genius  led  to  the 
erection  of  works  on  Dorchester  Heights,  which  compelled  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the 
British  army.  Soon  thereafter  he  was  sent  to  New  York,  where,  as  chief  engineer,  he  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  laying  out  and  overseeing  the  defensive  works  which  were  erected 
in  and  around  that  city.  In  January,  1778,  he  was  at  West  Point,  superintending  the  build- 
ing of  fortifications  there,  in  accordance  with  plans  which  have  not  been  essentially  modified 
even  to  this  day.  Washington  thought  him  to  be  the  ablest  engineer  oflBcer  in  the  American 
army.  During  part  of  the  war  he  fought  valiantly  at  the  head  of  two  Massachusetts  regi- 
ments, and  before  its  close  rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

When  peace  came,  he  found  that  the  quiet  farm  life  of  his  New  England  home  was  no 
longer  satisfying.  Besides,  he  longed  to  do  something  towards  bettering  the  earthly  condition 
of  many  of  his  fellow-soldiers,  who  had  lost  their  all  in  the  revolutionary  struggle  and  were 
in  deep  distress.  He  urged  upon  Congress  that  lands  should  be  appropriated  for  their  use, 
in  which  plea  Washington  joined  him,  doing  all  in  his  power.  The  plea  was  at  last  success- 
ful. On  the  31st  of  December,  1787,  he  made  the  following  entry  in  his  journal:  "Set  out 
from  my  own  house,  in  Rutland,  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  in  the  service  of  the  Ohio 
Company,  for  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  river;  wages  to  be  $40  per  month,  and  expense 
borne  by  the  company."  Of  this  simple  farm-house  the  Hon.  George  ,F.  Hoar  writes  truly: 
"  It  is  a  plain  wooden  dwelling,  perhaps  a  little  better  than  the  average  of  the  farmers' 
houses  of  New  England  of  that  day.  Yet  about  which  of  Europe's  palaces  do  holier  mem- 
ories cling?  Honor  and  fame,  and  freedom  and  empire,  and  the  fate  of  America  went 
with  him  as  he  crossed  the  threshold."  He  was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  new  colony,  "  again 
and  again  called  to  take  the  helm  when  storms  arose."  In  the  wars  with  the  Indians,  and 
in  negotiating  terms  of  peace,  his  services  were  invaluable.  So  great  was  Washington's 
personal  appreciation  of  his  ability,  that  without  solicitation,  in  1796,  he  issued  to  him  a 
commission  as  surveyor-general  of  the  United  States.  His  character  had  already  won  for 
him  the  lasting  friendship  of  him  who  was  "  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen."  General  Putnam  was  greatly  interested  in  aU  that  concerned  education. 
He  was  also  a  deeply  religious  man,  recognizing  in  his  diary  many  things  "so  evidently 
marked  by  the  hand  of  an  overruling  Providence."  In  1807  he  drew  the  plan  of  a  church, 
which  still  stands  as  a  monument  of  his  skill  and  of  his  interest  in  the  work  on  earth  of  the 
Divine  Saviour  of  men.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Marietta,  respected  and  venerated  by  all 
who  knew  him,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1824. 

556  V 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  We  will  retire  to  the  Vallej^  of  the  Ohio,  and  there  we  will  be  free."  The 
same  thought  of  settlement  there,  and  apparently  also  of  purchase  of  lands  by 
officers  and  soldiers  who  should  make  payment  with  certificates  of  money  due, 
is  presented  again  in  his  farewell  address  in  which  he  says: 

"  The  extensive  and  fertile  region  of  the  West  will  yield  a  happy  asylum 
to  those  who  are  fond  of  domestic  enjoyment  and  are  seeking  for  personal 
independence.  Nor  is  it  possible  to  conceive  that  any  one  of  the  United  States 
will  prefer  a  national  bankruptcy  and  a  dissolution  of  the  Union  to  a  com- 
pliance with  the  requisitions  of  Congress  and  the  payment  of  its  just  debts." 

A  little  later,  September  7,  1783,  in  a  letter  to  James  Duane,  a  member 
of  Congress,  he  proposed  the  first  definite  plan  for  the  establishment  of  new 
states  west  of  the  Ohio,  and  with  it  he  suggested  meeisures  for  a  comprehensive 
policy  of  dealing  with  the  very  serious  "  Indian  question  "  of  those  days. 

The  officers'  petition  arrived  at  precisely  the  wrong  time.  Five  days  after 
its  date  Congress  in  Philadelphia  was  sun*ounded  and  put  in  peril  by  mutin- 
ous unpaid  Pennsylvania  troops,  and  forthwith  betook  itself  to  Princeton. 
Until  it  came  here  to  New  York,  in  January,  1785,  it  was  always  a  migratory 
and  often  a  fugitive  body  from  the  necessities  of  war.  It  was  often  for  long 
periods  without  a  quorum. 

In  addition  to  the  inopportuneness  of  its  presentation  to  Congress,  it 
was  also  unfortunately  true  that  the  petition  was  inaccurate  in  stating  that 
the  tract  whose  boundaries  it  defined  was  not  claimed  as  the  property  of  or 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  particular  state,  for  it  was,  in  fact,  all  claimed 
by  Virginia,  and  parts  of  it  also  by  other  states. 

In  1778  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark,*  armed  with  a  commission  from 
Virginia,-  and  literally  with  nothing  else,  had,  single-handed,  raised  troops, 
gathered  supplies  and  had  subdued  and  kept  possession  of  the  English  forts 
at  Kaskaskia,  on  the  Mississippi,  near  St.  Louis,  Cahokia,  and  at  Vincennes, 
on  the  Ohio. 

Upon  this  fact  of  possession  the  American  commissioners  at  Paris  had 
successfully  asserted  that  the  treaty  of  peace  should  cede  to  the  United  States 
the  entire  territory  between  the  Ohio,  the  INIississippi  and  the  Lakes.     The 

*  It  is  a  fact  of  importance  in  estimating  the  character  and  claims  of  General  Clark 
on  the  American  people  that  the  legislature  of  Virginia  did  not  furnish  him  with  money  or 
other  means  to  accomplish  the  service  they  had  appointed  him  to  perform.  They  merely 
sent  him  a  commission  accompanied  with  power  to  recruit  men  and  make  contracts  obligatory 
on  the  state.  .  .  .  On  the  credit  of  that  document  he  was  enabled  for  some  time  to  raise 
supplies  of  provision,  clothing,  etc.,  for  the  sustenance  and  comfort  of  his  troops,  for  which 
he  drew  on  the  commonwealth  in  favor  of  the  persons  who  had  furnished  the  supplies;  his 
drafts  being  accompanied  with  such  vouchers  as  are  usually  furnished  on  similar  occasions. 
To  his  astonishment  and  the  surprise  of  all  who  knew  the  facts,  these  drafts  were  dis- 
honored, "  for  such  reasons  as  could  not  but  wound  the  feelings  of  the  gallant  chief  who  had 
drawn  them."  He  was  compelled  to  impress  supplies  for  the  use  of  his  troops,  and  "  the 
persons  whose  property  was  taken  by  force  commenced  suits  and  obtained  judgments  against 
the  general  in  the  courts  of  the  territory,  on  which  portions  of  his  property  were  attached 
and  sold."  The  cruel  ingratitude  of  which  he  was  the  victim  drove  him  to  intemperance. 
His  health  became  infirm.  He  suffered  severely  from  rheimaatism,  which  resulted  in 
paralysis.  In  this  way  was  an  officer  who  was  the  foremost  actor  in  doubling  the  area  of  his 
country  rewarded  with  personal  destruction. 

557 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

position  at  once  taken  by  Virginia  was  that  the  United  States  comprised  and 
could  comprise  only  the  states  themselves,  so  that  all  lands  within  the  United 
States  must  of  necessity  belong  to  some  one  of  the  states.  For  herself,  her 
charter  ran  "  from  sea  to  sea,  to  the  west  and  northwest."  Sir  Francis 
Drake  had  reported  that,  standing  on  a  mountain  on  the  Isthmus  of  Darien, 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  were  both  witliin  his  view.  Probably  from  this  fact  an 
impression  had  grown  up  in  Europe  that  this  strip  was  comparatively  nar- 
row. Hence  other  early  charters  ran  somewhat  in  the  same  way;  and  when 
in  1608  an  expedition  under  orders  direct  from  England  was  sent  to  explore 
the  James  river,  a  barge  was  sent  out  for  Captain  Newton  which  could  be 
easily  taken  apart,  and  he  and  his  company  were  directed  "  to  go  up  the 
James  river  as  far  as  the  falls  thereof  (where  the  city  of  Richmond  is  now 
situated),  and  from  thence  they  were  to  proceed,  carrying  their  barge  beyond 
the  falls  to  convey  them  to  the  South  Sea,  and  were  ordered  not  to  return 
without  a  lump  of  gold  or  the  certainty  of  the  said  sea." 

This  charter  of  Virginia  was  not  originally  granted  to  Virginia  as  a  col- 
ony, but  to  a  corporation  styled  "  The  Treasurer  and  Company  of  Adven- 
turers and  Planters  of  the  City  of  London  for  the  First  Colony  of  Virginia." 
They  were  to  have: 

"  All  those  lands,  countries  and  territories  situate,  lying  and  being  in 
that  part  of  America  called  Virginia,  from  the  point  of  land  called  Cape  or 
Point  Comfort  all  along  the  sea  coast  to  the  northward  two  hundred  miles,  and 
from  the  said  Point  Comfort  all  along  the  sea  coast  southward  two  hundred 
miles,  and  all  that  space  and  circuit  of  land  lying  from  the  sea  coast  of  the 
precinct  aforesaid  up  into  the  land  throughout  from  sea  to  sea,  west  and 
northwest;  and  also  all  the  islands  lying  within  one  hundred  miles  along  the 
coa^t  of  both  seas,  of  the  precinct  aforesaid ;  to  hold  the  same  in  free  and  com- 
mon socage." 

This  charter  had  been  taken  from  the  London  Company  in  1624,  by  a 
quo  warranto  proceeding  instituted  by  the  king.  The  boundaries,  however,  on 
the  north  and  south  continued  to  be  those  of  the  colony,  and  no  new  western 
boundary  had  otherwise  than  by  implication  been  established.  Hence,  the 
colony  regarded  its  own  area  as  coextensive  with  the  original  grant  so  far  as 
north  and  south  boundaries  were  concerned,  and  to  the  westward  also,  till  the 
Spanish  boundary  was  reached. 

Arguing  its  own  right  from  this  basis,  fortified  by  the  fact  of  conquest  by 
the  troops  of  General  Clark,  Virginia  passed  a  legislative  act  in  October,  1778, 
reciting  that, 

■ — "  by  a  successful  expedition  of  the  Virginia  militia  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Ohio  river,  several  of  the  British  posts  Tvithin  the  territory  of  this  com- 
monwealth, in  the  country  adjacent  to  the  Mississippi  river,  have  been  reduced, 
and  the  inhabitants  have  acknowledged  themselves  citizens  thereof  and  taken 
the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  same." 

The  same  act  went  on  to  provide  that 
— "  all  citizens  of  this  commonwealth,  who  are  already  settled  or  shall  here- 

658 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

after  settle  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ohio  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  included  in  a 
distinct  county,  which  shall  be  called  Illinois  county."* 

Further  provision  is  then  made  for  the  protection  and  development  of 
the  country,  under  the  auspices  of  a  county  lieutenant  or  commandant-in- 
chief,  and  "  for  supplying  the  said  inhabitants,  as  well  as  our  friendly  Indians 
in  those  parts,  with  goods  and  other  necessaries,  either  by  opening  a  com- 
munication and  trade  with  New  Orleans  or  otherwise,"  etc. 

This  was  succeeded  by  other  legislative  acts  reserving  specific  areas  for 
distribution  to  Virginia  troops,  both  the  militia  and  her  own  contingent  in  the 
Continental  Army,  and  finally,  in  1781,  by  an  elaborate  system  for  disposing 
of  other  lands  to  purchasers. 

This  provoked  the  remaining  colonies,  the  state  of  Maryland  especially 
forwarding  to  Congress  resolutions  that  the 

— "  extensive  tract  of  country  which  lies  to  the  westward  of  the  frontiers  of 
the  United  States  had  been  or  might  be  gained  from  the  King  of  Great  Britain 
or  the  native  Indians  by  the  blood  and  treasure  of  all,  and  ought,  therefore,  to 
be  a  common  estate  to  be  granted  out  on  terms  beneficial  to  all  the  United 
States." 

The  other  states  so  far  sympathized  with  this  view  that,  after  the  war 
was  closed,  they  held  aloof,  mainly  on  this  ground,  from  further  cementing 
the  union  of  the  states.  Meantime,  New  York,  "  to  promote  the  general  inter- 
est and  security,  and  more  especially  to  accelerate  the  federal  alliance,"  by  an 
act  of  its  legislature,  relinquished  all  its  claim. 

Virginia  and  Connecticut  thereupon  did  the  same,  but  with  conditions, 
and  it  was  not  until  1785,  or  two  years  after  the  petition,  that  the  United 
States  was  in  a  position  either  to  bestow  the  lands  or  autliorize  a  plan  of 
government. 

The  petition  itself,  indeed,  recognizes  the  necessity  of  treaties  with  the 
Indians  before  any  attempt  at  occupation  should  be  made.  I  cannot  here 
detail  the  steps  by  which  these  difficulties  were  removed.  It  was  not  until 
January,  1786,  that  the  last  of  them  was  removed  by  a  treaty  with  the  Wyan- 
dottes,  Delawares  and  Shawnees,  formally  ceding  to  the  United  States,  except 
as  to  certain  reservations,  all  title  to  the  Northwest  Territory. 

Simultaneously  with  this  treaty  (January  25,  1786)  General  Rufus 
Putnam  and  Colonel  Benjamin  Tupper,  also  a  signer  of  the  petition,  published 
in  the  newspapers  of  Boston  a  call  headed  "  Information,"  addressed  to 
"  all  officers  and  soldiers  who  have  served  in  the  late  war,  and  who  are,  by  a 
late  ordinance  of  the  Honorable  Congress,  to  receive  certain  tracts  of  land  in 
the  Ohio  country,  and  also  all  other  good  citizens  w^ho  wish  to  become  adven- 
turers in  that  delightful  region,"  to  hold  a  meeting  in  each  county  on  Wednes- 
day, tlie  fifteenth  of  February,  to  choose  a  delegate  or  delegates  "  to  meet  at 
the   Bunch  of  Grapes   Tavemf   in  Boston  on   Wednesday  the  first  day   of 

*  Laws  of  Virginia,  Hening's  Statutes  at  Large,  Vol.  9,  p.  552,  Chap.  XXI. 

f  The  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  King,  now  State  street, 
and  Mackerel  lane,  in  Boston.  It  acquired  celebrity  previous  to  the  Revolution  under  the 
management  of  Francis  Holmes.    "  It  is  quite  safe  to  assume,"  says  Mr.  Edwin  L.  Bymer  in 

559 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

March  next,"  in  order  to  form  "  an  association  by  the  name  of  the  Ohio 
Company  of  all  such  as  wish  to  become  purchasers,  etc.,  in  that  country,  who 
reside  in  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  only,  or  to  extend  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  other  states,  as  may  be  agreed  on."  It  will  be  recalled  that  in  1792 
a  Congressional  committee  reported  that  this  "Ohio  Company "  "  laid  its 
foundation  "  in  the  petition  signed  at  Newburgh  for  a  new  state  west  of  the 
Ohio.  This  was  less  than  nine  years  from  the  date  of  the  petition  and  less 
than  five  years  after  the  company  was  organized.  Numerous  signers  of  the 
petition  were  at  the  time  in  Congress  and  in  federal  official  place,  so  that  per- 
sonal knowledge  on  the  subject  was  abundant. 

Forty-seven  signers  of  the  petition  became  members  of  the  company 
when  organized.  To  these  should  be  added  several  persons  who  were  sons  of 
deceased  signers,  and  several  other  persons  who  were  signers  of  the  petition 
and  became  settlers  with  the  rest,  but  did  not  become  members  of  the  company. 
Probably  they  had  sold  their  certificates  and  were  without  other  means  of 
acquiring  an  interest.  The  plan  adopted  as  the  basis  of  this  organization 
was  a  purchase  of  lands  in  bulk,  the  purchase  money  to  be  subscribed  in 
shares,  subscriptions  payable  in  "  final  certificates,"  as  the  original  petition 
had  contemplated.  The  call  found  favor,  and  the  delegates  met  March  8, 
1786,  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern  as  proposed.  General  Rufus  Putnam 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  meeting.  A  committee,  composed  of  himself, 
General  Samuel  H.  Parsons  and  Rev.  Manasseh  Cutler,  was  appointed  to  re- 
ceive such  subscriptions,  payable  in  public  securities,  and  which  securities, 
when  received,  should  be  applied  to  the  purchase  from  Congress  of  a  quantity 
of  land  west  of  the  Ohio,  upon  which  the  subscribers  were  to  settle.  One  year 
was  allowed  for  procuring  subscriptions,  and  on  March  8,  1787,  the  associa- 
tion reconvened,  this  time  at  Brackett's  Tavern,*  Boston.     The  subscriptions 


the  Atlantic  Monthly,  "that  Holmes  kept  a  house  both  of  good  order  and  abundant  cheer; 
else,  be  sure,  the  Hon.  Samuel  Sewall  had  not  so  much  affected  it.  Nothing  would  have 
tempted  that  staunch  old  Puritan  to  frequent  an  inn  of  ill  or  indefinite  repute.  The  fact  that 
in  1728  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  was  chosen  as  the  lodging  place  of  Governor  William  Burnet 
shows  that  it  had  already  attained  the  first  rank  among  the  hostelries  of  the  town."  In  1735 
the  first  Grand  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  in  America  was  organized  here.  The 
earliest  benevolent  association  in  Boston,  and  one  of  the  oldest  in  America,  the  Scots' 
Charitable  Society,  held  its  meetings  during  1767  and  1768  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes.  A  tra- 
dition is  also  current  that  the  first  meeting  for  the  organization  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston, 
was  held  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes.  The  Boston  Massacre  took  place  almost  before  its  very 
door,  and  after  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British,  Washington  was  a  guest  at  this 
tavern.  The  Sons  of  Freedom  gave  an  entertainment  in  honor  of  General  Stark  in  1777,  and, 
at  a  late  period,  Lafayette  was  a  visitor  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes.  The  first  meeting  for  the 
organization  of  the  Ohio  Company  was  held  at  this  hostelry,  and,  "on  the  whole,  it  may 
perhaps  be  considered  the  most  memorable  event  connected  with  its  history." — Atlantic 
Monthly  for  December,  1889. 

*  Brackett's  Tavern,  or  Cromwell's  Head,  was  in  School  street,  Boston.  "  It  was  kept 
by  Anthony  Brackett  in  1760,  by  his  widow  from  1764  to  1768,  and  later  by  Joshua  Brackett. 
Its  repute  was  good,  for  we  find  the  Marquis  Chastellux  alighting  there  in  1782,  before  paying 
his  respects  to  M.  de  Vaudreuil,  commander  of  the  French  fleet  that  was  to  carry  away 
Rochambeau's  army."  After  Braddock's  defeat  in  1756,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Washington 
visited  Boston,  and  was  a  guest  at  the  Cromwell's  Head. — Old  Landmarks  of  Boston,  by  S. 
A.  Drake. 

560 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

« 

were  considered  enough  to  waiTant  the  undertaking.     The  company  was  then 
formally  organized  as  the  Oliio  Company  of  Associates.* 

General  Rufus  Putnam,  General  Samuel  H.  Parsons  and  Rev.  Manasseh 
Cutler  were  elected  directors.  Gen.  James  M.  Varnum  was  subsequently 
added  to  their  number.  Major  Winthrop  Sargeant  was  appointed  secretary. 
General  Parsons  was  empowered  to  proceed  at  once  to  New  York  and  there 
negotiate  with  Congress  for  the  purchase  of  the  lands. 

General  Parsons  differed  seriously,  and  perhaps  wisely,  from  the  major- 
ity of  the  associates  as  to  what  lands  it  was  best  to  purchase,  if  they  could 
purchase  at  all.  He  preferred  the  Valley  of  the  Scioto,  for  its  rich  and  level 
bottoms.  They  preferred  the  Valley  of  the  Muskingum,  for  its  several  navi- 
gable streams  and  for  the  long  front  on  the  Ohio  which  the  bend  in  that  river 
gave.  The  difference  between  the  associates  and  General  Parsons  led  to  the 
transfer  of  his  mission,  quite  early  In  the  summer,  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler. 
This  gentleman  had  been  an  army  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  appointment  to  succeed  General  Parsons  was  a  Congregational 
clergyman  preaching  at  Ipswich,  Mass.  He  drove  in  a  sulky  from  Ipswich 
to  New  York,  arriving  at  the  latter  place  July  5,  1787,  and  In  his  diary  says : 

"  About  three  o'clock  I  arrived  at  the  city  by  the  road  that  enters  the 
Bowery.  Put  up  my  horse  at  the  sign  of  the  Plow  and  Harrow,  In  the 
Bowery." 

The  day  after  his  arrival  he  writes : 

"  At  eleven  o'clock  I  was  Introduced  to  a  number  of  members  on  the 
floor  of  Congress  chamber  In  the  City  Hall  by  Colonel  Carrington,  member 
for  Virginia." 

This  City  Hall  stood  on  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau  streets,  the  site 
of  the  present  sub-treasury  of  the  United  States.  The  city  authorities  had 
tendered  It  to  the  Congress  convened  under  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  by 
whom  it  was  occupied,  until  they  In  turn  were  succeeded  by  the  Congress  , 
assembled  under  the  present  constitution.  A  statue  of  Washington  now  desig- 
nates the  spot  where  he  was  first  Inaugurated,  on  the  balcony  of  the  hall, 
April  30,  1789.  To  me  the  site  of  this  hall  has  another  and  a  pecuhar  Inter- 
est from  the  fact  that  It  was  here  also  that  the  Ordinance  of  1787  was  enacted. 

Let  me  now  take  up  again  the  connection  between  the  Petition  and  the  Or- 
dinance. We  have  seen  that,  at  the  first  Inception  of  the  project,  and  In 
advance  of  the  petition,  Washington  wrote  to  Theodoric  Bland,  who  Intro- 
duced In  Congress  an  ordinance  apparently  designed  to  carry  out  the  views  of 

*  "  Among  the  many  distinguished  men  who  were  members  of  the  Ohio  Company,  but 
who  never  became  actual  settlers,  were  Hamilton  and  Dexter,  the  first  and  third  secretaries 
of  the  treasury;  Henry  Knox,  the  first  secretary  of  war;  three  governors  of  Massachusetts, 
of  whom  one  was  also  a  vice-president  of  the  United  States ;  a  governor  of  Rhode  Island  and 
a  governor  of  Connecticut;  a  United  States  senator  from  Connecticut,  a  postmaster-general 
under  the  Continental  Congress,  an  associate  justice  of  the  United  States  supreme  court, 
and  a  president  of  Harvard  College." — From  a  paper  read  before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York  by  John  Q.  Mitchell. 

More  than  a  hundred  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  army  were  also  members  of  the 
company. 

561 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK; 

the  petitioners,  but  that  facts  then  existing  made  the  project  at  the  time 
impracticable.  In  September,  1783,  General  Knox  wrote  to  General  Wash- 
ington : 

"  I  am  daily  solicited  for  information  respecting  the  progress  of  the 
officers'  petition  for  a  new  state  westward  of  the  Ohio. 

"  Were  the  prayer  of  the  petition  to  be  granted,  the  officers  in  a  few 
years  would  make  the  finest  settlement  on  the  frontier,  and  form  a  strong 
barrier  against  the  barbarian. 

"  Congress  have  evinced  so  much  wisdom  and  magnanimity  in  their  con- 
duct that  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  they  will  make  the  most  substantial  ar- 
rangements for  future  exigencies  consistent  with  their  revenue  and  their  nicest 
economies." 

During  the  same  month,  as  I  have  said,  Washington  wrote  to  James 
Duane,  a  member  of  Congress  from  New  York,  proposing  "  the  first  definite 
plan  for  the  formation  of  new  states  in  the  West,"  and  also  outlining  a  broad 
scheme  of  poHcy  for  dealing  with  the  Indian  question,  thus  dealing  at  once 
with  the  two  points  most  essential  to  the  wish  of  the  petitioners.  In  the  same 
month  Congress  accepted  the  cession  from  Virginia,  with  a  single  condition 
precedent,  which  was  eventually  approved  of  by  that  state. 

April  5,  1784,  General  Rufus  Putnam  wrote  to  Washington  again : 

"  You  are  sensible  of  the  necessity,  as  well  as  the  possibility,  of  both  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  fixing  themselves  in  business  somewhere  as  soon  as  possible, 
as  many  of  them  are  unable  to  lie  longer  on  their  oars,  waiting  the  decision 
of  Congress  on  our  petition,  and,  therefore,  must  unavoidably  settle  them- 
selves in  some  other  quarter  which,  when  done,  the  idea  of  removing  to  the 
Ohio  country  will  probably  be  at  an  end  with  respect  to  most  of  them.  Be- 
sides, the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  have  come  to  a  resolution  to  sell 
their  eastern  country  for  public  securities,  and  should  their  plan  be  formed 
and  propositions  be  made  public  before  we  hear  anything  from  Congress 
respecting  our  petition  and  the  terms  on  which  the  lands  petitioned  for  are  to 
be  obtained;  it  will  undoubtedly  be  much  against  us  by  greatly  lessening  the 
number  of  Ohio  associates." 

In  reply  to  this  Washington  wrote,  June  2,  1784: 

"  I  could  not  answer  your  favor  of  the  5th  of  April  from  Philadelphia, 
because  General  Knox,  having  mislaid,  only  presented  the  letter  to  me  in  the 
moment  of  my  departure  from  that  place.  The  sentiments  of  esteem  and 
friendship  which  breathe  in  it  are  exceedingly  pleasing  and  flattering  to  me, 
and  you  may  rest  assured  they  are  reciprocal. 

"  I  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to  give  you  a  more  favorable  account  of  the 
officers'  petition  for  lands  on  the  Ohio  and  its  waters  than  I  am  about  to  do. 
As  to  this  matter  and  information  respecting  the  establishment  for  peace 
were  my  inquiries  as  I  went  through  Annapolis  solely  directed,  but  could  not 
learn  that  anything  decisive  had  been  done  in  either.  .  .  .  Surely,  if 
justice  and  gratitude  to  the  army  and  general  policy  to  the  Union  were  to 
govern  in  this  case,  there  would  not  be  the  smallest  interruption  in  granting  its 

562 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

request.  ...  At  Princeton,  before  Congress  left  that  place,  I  exerted 
ever}-  power  I  was  master  of,  and  dwelt  upon  the  argument  you  have  used,  to 
show  the  propriety  of  a  speedy  decision.  Every  member  with  whom  I  con- 
versed acquiesced  in  the  reasonableness  of  the  petition.  All  yielded  or  seemed 
to  yield  to  the  policy  of  it,  but  plead  the  want  of  cession  of  the  land  to  act 
upon ;  this  is  made  and  accepted,  and  yet  matters,  as  far  as  they  have  come 
to  my  knowledge,  remain  in  statu  quo." 

It  did  befall,  however,  that  just  two  weeks  later,  Mr.  Jefferson,  of  Vir- 
ginia ;  Mr.  Chase,  of  Maryland,  and  Mr.  Howell,  of  Virginia,  "  a  committee 
appointed  to'  prepare  a  plan  for  the  temporary  government  of  the  Western 
territory,"  reported  a  substitute  for  the  Bland  ordinance  of  the  preceding 
year,  and  which,  largely  amended,  presently  became  a  law.  Its  controlling 
feature  was  the  following  provision: 

"  Provided,  that  both  the  temporary  and  permanent  governments  be 
established  on  these  principles  as  their  basis: 

"  1.  That  they  shall  forever  remain  a  part  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 

"  2.  That,  in  their  persons,  property  and  territory,  they  shall  be  sub- 
ject to  the  Government  of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  and  to  the 
Articles  of  Confederation,  in  all  those  cases  in  which  the  original  states  shall 
be  so  subject. 

"  3.  That  they  shall  be  subject  to  pay  a  part  of  the  Federal  debts,  con- 
tracted or  to  be  contracted,  to  be  apportioned  on  them  by  Congress,  according 
to  the  same  common  rule  and  measure  by  which  apportionments  thereof  shall 
be  made  on  the  other  states. 

"  4.  That  their  respective  governments  shall  be  in  republican  forms, 
and  shall  admit  no  person  to  be  a  citizen  who  holds  any  hereditary  title. 

"  5.     That,   after  the  year   1800  of  the  Christian  era,  there 

SHALL  BE  neither  SLAVERY  NOR  INVOLUNTARY  SERVITUDE  IN  ANY  OF  THE 
SAID  STATES,  OTHERWISE  THAN  IN  THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  CRIMES  WHEREOF  THE 
PARTY  SHALL  HAVE  BEEN  DULY  CONVICTED  TO  HAVE  BEEN  PERSONALLY 
GUILTY." 

This  is  the  first  appearance  of  these  immortal  words  which  have  now  such 
transcendent  associations.* 

The  designation  "  involuntary  servitude "  is  not,  as  here  used,  a  mere 

*  Jefferson  was  undoubtedly  their  author.  The  original  draft  of  this  ordinance,  on  file 
in  the  department  of  state,  is  entirely  in  Jefferson's  handwriting.  His  views  in  regard  to 
slavery  are  forcibly  expressed  in  his  Notes  on  Virffinia.  He  says:  "Can  the  liberties  of  a 
nation  be  thought  secure  when  we  have  removed  their  only  firm  basis,  a  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  that  these  liberties  are  the  gift  of  God ;  that  they  are  not  to  be  violated 
but  with  His  wrath.  Indeed,  I  tremble  for  my  country  when  I  reflect  that  God  is  just;  that 
His  justice  cannot  sleep  forever;  that  considering  numbers,  nature  and  natural  means  only, 
a  revolution  of  the  wheel  of  fortune,  an  exchange  of  situation  is  among  possible  events,  that 
it  may  become  probable  by  supernatural  influence !  The  Almighty  has  no  attribute  which 
can  take  sides  with  us  in  such  a  contest."  He  hoped  that  a  way  "  was  preparing,  under  the 
auspices  of  Heaven,  for  a  total  emancipation." 

563 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

synonym  of  "  slavery."  It  was  meant  to  preclude  the  enforcement  of  con- 
tracts to  serve  for  a  term  of  years,  or  for  life,  and  was  of  large  practical  value 
in  that  sense.* 

That  intending  settlers  might  rely  upon  these  provisions  as  irrevocable, 
this  forerunner  of  the  ordinance  went  on  to  provide: 

"  That  all  the  preceding  articles  shall  be  formed  into  a  charter  of  com- 
pact; shall  be  duly  executed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  in  Con- 
gress assembled,  under  his  hand  and  the  seal  of  the  United  States;  shall  be 
promulgated  and  shall  stand  as  fundamental  conditions  between  the  thirteen 
original  states  and  these  newly  described,  unalterable  but  by  joint  consent  of 
the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  and  of  the  particular  state  within 
which  such  alteration  is  proposed  to  be  made." 

This  feature  is  fully  preserved  in  the  subsequent  Ordinance  of  1787. 

This  toleration  of  slavery  until  1800  the  committee  reported  in  deference 
to  the  situation  of  the  old  French  families,  and  perhaps  some  others,  who  al- 
ready had  slaves  within  the  territory,  and  were  protected  there  in  holding 
tliem  by  treaty  stipulations. f 

*  An  Act  of  the  territory  of  Indiana,  passed  September  17,  1807,  and  continued  in 
Illinois  after  that  territory  was  made  separate  from  Indiana,  provided  as  follows: 

Sec.  1.  "  It  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  any  person,  being  the  owner  or  possessor  of 
any  negroes  or  mulattoes  of  and  above  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and  owing  labor  and  service 
as  slaves  in  any  of  the  states  or  territories  of  the  United  States,  or  for  any  citizen  of  the  said 
states  or  territories  purchasing  the  same,  to  bring  the  said  negroes  and  mulattoes  into  this 
territory."  Sec.  2.  "  The  owner  or  possessor  of  any  negroes  or  mulattoes,  as  aforesaid,  and 
bringing  the  same  into  this  territory,  shall,  within  thirty  days  after  such  removal,  go  with 
the  same  before  the  clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  the  proper  county,  and  in  the 
presence  of  said  clerk,  the  said  owner  or  possessor  shall  determine  and  agree,  to  and  with 
his  or  her  negro  or  mulatto,  upon  the  term  of  years  which  the  said  negro  or  mulatto  will  and 
shall  serve  his  or  her  said  owner  or  possessor,  and  the  said  clerk  is  hereby  authorized  and 
required  to  make  a  record  thereof,  in  a  book  which  he  shall  keep  for  that  purpose." 
Sec.  3.  "If  any  negro  or  mulatto,  removed  into  this  territory,  as  aforesaid,  shall  refuse 
to  serve  his  or  her  owner,  as  aforesaid,  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  such  person,  within 
sixty  days  thereafter,  to  remove  the  said  negro  or  mulatto  to  any  place  which  by  the  laws 
of  the  United  States  or  territory,  from  whence  such  owner  or  possessor  may,  or  shall  be 
authorized  to  remove  the  same"  (sic). 

Repeated  litigations  were  had  under  this  act,  and  it  was  uniformly  held  invalid,  be- 
cause in  conflict  with  the  prohibition  of  the  ordinance.  Something  of  the  same  kind  was 
attempted  in  some  of  the  Southern  states  immediately  after  the  war. 

Probably  the  idea  was  suggested  to  Mr.  JeflFerson  by  the  custom  at  that  time  prevalent 
in  this  country  with  shipmasters  and  merchants,  of  bringing  over  white  immigrants  under 
contracts  to  serve  for  a  term  of  years,  in  lieu  of  the  payment  of  passage  money.  This,  in  its 
turn,  is  now  to  some  extent  reproduced  among  us  by  Italian  padrones  and  others. 

"  Conditional  servitude  under  indentures  or  covenants  had  from  the  first  existed  in 
Virginia.  Once,  at  least,  James  sent  over  convicts,  and  once,  at  least,  the  city  of  London  a 
hundred  homeless  children  from  its  streets.  The  servant  stood  to  his  master  in  the  relation 
of  a  debtor  bound  to  discharge  by  his  labor  the  costs  of  emigration.  White  servants  came 
to  be  a  usual  article  of  merchandise.  They  were  sold  in  England  to  be  transported,  and  in 
Virginia  were  to  be  purchased  on  shipboard." — Bancroft's  History  of  the  United  States, 
Vol.  I.,  f.  125. 

f  At  Vincennes,  on  the  Ohio,  at  this  time,  and  at  Cahokia,  on  the  Mississippi,  nearly 
opposite  St.  Lx)uis;  at  Kaskasia,  thirty  miles  southeast  of  St.  Louis,  and  at  Detroit  there 
were  small  French  settlements.  These,  with  a  few  famdlies  who  claimed  Virginia  citizenship, 
made  up  in  all  about  three  thousand  people  other  than  the  Indians  in  the  whole  of  that  vast 
area.  Even  these  were  not  citizens  of  the  United  States;  and  the  majority  of  them  gradually 
removed  across  the  Mississippi  to  "  Louisiana,"  or  to  Canada,  taking  their  slaves  with  them. 

564 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Even  this  prospective  exclusion  was  struck  out  in  committee  of  the  whole, 
on  motion  of  Mr.  Spaight,  of  South  Carolina.  Thus  modified,  the  ordinance 
passed  Congress  and  became  a  law  April  23,  1784<. 

The  men  who  had  fought  so  many  years  for  a  free  country,  and  who 
proposed  to  make  the  total  exclusion  of  slavery  an  essential  and  irrevocable 
feature  of  the  constitution  of  the  state  they  were  to  found,  had  no  use  for  a 
grant  of  governmental  powers  from  which  the  power  to  exclude  slavery  was 
entirely  withdrawn.  The  ordinance  of  April  23,  1784,  fell  flat,  and  no  at- 
tempt of  any  kind  was  ever  made  to  set  up  under  it  an  actual  government.  It 
was  a  dead  letter  on  the  statute  book  until  it  was  replaced  by  the  renowned 
Ordinance  of  1787,  in  which  the  total  exclusion  of  slavery  was  made  an  essen- 
tial and  irrevocable  feature. 

Years  afterwards,  the  Ohio  Company's  famous  agent,  Rev.  Manasseh 
Cutler,*  in  explaining  to  his  son.  Judge  Ephraim  Cutler,  how  it  came  that 

*  Rev.  Manasseh  Cutler,  LL.D.,  was  a  remarkable  man.  He  was  a  clergyman,  but  he 
was  a  great  deal  more:  a  lawyer,  a  physician,  an  educator,  a  politician,  a  man  of  aflfairs,  a 
farmer  and  a  scientist;  and  in  all  of  these  callings  he  did  good  work.  He  was  born  in 
Killingly,  Conn.,  on  May  30,  1742;  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1765,  and  admitted  to 
the  Massachusetts  bar  in  1767.  Being  attracted  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry,  he 
studied  theology,  and  in  1771  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  a  Congregational  society  in  Ipswich 
Hamlet,  since  1793  knowTi  as  the  town  of  Hamilton,  Mass.  He  remained  with  this  society 
until  his  death,  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  centuiy.  When  the  Revolutionary  War  began 
he  stirred  his  townsmen  with  rousing  words,  and  soon  thereafter  was  appointed  chaplain  in 
the  army.  Towards  the  close  of  the  war  he  studied  medicine,  that  he  might  minister  alike  to 
the  bodily  and  the  spiritual  needs  of  his  flock.  The  cause  of  his  interest  in  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany is  explained  by  the  following  memorandum,  preserved  in  his  handwriting: 

"  At  this  meeting  by  ye  desire  of  Major  Sargent,  I  attended.  I  had  suffered  exceed- 
ingly in  ye  war,  and  after  it  was  over,  by  paper  money  and  ye  high  price  of  articles  of 
living,  my  salary  small  and  family  large,  for  several  years  I  thought  ye  people  had  not  done 
me  justice,  and  I  meditated  leaving  them.  Purchasing  lands  in  a  new  country  appeared 
to  be  ye  only  thing  I  could  do  to  secure  a  living  to  myself  and  family  in  that  unsettled  state 
of  public  affairs.  I  had  long  before  entertained  a  high  opinion  of  ye  lands  in  ye  western 
country,  which  was  a  particular  inducement  to  attend  this  meeting.  The  representations 
and  plans  of  ye  country  gave  a  still  more  favorable  idea,  and  I  determined  to  join  ye  asso- 
ciation, but  without  ye  most  distant  thought  of  taking  an  active  part." 

McMaster,  in  his  history  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  writes  of  Cutler  at  this 
period :  "  He  had  been  bred  first  to  the  bar  and  then  to  the  ministry,  but  his  true  calling  was 
politics.  He  was  clear  of  head,  sound  of  judgment,  of  great  push  and  energy,  and  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  aims  not  over  careful  of  the  means  used.  He  was  chosen,  therefore,  to  go 
before  Congress  and  purchase  the  land,  and  the  choice  could  not  have  fallen  on  a  better 
man." 

The  words  of  Senator  Hoar,  spoken  at  the  Marietta  Centennial,  are  even  more  "  fitly 
chosen."  "  Manasseh  Cutler  was  probably  the  fittest  man  on  the  continent,  except  Franklin, 
for  a  mission  of  delicate  diplomacy.  Putnam  was  a  man  after  Washington's  pattern  and 
after  Washington's  own  heart.  Cutler  was  a  man  after  Franklin's  pattern  and  after  Frank- 
lin's own  heart.  He  was  the  most  learned  naturalist  in  America,  as  Franklin  was  the  great- 
est master  in  physical  science.  He  was  a  man  of  consummate  prudence  in  speech  and  con- 
duct ;  of  courtly  manners ;  a  favorite  in  the  drawing-room  and  in  the  camp,  with  a  wide  circle 
of  friends  and  correspondents  among  the  most  famous  men  of  his  time.  During  his  brief 
service  in  Congress  he  made  a  speech  on  the  judicial  system,  in  1803,  which  shows  his  pro- 
found mastery  of  constitutional  principles.  It  fell  to  his  lot  in  1797  to  conduct  a  negotiation 
second  only  in  importance  in  the  history  of  his  country  to  that  which  Franklin  conducted 
with  France  in  1778.  Never  was  ambassador  crowned  with  success  more  rapid  or  more 
complete." 

In  1788  Cutler  made  a  journey  to  the  West.  He  was  nearly  a  month  on  his  way  from 
his  home  in  Massachusetts,  traveling  in  a  sulky  to  the  new  settlement  on  the  Ohio.     He  had 

565 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  the  prohibition  of  slavery  and  the  recognition  of  religion,  morality  and 
knowledge  as  foundations  of  civil  government  were  incorporated  into  the 
ordinance,  said,  '  I  was  acting  for  associates,  friends  and  neighbors,  who 
would  not  embark  in  the  enterprise  unless  these  principles  were  unalterably 
fixed.'  " 

In  June,  1785,  while  Congress  was  still  deliberating,  we  find  Pickering 
writing  about  the  "  plan  "  to  Rufus  King,  afterwards  a  distinguished  citizen 
of  New  York,  United  States  senator  and  minister  to  England,  but  who  was 
at  that  time  a  member  of  Congress  from  Massachusetts.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  draft  which  Mr.  Jefferson  reported  proposed  the  exclusion  of 
slavery  only  from  and  after  the  year  1800,  while  the  total  exclusion  of  slavery 
was  the  purpose  of  the  petitioners  of  1783.  Hence,  early  in  1785,  Pickering 
writes  to  King  a  long  letter,  from  which  the  following  is  condensed: 

"I  should  have  objected  to  the  period  (A.  D.  1800)  proposed  for  the 
exclusion  of  slavery,  for  the  admission  of  it  for  a  single  day  or  an  hour  ought 
to  have  been  forbidden.  It  is  infinitely  easier  to  prevent  the  evil  at  first  than 
to  eradicate  or  check  it  at  any  future  time.  For  God's  sake,  let  one  more 
effort  be  made  to  prevent  so  terrible  a  calamity." 

To  this  Mr.  King  replied  as  follows: 

"  New  York,  15th  April,  1785.         if 

"  The  best  return  in  my  power  to  make  you  for  your  ingenious  com- 
munication on  the  mode  of  disposing  of  the  Western  Territory,  is  to  enclose 
for  your  examination  the  form  of  an  ordinance  reported  to  Congress  on  the 
subject.  You  will  find  thereby  that  your  ideas  have  had  weight  with  the 
committee  who  reported  this  ordinance,  and  I  have  only  to  add  that  I  shall 
hold  myself  particularly  obliged  by  your  further  communications  on  the 
subject. 

"  I  likewise  enclose  you  the  report  of  a  committee  on  a  motion  for  the  ex- 
clusion of  slavery  from  the  new  states.  Your  ideas  on  this  unjustifiable  prac- 
tice are  so  just  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  differ  from  them," 

Mr.  King  here  refers  to  the  fact  that  at  his  instance  the  Congress  had,  in 
committee  of  the  whole,  adopted  the  following  as  a  clause  to  be  reported  for 
enactment  as  an  amendment  to  the  ordinance  as  at  that  time  in  force : 

"  That  there  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  any  of 


considered  the  matter  of  a  permanent  residence  at  Marietta  and  decided  against  it;  but  his 
interest  in  the  new  country  was  very  great.  It  was  interesting  to  him  as  a  naturalist,  as  a 
patriot  and  as  a  religious  man.  The  national  grants  of  land  for  educational  and  religious 
purposes  were  obtained  through  his  foresight  and  earnest  solicitation.  With  him  also  the 
establishment  of  a  university  was  "a  first  object,"  and  "lay  with  great  weight  on  his  mind." 

From  1801  until  1805  he  was  a  member  of  Congress,  declining  reelection. 

He  was  a  member  of  many  scientific  bodies,  and  was  also  a  correspondent  of  learned 
men  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  An  early  taste  for  astronomy,  and  especially  for  botany,  re- 
mained with  him  as  long  as  he  lived.  The  honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  was  conferred 
upon  him,  in  1791,  by  Yale  College. 

"  Patriotism  glowed  in  his  heart ;  whether  at  home  or  abroad  his  mind  was  intent  on 
projecting  great  and  good  plans,  consulting  the  benefit  of  generations  to  come." 

He  died  at  his  home  in  Hamilton,  Mass.,  on  the  28th  of  July,  1823. 

566 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  states  described  in  the  resolve  of  Congress  of  the  23d  of  April,  1784, 
otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes  whereof  the  party  shall  have 
been  personally  guilty ;  and  that  this  regulation  shall  be  an  article  of  compact 
and  remain  a  fundamental  principle  of  the  constitution  between  the  thirteen 
original  states,  and  each  of  the  states  described  in  the  said  resolve  of  the  23d 
of  April,  1784." 

This  was,  however,  never  taken  up  for  final  action,  and  never  became  a 
law.  About  this  time  Pickering  bought  land  in  Pennsylvania  and  settled 
there.     He  does  not  figure  afterAvards  as  one  of  the  associates. 

A  principal  cause  of  this  dilatory  course  was  the  fact  that  the  deeds  of 
cession,  by  Virginia  and  Massachusetts,  stipulated  that  the  new  states  in  the 
Northwest  Territory  should  not  exceed  in  area  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
square,  and  the  terms  of  this  requirement  had  by  resolution  of  Congress  been 
accepted. 

In  Congress  and  out  of  it  there  existed  a  strenuous  feeling  that  this  limi- 
tation was  unwise  and  would  prove  most  unfortunate.  The  most  active  exponent 
of  this  feeling  was  James  Monroe,  who  had  been  at  the  pains  to  personally 
visit  the  Northwest  Territory,  after  which,  January  19,  1786,  he  wrote  to 
Thomas  Jefferson  the  following  complimentary  description  of  the  present 
states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois : 

"A  great  part  of  the  territory  is  miserably  poor,  especially  that  near 
Lakes  Michigan  and  Erie;  and  that  upon  the  INIississippi  and  Illinois  con- 
sists of  extensive  plains  which  have  not  had,  from  appearances,  and  will  not 
have  a  single  bush  on  them  for  ages.  The  districts,  therefore,  within  which 
these  fall  will,  perhaps,  never  contain  a  sufficient  number  of  inhabitants  to 
entitle  them  to  membership  in  the  Confederacy,  and  in  the  meantime  the  people 
in  them  will  be  governed  by  the  resolutions  of  Congress,  in  which  they  will  not 
be  represented." 

This  feeling  led  Monroe  to  take  such  action  in  Congress  that,  on  his 
motion,  that  body,  March  24,  1786,  resolved: 

"  That  it  be  and  hereby  is  recommended  to  the  legislature  of  Virginia  to 
take  into  consideration  their  act  of  cession  and  revise  the  same  so  far  as  to 
empower  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled  to  make  such  a  division  of 
the  territory  of  the  United  States  lying  northerly  and  westerly  of  the  River 
Ohio  into  distinct  republican  states,  not  more  than  five  nor  less  than  three,  as 
the  situation  of  that  country  and  future  circumstances  may  require." 

It  is  not  to  be  overlooked,  however,  that  other  causes  were  in  force,  con- 
tributing at  least  to  defer  an  active  movement  to  restore  the  anti-slavery  cause. 
The  petition  itself  asks  only  that  "  whenever  the  Honorable  Congress  shall 
be  pleased  to  procure  the  aforesaid  lands  of  the  natives,  they  will  make  pro- 
vision for  the  location  and  sur\'ey  of  the  lands ;"  and  that  then  the  grants  re- 
quested may  be  made. 

No  further  attempt  was  made  to  amend  the  ordinance  of  1784  until 
April  26,  1787,  when  a  committee  composed  of  Mr.  Johnson,  of  Connecticut; 
Mr.  Pinckney,  of  South  Carohna;  Mr.  Smith,  of  New  York;  Mr.  Dane,  of 

567 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Massachusetts,  and  Mr.  Henry,  of  Maryland,  reported  to  Congress  what  was 
doubtless  that  ordinance  in  an  amended  form.  It  was  essentially  different 
from  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  it  contained  no  provision  whatever  on  the 
subject  of  slavery.  On  May  10,  1787,  it  was  ordered  to  a  third  reading,  and 
from  that  time  remained  unmolested  until  July  6,  when,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
agent  of  the  Ohio  Company  of  Associates  appeared  upon  the  floor.  The 
"  total  exclusion  of  slavery  "  as  "  essential  and  irrevocable  "  was  now,  from 
whatever  cause,  at  once  to  reappear.  Nine  days  after  Dr.  Cutler's  arrival 
Richard  Henry  Lee  wrote  to  Washington,  enclosing  a  copy  of  the  ordinance 
of  1787,  and  saying :  "  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  to  you  a  copy  of  an 
ordinance  that  we  have  just  passed  in  Congress  for  establishing  a  tem- 
porary government  beyond  the  Ohio  as  a  measure  preparatory  to  a  sale  of 
lands." 

The  Ohio  Company's  application  for  a  sale  of  land  having  been  the 
immediate  occasion  for  the  passage  of  the  ordinance,  it  is  worth  while  to 
look  into  their  share  in  securing  the  important  result  that  it  should  embrace 
the  anti-slavery  proviso  which  it  finally  included,  and  which  has  proved  its 
vital  clause. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  at  the  time  the  ordinance  was  passed  by 
the  Congress  sitting  in  New  York,  there  was  also  in  session,  in  Philadelphia, 
the  convention  which  framed  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  The  qual- 
ification of  the  anti-slavery  clause  in  the  ordinance,  providing  for  the  recla- 
mation of  fugitive  slaves,  is  in  harmony  with  the  corresponding  provision 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  the  two  were  contemporaneously 
adopted.  Many  members  of  Congress,  indeed  two  of  the  five  members  of  the 
committee  to  whom  at  an  earlier  date  had  been  referred  the  original  memorial 
of  the  Ohio  Company  presented  by  General  Parsons,  were  also  members  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention.  One  of  these  was  Rufus  King,  on  whose 
motion  the  provision  as  to  fugitive  slaves  was  inserted  in  the  constitution,  and 
the  same  whom  we  recall  as  having  at  Pickering's  instance  reported  to  Con- 
gress in  1785  an  anti-slavery  amendment  to  the  resolutions  of  1784.  Under 
these  circumstances  any  evidence  tending  to  show  that  the  concurrent  position 
of  these  two  bodies  and  the  incorporation  with  the  ordinance  of  the  anti- 
slavery  proviso  was  the  result  of  an  agreement  between  persons  who  were  mem- 
bers of  both  Congress  and  the  convention  is  strongly  corroborated  by  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case. 

The  other  member  of  the  committee  of  five,  to  whom  was  referred  the 
original  memorial  of  the  Ohio  Company,  was  James  Madison,  afterward 
President  of  the  United  States.  His  situation  certainly  enabled  him  to  be 
well  informed.  His  private  secretary,  while  President,  was  Edward  Coles,  of 
Virginia,  afterwards  governor  of  Illinois,  a  man  of  great  worth  and  force  of 
character.  In  an  address  before  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society  in  1857, 
on  the  history  of  the  ordinance,  Governor  Coles  says: 

"  This  brings  to  my  recollection  what  I  was  told  by  Mr.  Madison,  and 
which  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  in  print.     The  old  Congress  held 

568 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

its  sessions  in  1787  in  New  York,  while  at  the  same  time  the  convention  which 
framed  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  held  its  sessions  in  Philadelphia. 
Many  individuals  were  members  of  both  bodies,  and  thus  were  enabled  to  know 
what  was  passing  in  each — both  sitting  with  closed  doors  and  in  secret  ses- 
sions. The  distracting  question  of  slavery  was  agitating  and  retarding  the 
labors  of  both,  and  led  to  conferences  and  intercommunications  of  the  mem- 
bers, which  resulted  in  a  compromise  by  which  the  northern  or  anti-slavery 
portion  of  the  country  agreed  to  incorporate  into  the  ordinance  and  consti- 
tution the  provisions  to  restore  fugitive  slaves ;  and  this  mutual  and  concur- 
rent action  was  the  cause  of  the  similarity  of  the  provision  contained  in  both, 
and  had  its  influence  in  creating  the  great  unanimity  by  which  the  ordinance 
passed,  and  also  in  making  the  constitution  the  more  acceptable  to  the  slave 
holders." 

A  compromise  upon  the  basis  that  the  ordinance  should  provide  that  fugi- 
tive slaves  found  within  the  territory  should  be  returned  carried  with  it,  of 
course,  a  reciprocal  agreement  that  slavery  itself  should  be  excluded  by  the 
ordinance. 

In  harmony  at  least  with  such  an  agreement.  Congress,  after  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Constitution,  applied  to  the  territory  south  of  the  Ohio  and  east 
of  the  Mississippi  a  substantial  re-enactment  of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  but 
without  the  anti-slavery  provision. 

The  anti-slavery  proviso,  however,  was  not  in  the  ordinance  (as  re- 
ported by  the  committee).  It  was  moved,  as  an  amendment,  b}'"  Nathan  Dane, 
of  Massachusetts,  and  was  unanimously  carried.  The  ordinance  was  thereupon 
adopted,  with  one  dissenting  vote.  Mr.  Dane  was  the  secretary  of  the  com- 
mittee. In  a  letter  to  Rufus  King,  ■mritten  three  days  after  the  passage 
of  the  ordinance,  he  gives  the  following  account  of  the  passage  of  the  amend- 
ment: 

"  We  have  been  employed  about  several  objects,  the  principal  of  which 
have  been  the  government  enclosed  (the  ordinance)  and  the  Ohio  purchase; 
former,  you  will  see,  is  completed,  and  the  latter  will  probably  be  completed 
to-morrow.  We  tried  one  day  to  patch  up  M s  system  of  W.  govern- 
ment— started  new  ideas  and  committed  the  whole  to  Carrington,  Dane,  R.  H. 
Lee,  Smith  and  Kean.  We  met  several  times,  and  at  last  agreed  on  some 
principles — at  least  Lee,  Smith  and  myself.  We  found  ourselves  rather 
pressed.  The  Ohio  Company  appeared  to  purchase  a  large  tract  of  federal 
lands — about  six  or  seven  millions  of  acres — and  we  wanted  to  abolish  the 
old  system  and  get  a  better  one  for  the  government  of  the  country,  and  we 
finally  found  it  necessary  to  adopt  the  best  system  we  could  get.  All  agreed 
finally  to  the  enclosed  plan,  except  A.  Yates.  He  appeared  in  this  case,  as 
in  most  others,  not  to  understand  the  subject  at  all.  *  *  *  When  I  drew 
the  ordinance  (which  passed,  a  few  words  excepted,  as  I  originally  formed 
it)  I  had  no  idea  the  states  would  agree  to  the  sixth  article,  prohibiting  slav- 
ery, as  only  Massachusetts,  of  the  eastern  states,  was  present,  and  therefore 
onutted  it  in  the  draft;  but,  finding  the  house  favorably  disposed  on  this 

569 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

subject,  after  we  had  completed  the  other  parts,  I  moved  the  article,  which 
was*  agreed  to  without  opposition." 

Mr.  Dane  is  here  writing  to  his  colleague  from  Massachusetts,  who 
had  been  a  member  of  the  committee,  about  that  feature  of  the  committee's 
report  which  would  naturally  most  interest  Mr.  King.  He  explains  that 
they  "  had  agreed  on  some  principles,"  but  that  in  drawing  the  report,  he 
had  at  first  omitted  this  feature,  having  no  idea  that  Congress  would  accept 
it.  AftenN'ards,  finding  himself  mistaken  as  to  the  disposition  of  the  house, 
he  moved  it  as  an  amendment  and  it  was  unanimously   adopted. 

At  the  time  of  which  he  speaks,  Lee  and  Carrington  were  both  present 
in  Congress.  Lee  certainly  knew  what  had  been  agreed  on  in  committee. 
Carrington  certainly,  and  probably  Lee,  were  warmly  in  favor  of  the  ex- 
clusion of  slavery,  and  both  of  them  doubtless  were  familiar  with  the  agree- 
ment which  Madison  afterwards  related  to  Governor  Coles.  Their  presence 
makes  it  not  hard  to  account  for  Mr.  Dane's  being  suddenly  better  informed, 
and  for  his  motion  to  restore  to  the  report  what  he  had  omitted  from  it. 

While  these  suggestions  tend  to  show  that  the  controlling  influence  which 
determined  the  presence  and  complexion  of  the  anti-slavery  proviso  moved 
upon  a  broader  plane  than  the  mere  views  or  influence  of  the  Ohio  Company, 
it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  company's  application  was  nevertheless  the 
immediate  occasion  of  the  passage  of  the  Ordinance.  Passed  as  a  measure 
preparatory  to  a  sale  to  them,  their  views  and  wishes  naturally  entered  into 
the  deliberations  by  which  it  was  framed.  When  these  are  traced  out,  we 
are  permitted  to  feel  that  the  larger  and  controlling  influence  which  I  have 
mentioned  allowed  itself  to  be  led  by,  and  to  give  its  sanction  to  the  initiative 
of  the  company.  Dr.  Cutler,  their  agent,  has  left  behind  him  a  diary  at 
once  comprehensive  and  specific.  On  the  25th  of  June  he  was  in  Boston 
preparing  to  set  out  for  New  York.  Among  the  events  of  that  day,  he 
chronicles :  "  Conversed  with  General  Putnam.  Received  letters.  Settled 
the  principles  on  which  I  am  to  contract  with  Congress  for  lands  for  account 
of  the  Ohio  Company."  Dr.  Cutler's  reference  long  afterwards,  in  con- 
versation with  his  son,  to  these  same  "  principles,"  has  been  related  already. 
Having  arrived  at  New  York,  and  as  we  have  seen,  been  introduced  to  a 
number  of  members  on  the  floor  by  Colonel  Carrington  of  Virginia,  he 
writes :  "  Delivered  my  petition  for  purchasing  lands  for  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany, and  proposed  terms  and  conditions  of  purchase.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  agree  on  terms  of  negotiation,  and  report  to  Congress."  Doubt- 
less what  is  here  mainly  referred  to  is  conditions  of  price,  payments,  loca- 
tion, subdivisions  and  the  like;  but  the  record  fully  discloses  that  this  com- 
mittee was  also  formally  charged  with  the  reporting  of  an   ordinance   for 

*  The  original  of  the  committee's  reports  is  preserved  in  the  library  of  Congress.  One 
leaf,  printed  on  both  sides,  contains  the  whole.  Slight  alterations,  in  manuscript,  have  been 
identified  as  in  Grayson's  handwriting.  The  report  as  printed  does  not  include  the  sixth 
article,  prohibiting  slavery  and  providing  for  the  return  of  fugitive  slaves.  There  is,  how- 
ever, on  the  second  page,  pasted  to  the  edges  of  the  leaf,  a  piece  of  foolscap  paper  on  which 
the  sixth  article  is  written  out  in  full,  in  the  handwriting  of  Nathan  Dane. 

570 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

government  as  a  preparatory  measure,  and  that  the  "  principles "  were 
fully  considered  between  the  committee  and  the  company's  agent. 

Grayson  was  at  that  time  chairman  pro  tempore  of  Congress.  The  com- 
mittee appointed  by  him  consisted  of  Carrington,  Dane,  R.  H.  Lee,  Kean  of 
South  Carohna,  and  Smith  of  New  York.  Of  Grayson,  and  of  tliis  com- 
mittee, Cutler  writes :  "  Grayson,  Carrington  and  Lee  are  certainly  my 
warm  advocates."  Carrington  was  afterwards  a  shareholder  in  the  Ohio 
Company.  To  this  committee,  July  9,  was  referred  the  ordinance  which  on 
May  10th  had  been  ordered  to  a  third  reading,  but  had  not  since  been  taken 
up.     Cutler  now  writes  under  date  of  July  10th: 

"  As  Congress  was  now  engaged  in  settling  the  form  of  government 
for  the  federal  territory,  for  which  a  bill  had  been  prepared  and  a  copy 
sent  to  me,  with  leave  to  remark  upon  and  to  propose  several  amendments, 
I  thought  this  the  most  favorable  opportunity  to  go  on  to  Philadelphia. 
Accordingly,  after  I  had  returned  the  bill  with  my  observations,  I  set  out 
at  seven  o'clock  and  crossed  North  River  to  Paulus  Hook." 

Not  more  is  certainly  known  as  to  the  scope  of  these  amendments  than 
has  been  already  stated,  except  that  Dr.  Cutler  left  among  his  papers  a 
copy  of  the  ordinance,  printed  on  a  sheet  on  the  margin  of  which  is  written, 
"  that  Mr.  Dane  requested  Dr.  Cutler  to  suggest  such  provisions  as  he 
deemed  advisable,  and  that  at  Dr.  Cutler's  instance  was  inserted  what  relates 
to  religion,  education  and  slavery."* 

Three  days  later  the  ordinance  was  enacted.  Dr.  Cutler  did  not  see 
it  until  July  19th  on  his  return  from  Philadelphia.     He  then  writes: 

"  July  19th.  Called  on  members  of  Congress  very  early  this  morning, 
and  was  furnished  with  the  ordinance  establishing  a  government  in  the 
western  federal  territory.  It  is,  in  a  degree,  new  modeled.  The  amendments 
I  proposed  have  all  been  made  except  one,  and  that  is  better  qitalified.  It 
was  that  we  should  not  be  subject  to  continental  taxation,  unless  we  were 
entitled  to  a  full  representation  in  Congress.  This  could  not  be  fully  ob- 
tained; for  it  was  considered  in  Congress  as  offering  a  premium  to  emi- 
grants. They  have  granted  us  representation,  with  the  right  of  debating, 
but  not  of  voting,  upon  our  being  first  subject  to  taxation." 


*  Temple  Cutler,  of  Hamilton,  Mass.,  writing  September  29,  1849,  to  Judge  Cutler,  of 
Ohio  (both  sons  of  Dr.  Cutler),  and  speaking  of  the  interest  in  New  England  on  the  subject 
of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  says:  "  Hon.  Daniel  Webster  is  now  convinced  that  the  man  whose 
foresight  suggested  some  of  its  articles  was  our  father." 

Judge  Ephraim  Cutler,  on  November  24.,  1849,  wrote  as  follows:  "I  visited  my  father 
at  Washington  during  the  last  session  he  attended  Congress.  In  his  boarding-house  he  occu- 
pied a  room  with  the  reverend  gentleman  who  represented  Hampshire  and  the  Connecticut 
counties,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten.  We  were  in  conversation  relative  to  the  political 
concerns  of  Ohio,  the  ruling  parties  and  the  eflfects  of  the  (Ohio)  constitution  in  the  promo- 
tion of  the  general  interest;  when  he  observed  that  he  was  informed  that  I  had  prepared  that 
portion  of  the  Ohio  constitution  which  contained  the  part  of  the  Ordinance  of  July,  1787, 
which  prohibited  slavery,  he  wished  to  know  if  it  was  a  fact.  On  my  assuring  him  it  was, 
he  observed  that  he  thought  it  a  singular  coincidence,  as  he  himself  had  prepared  that  part  of 
the  Ordinance  while  he  was  in  New  York  negotiating  the  purchase  of  the  lands  for  the  Ohio 
Company." 

571 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

It  is  not  easy  to  reconcile  this  language,  and  the  fact  that  he  evidently 
found  nothing  in  the  ordinance  by  which  he  was  surprised,  with  any  other 
hypothesis  than  that  the  anti-slavery  amendment  was  one  of  those  which  he 
had  himself  proposed. 

Even  the  action  of  Congress,  making  tlie  ordinance  a  law,  declaring  its 
provisions  also  to  be  articles  of  compact,  was  insufficient  of  itself.  What  it 
still  needed  was  life,  the  power  that  grasps  and  that  assimilates.  That 
power  came  from  the  men  who  bore  into  the  wilderness  this  ark  of  a  new 
covenant,  and  set  up  there  their  temple  of  new  institutions  in  which  it  was 
enshrined.  From  that  spot,  and  by  their  aid,  it  grasped  and  held  and  fash- 
ioned all  those  germs  of  great  new  commonwealths,  which  afterwards  grew  up 
within  the  area  of  its  jurisdiction  and  have  given  to  it  results  of  transcendent 
value. 

I  must  here  ask  you  to  distinguish  between  two  matters  to  which  Dr. 
Cutler's  efforts  were  directed.  One  was  the  settlement  of  terms  and  nego- 
tiation of  a  purchase  of  the  lands  which  the  Ohio  Company  desired  to  ob- 
tain. The  other  was  the  enactment  by  Congress  of  an  ordinance  which 
should  provide  a  plan  of  government  acceptable  to  the  associates,  and  which 
should  take  the  place  of  those  provided  by  the  ordinance  or  resolutions  of 
1784,  the  one  which  on  that  day  had  become  a  law,  minus  that  anti-slavery 
feature  which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  originally  incorporated  with  it.  The  or- 
dinance of  1787  was  this  substitute,  and  as  we  here  see  was  adopted  "  as  a 
measure  preparatory  to  a  sale  of  lands." 

This  preparatory  measure,  an  indispensable  prerequisite,  being  achieved. 
Dr.  Cutler  indefatigably  pushed  his  negotiation  with  Congress  for  a  purchase 
of  public  lands,  and  on  July  23d  a  resolution  passed  approving  a  sale  to 
the  associates  of  a  tract  comprising  about  five  millions  of  acres*  in  the  south- 
west portion  of  the  tract  described  in  the  petition  of  1783,  and  being  in 
extent  about  one-fourth  of  that  tract.  It  was  not,  however,  until  July  27th 
that  what  he  regarded  as  of  vital  importance  in  the  terms  of  purchase  was 
by  a  subsequent  resolution  adjusted  to  his  hking.  The  precise  boundaries 
were  as  follows: 

Bounded  by  the  Ohio  from  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto  to  the  intersection 
of  the  western  boundary  of  the  seventh  range  of  township,  now  surveying; 
thence  by  the  said  boundary  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  tenth  township 
from  the  Ohio;  thence  by  a  due  west  line  to  the  Scioto;  thence  by  the  Scioto 
to  the  beginning. 

That  is  to  say,  beginning  at  Portsmouth  on  the  Ohio,  thence  up  that 

*  The  Ohio  Company's  first  application,  presented  bv  Dr.  Cutler  on  July  6th,  was  for 
the  purchase  of  one  and  a  half  million  acres,  and  the  purchase  as  first  passed,  July  19th,  con- 
templated no  more  than  that.  But,  on  July  20th,  Colonel  Duer,  secretary  to  the  treasury 
board,  made  a  secret  proposition  to  Dr.  Cutler  to  enlarsre  the  contract  and  take  in  another 
company,  offering  him  generous  conditions  to  accomplish  the  business  for  them.  This  re- 
sulted in  a  contract  for  "  nearly  5,000,000  acres  of  land,  amounting  to  three  millions  and  a 
half  of  dollars;  one  million  and  a  half  of  acres  for  the  Ohio  Company,  and  the  remainder 
for  a  private  speculation  in  which  many  of  the  principal  characters  in  America  are  con- 
cerned."—Cutler's  Life,  etc.,  I.,  295,  305, 

572 


I 
I 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

stream  to  a  short  distance  aboA'e  Marietta;  thence  north  about  half-way  to 
Lake  Erie ;  thence  west  to  a  point  somewhat  northwest  from  Columbus ;  thence 
southeast  to  Portsmouth   again. 

Of  the  whole  tract  it  was  understood  that  the  Ohio  Company  of  Asso- 
ciates would  purchase  for  itself  one  and  a  half  million  acres.  The  rest  it 
was  understood  would  be  taken  by  "  some  of  tlie  principal  characters  of 
America  who  had  become  interested  in  the  scheme."  Without  this  conces- 
sion to  "  some  of  the  principal  characters  in  America,"  says  Dr.  Cutler, 
Congress  would  not  have  approved  the  sale.  The  resolution  of  July  23d 
fixed  the  purchase  price  at  •'  one  dollar  an  acre,  payable  in  specie,  loan 
office  certificates  reduced  to  specie  value,  or  certificates  of  liquidated  debts 
of  the  United  States  "  at  par.  These  last  were  the  "  final  certificates  "  paid  to 
the  officers  at  Newburgh  in  1783.  At  the  time  the  sale  was  authorized  they 
were  worth  but  a  few  shillings  in  the  pound.  Their  actual  value,  with  abate- 
ments and  donations  authorized  by  the  resolutions,  reduced  the  cost  of  the 
lands,  in  current  funds,  to  about  ten  cents  an  acre.  Hence,  the  interest  in 
the  scheme  of  "  some  of  the  principal  characters  in  America."  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  these  last  soon  tired  of  their  bargain  and  did  not  complete  their 
purchase.* 

After  the  passage  of  this  second  ordinance,  the  associates  were  allowed 
three  months  in  which  to  prepare  for  the  first  payment  on  their  lands,  and 
on  the  27th  of  October  their  contract  was  finally  closed,  covering  one  and  a 
half  million  acres.  They  paid  down  in  "  final  certificates "  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  For  this  they  received  immediate  possession  (with  power 
to  improve  and  cultivate)  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres.  They 
were  to  pay  as  much  more  within  one  month  of  the  completion  of  the  sur- 
vey, and  thereupon  to  have  a  clear  title  to  the  whole.  The  price  per  acre 
was  determined  by  the  rate  paid  at  the  purchase  of  the  land.  Congress 
had  authorized  the  board  of  treasury  to  sell  at  one  dollar  per  acre  subject  to 
a  reduction  of  one-third  for  bad  lands.  The  board  of  treasury,  upon  this 
authority,  sold  to  the  Ohio  Company  a  million  and  a  half  acres  of  land  for 
one  million  dollars.     It  was  also  agreed  that  within  the  tract,  and  in  addition 


*  What  they  did  do  has,  I  think,  been  fairly  told  in  Howe's  "  Historical  Collections  of 
Ohio": 

"  A  contract  was  made  for  a  purchase  of  a  part  of  the  lands  included  in  the  Ohio 
Company's  purchases.  Plots  and  descriptions  of  the  land  contracted  for  were,  however, 
made  out,  and  Joel  Barlow  was  sent  as  an  agent  to  Europe  to  make  sales  for  the  benefit 
of  the  company,  and  sales  were  eflFected  of  parts  thereof  to  companies  and  individuals  in 
France.  On  February  19,  1791,  two  hundred  and  eighteen  of  these  purchasers  left  Havre  de 
Grace  in  France  and  arrived  in  Alexander,  D.  C,  on  the  3d  of  May  following.  During  their 
passage  two  were  added  to  their  number.  On  their  arrival  they  were  told  that  the  Scioto 
Company  owned  no  land.  The  agent  insisted  that  they  did,  and  promised  to  secure  to  them 
good  titles  thereto.  .  .  .  When  they  arrived  at  Marietta  about  fifty  of  them  landed. 
The  rest  of  the  company  proceeded  to  Galliapolis,  which  was  laid  out  about  that  time,  and 
were  assured  by  the  agent  that  the  place  lay  within  their  purchase.  Every  effort  to  secure 
titles  to  the  lands  they  had  purchased  having  failed,  an  application  was  made  to  Congress, 
and  in  June,  1798,  a  grant  was  made  to  them  of  a  tract  of  land  on  the  Ohio  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Scioto  river,  which  is  called  the  '  French  Grant.'  " 

Here  is  material  for  a  romance. 

573 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

to  it,  two  entire  townships  of  six  miles  square  should  be  reserved  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  university;  for  common  school  purposes,  section  No.  16 
(640  acres),  in  each  township;  "  for  the  purposes  of  religion,"  section  No.  29 
in  each  township;  and,  to  be  subject  to  future  disposition  by  the  United 
States  in  each  township,  sections  Nos.  8,  11  and  26.  In  negotiating  their 
contract,  the  agents  of  the  Ohio  Company  had  expressly  stipulated  that  the 
university  lands  should  be  included  in  the  same  conveyance  with  the  very 
first  tract  which  the  company  should  pay  for ;  "  for  to  fix  it  in  the  centre  of 
the  proposed  purchase  might  too  long  defer  the  establishment." 

Their  agent  having  thus  completed  the  purchase,  and  secured  for  them 
the  plan  of  government  they  wished,  the  "  Ohio  Company,"  as  they  had  now 
come  to  be  called,  held  further  meetings  at  Brackett's  Tavern,  Boston,  on 
the  21st  and  23d  of  November,  1787.  At  the  first  was  adopted  a  plan  for 
starting  a  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  and  for  allotment  of  town 
lots  and  lands  in  severalty.  At  the  second,  the  engineers  and  boat  builders 
were  directed  to  proceed  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Ohio,  and  there  during  the 
winter  build  boats  in  which  the  settlers  in  a  body  might  in  the  spring  descend 
the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  The  next  meeting  was  held  at 
Rice's  Tavern,  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  At  that  meeting  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Cutler,  Colonel  May  and  Maj.  Haffield  White  were  appointed  a  committee 
"  to  consider  and  report  upon  the  expediency  of  employing  some  suitable 
person  as  a  public  teacher  at  the  settlement  now  making  by  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany." They  reported  in  favor  of  the  measure,  and  the  Rev.  Daniel  Story 
was  appointed.  The  engineers  and  boat  builders,  twenty-two  men,  started 
from  Danvers,  Mass.,  in  December,  1787,  under  charge  of  Maj.  Haffield 
White.*  They  arrived  quite  late  in  January,  1788,  at  Sumrell's  Ferry,  on 
the  Youghiogheny,  about  thirty  miles  above  Pittsburg. 


*  One  detachment  of  the  party  came  to  Danvers  from  Ipswich  in  a  body.  Dr.  Cutler 
himself  supervised  their  departure,  and  one  of  his  sons  was  among  them,  Jervis  Cutler.  An- 
other son.  Temple  Cutler,  has  left  a  graphic  account  of  the  departure.  Dr.  Cutler's  diary  has 
this  entry: 

"  Mon.,  Dec.  3.  This  morning  a  part  of  the  men  going  to  the  Ohio  met  here  two  hours 
before  day.  I  went  on  ^vith  them  to  Danvers.  The  whole  joined  at  Major  White's.  Twenty 
men,  employed  by  the  company,  and  four  or  five  on  their  own  expense,  marched  at  eleven 
o'clock.  This  party  is  commanded  by  Major  White  [Haffield  White,  a  native  of  Danvers]. 
Captain  Putnam  took  the  immediate  charge  of  the  men,  wagons,  &c.  Jervis  went  off  in  good 
spirits.     He  is  well  fitted  for  the  journey." 

The  reminiscence  of  Temple  Cutler,  Dr.  Cutler's  youngest  son,  is  as  follows: 

"  The  little  band  of  pioneers  assembled  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Cutler,  in  Ipswich,  Mass., 
on  the  3d  day  of  December,  1787,  and  there  took  an  early  breakfast.  About  the  dawn  of  day 
they  paraded  in  front  of  the  house,  and,  after  a  short  address  from  him,  full  of  good  advice 
and  hearty  wishes  for  their  happiness  and  prosperity,  the  men  being  armed,  three  volleys 
were  fired,  and  the  party  (one  of  whom  was  his  son  Jervis,  aged  19)  went  forward,  cheered 
heartily  by  the  bystanders.  Dr.  Cutler  accompanied  them  to  Danvers,  where  he  placed  them 
under  command  of  Major  Haffield  White  and  Captain  Ezra  Putnam.  He  had  prepared  a 
large  and  well-built  wagon  for  their  use,  which  preceded  them  with  their  baggage.  This 
wagon,  as  a  protection  from  cold  and  storm,  was  covered  with  black  canvas,  and  on  the  sides 
was  an  inscription  in  white  letters,  I  think,  in  these  words,  'For  the  Ohio  at  the  Muskincjum,' 
which  Dr.  Cutler  painted  with  his  own  hand.  Although  I  was  then  but  six  years  old,  I  have 
a  vivid  recollection  of  all  these  circumstances,  having  seen  the  preparations  and  heard  the 
conversations  relative  to  this  undertaking.     I  think  the  weather  was  pleasant  and  the  sun 

574 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Meantime,  in  the  same  month,  the  rest  of  the  party  met  at  Hartford, 
and  on  January  1,  1788,  began  their  march,  in  charge  of  Gen.  Rufus  Put- 
nam, as  director-general  of  the  expedition.  The  second  in  command  was 
Col.  Ebenezcr  Sproat,  who  was  also  one  of  the  signers  of  the  petition  of 
1783.  The  snow  in  the  Allcghanies  was  so  deep  that  they  built  sleds  for 
the  transportation  of  their  baggage.  They  had  marched  in  winter  time 
before — perhaps  they  had  crossed  the  Delaware  with  Washington;  and  they 
pushed  on.  About  the  middle  of  February  they  joined  the  boat  builders  at 
Sumrell's  Ferry. 

Just  at  this  time,  Februar}-  7,  1788,  Washington  wrote  to  Lafayette 
that  "  the  spirit  of  emigration  to  the  western  country  is  very  predominant. 
Congress  have  sold  in  the  year  past  a  pretty  large  quantity  of  land  on  the 
Ohio  for  public  securities,  and  thereby  diminished  the  domestic  debt  con- 
siderably. Many  of  your  military  acquaintances,  such  as  Generals  Parsons, 
Varnum  and  Putnam;  Colonels  Tucker,  Sproat  and  Sherman,  with  many 
more,  propose  to  settle." 

June  19,  1788,  he  wrote  to  Richard  Henderson: 

"  No  colony  in  America  was  ever  settled  under  such  favorable  auspices 
as  that  which  has  just  commenced  at  Muskingum.  Information,  property 
and  strength  will  be  its  characteristics.  I  know  man}^  of  the  settlers  per- 
sonally, and  there  never  were  men  better  calculated  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  such  a  community." 

Mr.  Cutler  says  that  when  Lafayette,  in  1825,  arrived  at  Marietta,  he 
inquired :  "  Who  were  the  first  adventurers  to  settle  here  ?  " 

On  being  told  he  said :  "  I  knew  them  well.  I  saw  them  fight  the  battles 
of  their  country  at  Long  Island,  Brandywine,  Yorktown  and  many  other 
places.     They  were  the  bravest  of  the  brave.     Better  men  never  lived." 

By  the  last  of  March  the  boats  deemed  necessary  were  completed.  They 
were,  a  large  boat  forty-five  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  a  flat  boat  and 
three  canoes.  The  large  boat  was  roofed  over  and  made  bullet-proof,  as 
a  refuge  from  the  Indians  if  need  be.  For  some  years  afterwards  it  served 
a  useful  purpose  for  safe  transportation  to  and  from  the  mouth  of  the  INIus- 
kingum.  To  this  largest  boat,  the  barge,  was  given  the  name  "  Union 
Galley."  It  seems  a  dull  mind's  eye  that  does  not  see  that  as  the  true  freight 
of  the  original  "  Mayflower "  was  the  "  Compact "  adopted  in  her  cabin 
"  for  our  better  ordering  and  preser^^ation  to  enact,  constitute  and  frame 
such  just  and  equal  laws,  from  time  to  time,"  so,  of  this  "  Union  Galley," 
prophetically  named,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  the  true  burden  which  she 
bore  was  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  with  its  "  Articles  of  Compact,"  and  chief 
among  them  that  there  should  be  "  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  serv^itude 
except  for  crime."  As  to  each  of  these  incidents,  the  things  that  were  not 
seen  have  proved  to  be  the  things  that  are  eternal. 

rose  clear.  I  know  I  almost  wished  I  could  be  of  the  party  then  starting,  for  I  was  told  we 
were  all  to  go  as  soon  as  prepararation  was  made  for  our  reception." — Life  of  Rev.  Manasseh 
Cutler,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  339,  330. 

575 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  party  left  Sumrell's  Ferry  on  April  1,*  1788,  and  went  down  the 
Ohio — some  fifty  men  in  all.  Meeting  with  no  interruption,  they  arrived  on 
April  7th  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  They  at  once  commenced  build- 
ing a  block-house  and  laying  out  a  town.  They  called  the  settlement  Mari- 
etta, in  honor  of  Marie  A?itoinette,  and  in  memory  of  her  sympathy  extended 
to  them  in  the  Revolution.  In  July  they  were  joined  by  the  officers  pro- 
vided for  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  who  had  been  appointed  by  Congress  in 
New  Y'ork,  October  5,  1787.  They  were  the  Governor,  General  St.  Clair, 
who  had  been  president  of  the  Continental  Congress;  the  secretary,  Major 
Sargent;  and  Generals  Parsons  and  Vanium,  two  of  the  three  judges.  The 
third  judge,  Maj.  John  Armstrong,  had  declined  his  appointment.  On 
July  18th  the  government  of  the  northwest  territory  was  inaugurated  by  the 
proclamation  of  the  Governor.  It  will  be  observed  that  all  of  these  appointees 
were  ex-officers  of  the   Continental  army. 

It  is  interesting  to  look  back  at  these  four  or  five  men  assuming  thus  in 
the  name  of  the  United  States,  authority  over  a  territory  which  extended 
from  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  to  the  Mississippi  River,  and  from  the 
Ohio  to  the  lakes.  They  were  without  troops,  treasury  or  legislature;  they 
could  scarcely  have  maintained  a  single  bailiff.  The  whole  region  was  in 
control  of  great  tribes  of  Indians  who  were  unsubdued. 

There  could  scarcely  be  said  even  to  be  then  any  United  States.  The 
present  constitution  had  not  been  fully  ratified  by  the  states,  and  the  articles 
of  confederation  which  were  in  force  were  but  a  rope  of  sand.  The  federal 
government  had  not  been  able  even  to  pay  these  very  men  their  dues  for 
services  in  war.  Their  faith  was  all  that  they  and  their  associates  had.  It 
proved,  as  faith  so  often  does,  to  be  enough,  when  coupled  with  endeavor. 

From  this  beginning  of  established  government  the  progress  of  settlement 
was  rapid.  In  August,  1788,  the  colony  at  Marietta  was  increased  by  the 
arrival  of  eight  families.  It  now  numbered  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  men, 
besides  some  women  and  children.  In  October,  John  Cleves  Symmes  pur- 
chased from  the  United  States  a  million  acres  fronting  on  the  Ohio,  between 
the  Little  and  Great  Miami  Rivers.  This  gentleman  had  been  chief  justice 
of  New  Jersey,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  by  Congress  one  of  the  judges 
of  the  northwest  territory  vice  John  Armstrong,  who  declined.  Three  set- 
tlements were  made  upon  this  tract  in  the  winter  of  1788  and  1789,  one  of 
them  being  the  first  beginnings  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  The  Ohio  River 
was  the  highway  of  these  travelers  and  their  vehicles  were  flatboats.  In  the 
year  1796,  one  thousand  of  these  "  broad-horns,"  as  they  were  called,  passed 
down  the  river  to  what  is  now  Ohio  and  Indiana.f 


*  April  2d  is  the  date  commonly  given.  General  Putnam's  diary  is  authority  for 
April  1st. 

t  Flint,  himself  a  pioneer,  in  his  "  Indian  Wars  of  the  West,"  thus  speaks  of  early 
emigration: 

"  The  writer  of  this  distinctly  remembers  the  wagon  that  carried  out  a  number  of 
adventurers  from  the  counties  of  Essex  and  Middlesex  in  Massachusetts,  on  the  second  emi- 
gration to  the  woods  of  Ohio.    He  remembers  the  black  canvas  covering  of  the  wagon;  the 

576 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  number  of  these  settlers  grew  until,  in  1803,  despite  a  dreadful 
Indian  war  lasting  from  1790  until  1795,  the  eastern  division  of  the  north- 
west territory  was  in  readiness  to  be,  and  was,  admitted  as  a  state.  There 
were  not  wanting  those  who  made  a  struggle  to  remove,  even  at  that  date, 
the  inhibition  against  slavery.  Congress,  however,  had  recognized  that 
the  provisions  of  the  ordinance  were  a  contract  with  the  people  who  had 
settled  there.  Hence  the  enabling  act  required  that  the  constitution  of  the 
state  be  not  repugnant  to  those  provisions.  The  struggle  for  a  constitution 
free  from  this  restriction,  on  the  part  of  the  Virginia  and  Kentucky  immi- 
grants, was,  nevertheless,  sharp  enough  to  bring  to  its  front  some  of  the 
men  of  the  Newburgh  camp  and  their  descendants.  Foremost  among  them 
was  Judge  Ephraim  Cutler,  one  of  the  first  colonists,  and  son  of  that  Man- 
asseh  Cutler  by  whose  immediate  agency,  as  it  appears  to  me,  the  anti- 
slavery  provision  in  the  ordinance  was  inserted.  The  spirit  of  the  ordinance 
and  of  its  Revolutionary  sponsors  triumphed,  and  the  proviso  that  "  there 
shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  except  in  punishment  of 
crime,"  became  part  of  the  first  constitution  of  Ohio.* 

white  and  large  lettering  in  capitals,  'To  Marietta  on  the  Ohio!'  He  remembers  the  food 
which,  even  then,  the  thought  of  such  a  distant  expedition  furnished  to  his  imagination.  Some 
twenty  emigrants  accompanied  the  wagon." 

The  older  states  looked  with  ill-favor  on  this  emigration.  They  were  as  yet  but  sparsely 
settled,  and  besides  had  lands  within  their  own  limits  to  sell.  The  criticism  they  experienced 
induced  the  emigrants  to  justify  themselves  by  coloring  their  reports  of  their  experience.  A 
contest  sprang  up  and  families  differed  among  themselves  as  to  the  wisdom  of  those  mem- 
bers who  joined  the  movement. 

Judge  Timothy  Walker,  in  his  address  delivered  at  Cincinnati,  in  1837,  narrates  his 
recollection  of  those  times.     He  says: 

"  The  powerful  engine  of  caricature  was  set  in  motion,  I  have  a  distinct 
recollection  of  a  picture  I  saw  in  boyhood,  prefixed  to  an  anti-moWng  to  Ohio  pamphlet,  in 
which  a  stout,  ruddy,  well-dressed  man  on  a  sleek,  fat  horse,  with  a  label,  '  I  am  going  to 
Ohio,'  meets  a  pale  and  ghastly  skeleton  of  a  man,  scarcely  half-dressed,  on  the  wreck  of 
what  was  once  a  horse,  already  bespoken  by  the  more  politic  crows,  with  a  label,  '  I  have 
been  to  Ohio.' " 

*  "  Judge  Burnett's  '  Notes ' '  and  William  Henry  Smith's  '  Life  of  St.  Clair '  do  not 
convey  the  impression  that  an  issue  was  really  drawn  in  the  Ohio  convention  of  180:3.  But 
Judge  Ephraim  Cutler's  journal  conveys  that  impression  very  distinctly.  Those  favorable  to 
slaves  took  the  ground  that,  however  it  might  be  with  the  territory,  the  ordinance  could  not 
bind  a  state  unless  the  state  herself,  as  a  party  to  a  compact,  assented  to  it;  and  they 
accordingly  advocated  a  'modified  form'  of  servitude.  Judge  Cutler  (a  son  of  Dr. 
Manasseh  Cutler)  was  one  of  the  Washington  county  delegates  to  frame  the  constitution, 
and  a  member  of  the  committee  charged  with  framing  the  bill  of  rights,  of  which  John 
W.  Brown  was  chairman.  Cutler's  journal  gives  this  account  of  proceedings  in  the  com- 
mittee: 'An  exciting  subject  was,  of  course,  immediately  brought  before  the  committee,  the 
subject  of  admitting  or  excluding  slaves,  Mr.  Brown  produced  a  section  which  defined  the 
subject,  in  effect,  thus:  No  person  shall  be  held  in  slavery,  if  a  male,  after  he  is  thirty-five 
years  of  age;  and  if  a  female,  after  twenty-five  years  of  age.  I  observed  to  the  comniittee 
that  those  who  had  elected  me  to  represent  them  were  desirous  of  having  this  matter  clearly 
understood,  and  I  must  move  to  have  the  section  laid  upon  the  table  until  our  next  meeting, 
and  to  avoid  any  warmth  of  feeling,  I  hoped  that  each  member  of  the  committee  would 
prepare  a  section  which  should  express  his  views  fully  on  this  important  subject.  The 
committee  met  the  next  morning,  and  I  was  called  on  for  what  I  had  proposed  the  last 
evening.  I  then  read  to  them  the  section  as  it  now  stands  in  the  constitution.  Mr.  Brown 
observed  that  what  he  had  introduced  was  thought  by  the  greatest  men  in  the  nation  to  be, 
if  established  in  our  constitution,  obtaining  a  great  step  towards  a  general  emancipation  of 
slavery,  and  was,  in  his  opinion,  greatly  to  be  preferred  to  what  I  had  offered.' 

577 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK  ^ 

i 

Jefferson  was  then  president,  and  it  may  have  given  him  pleasure  to 
see  tliis  precept  of  his  pen  take  on  in  this  way  a  new  permanence  and  power. 

In  the  meantime,  May  7,  1800,  an  Act  of  Congress  had  estabhshed  a 
new  territory,  Indiana,  comprising  the  whole  northwest  territory,  outside  of 
the  limits  of  Ohio,  then  slightly  larger  than  at  present. 

The  enabling  act  provided  for  a  government  in  all  respects  similar  "  to 
that  provided  by  the  ordinance  of  Congress  passed  on  the  13th  day  of  July, 
1787." 

Possibl}^  this  establishment  of  a  new  territory  was  brought  about  in 
part  by  efforts  of  the  old  slave-holding  element,  which  was  there  already 
when  the  ordinance  passed,  particularly  at  Vincennes,  where  many  slaves  were 
held.  Certain  it  is  that  that  element  immediately  besought  Congress  to  re- 
move the  anti-slavery  provision,  and  five  times  in  four  years  their  petitions 
to  that  body  were  refused. 

The  most  formidable  of  these  originated  with  Gen.  William  Henry 
Harrison,*  aften^'ards  president  of  the  United  States.     At  that  time,  and 

"  The  section  that  Cutler  prepared  prohibited  slavery  in  the  very  words  of  the 
ordinance;  it  forbade  the  holding,  as  a  servant,  under  pretense  of  indenture  or  otherwise, 
any  male  person  twenty-one  years  of  age,  or  female  person  eighteen  years  of  age,  unless 
such  person  had  entered  into  the  indenture  while  in  a  state  of  perfect  freedom,  and  on  con- 
dition of  a  bojia  fide  consideration,  received  or  to  be  received,  for  the  service;  closing  with 
the  clause :  '  Nor  shall  any  indenture  of  any  negro  or  mulatto,  hereafter  made  and  executed 
out  of  this  state,  or  if  made  in  this  state,  where  the  term  of  service  exceeds  one  year,  be 
of  the  least  validity,  except  those  given  in  the  case  of  apprenticeships.' 

"  After  a  sharp  discussion  in  the  committee  the  section  was  adopted  by  a  majority 
of  one,  five  votes  to  four ;  it  now  went  to  the  convention,  where  several  attempts  were  made 
to  weaken  or  obscure  the  sense  of  the  section  on  its  passage.  In  committee  of  the  whole  a 
material  change  was  introduced.  Cutler  was  imwell  and  so  absent  at  the  time.  '  I  went  to 
the  convention,'  he  continues,  '  and  moved  to  strike  out  the  obnoxious  matter  and  made  my 
objections  as  forcible  as  I  was  able,  and  when  the  vote  was  called  Mr.  Milligan  changed  his 
vote  and  we  succeeded  in  placing  it  in  its  original  state.'  Thus  by  a  majority  of  only  one, 
first  in  the  conmiittee  and  afterwards  in  the  convention  itself,  was  the  attempt  to  fasten  a 
modified  slavery  upon  the  state  of  Ohio  defeated." — Hinsdale's  "  The  Old  Northwest." 

*  William  Henry  Harrison  was  born  within  the  present  limits  of  Virginia,  at  Berkeley, 
Charles  City  county,  February  9,  1773.  He  joined  the  army  in  1792,  and  became  captain  in 
1795.  June  1,  1798,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army  and  was  at  once  appointed  by 
President  John  Adams  secretary  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  under  Gen.  Arthur  S.  Clair  as 
governor.  In  October,  1799,  Harrison  resigned  this  position  to  take  his  seat,  for  a  single  year 
of  service,  as  territorial  delegate  in  Congress.  During  the  session  of  Congress  for  this  year 
part  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was  formed  into  the  territory  of  Indiana,  including  the 
present  states  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  and  Harrison  was  made  its 
governor  and  superintendent  of  Indian  afi'airs.  To  this  post  he  was  reappointed  successively 
b}^  both  Jefferson  and  Madison.  In  1805  he  organized  at  Vincennes  the  legislature  of  the 
territory.  He  was  the  son-in-law  of  John  Cleves  Symmes,  the  founder  of  Cincinnati  and  the 
settlements  in  that  vicinity.  It  was  in  connection  with  his  ever  memorable  campaign  for  the 
presidency,  in  1840,  that  the  name  Buckeye  came  into  general  use,  as  applied  to  the  state  of 
Ohio  and  to  its  most  distinguished  citizen.  The  first  application  of  this  word  to  anything 
except  the  buckeye  tree  was  made  by  the  Indians,  who  were  greatly  impressed  by  the  bearing 
of  Col.  Ebenezer  Sproat,  who  acted  as  high  sheriff  at  the  opening  of  the  first  court  held  in 
the  Northwest  Territory  in  1788  at  Marietta,  O.  He  marched  at  the  head  of  the  procession 
with  drawn  sword.  So  imposing  was  he  in  stature,  and  so  striking  his  dignity,  that  the  In- 
dians cried  out  "  Hetuck,"  or  "  Big  Buckeye."  In  1840  a  Democratic  newspaper  declared 
that  General  Harrison  was  "  better  fitted  to  sit  in  a  log-cabin  and  drink  hard  cider  than  to 
rule  in  the  White  House."  This  expression  was  generally  resented,  and  so  began  the  log- 
cabin  and  hard-cider  campaign.     Log-cabins  sprang  up  all  over  the  state  and  country,  and 

578 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

for  some  years  afterwards,  he  was  governor  of  the  territory,  and  the  petition 
bore  the  endorsement  not  only  of  himself  as  governor,  but  also  of  the  legisla- 
tive council.  It  was  prepared  and  forwarded  in  the  winter  of  1802-3,  and 
set  forth  urgently  the  advantages  which  would  accrue  to  the  ten'itory  from 
immigration  from  the  older  states  if  the  intending  settlers  were  not  deterred 
by  the  necessity  of  first  disposing  of  their  slaves.  The  petition  was  re- 
ferred to  a  committee,  at  the  head  of  which  was  John  Randolph  of  Virginia. 
He  reported  from  this  committee,  March  2,  1803,  the  following  resolution: 
"  Resolved,  That  it  is  inexpedient  to  suspend  for  a  limited  time  the 
operation  of  the  Sixth  Article  of  Compact  between  the  ori^nal  states  and 
the  people  and  states  west  of  the  Ohio." 

The  report  reads  further: 

"  That  the  rapid  population  of  the  state  of  Ohio  sufficiently  evinced  in 
the  opinion  of  your  committee,  that  the  labor  of  slaves  is  not  necessary  to 
promote  the  growth  and  settlement  of  colonies  in  that  region.  That  this 
labor,  demonstrably  the  dearest  of  any,  can  only  be  employed  to  advantage 
in  the  cultivation  of  products  more  valuable  than  any  known  to  that  quarter 
of  the  United  States.  That  the  committee  deem  it  highly  dangerous  and 
inexpedient  to  impair  a  provision  wisely  calculated  to  promote  the  happiness 
and  prosperity  of  the  northwestern  country,  and  to  give  strength  and  se- 
curity to  that  extensive  frontier.  In  the  salutary  operation  of  this  sagacious 
and  bene^4olent  restraint  it  is  believed  that  the  inhabitants  of  Indiana  will,  at 
no  distant  day,  find  ample  remuneration  for  a  temporary  privation  of  labor 
and  of  emigration." 

The  illustration  was  significant  and  the  prediction  just.  Thirty  j'ears 
later  Chief  Justice  Chase,  in  his  preface  to  the  Revised  Statutes  of  Ohio,  thus 
eloquently  refered  to  the  scope  of  the  ordinance  of  1787  and  to  its  actual 
operation : 

"  By  the  ordinance  of  1785,  Congress  had  executed  in  part  the  great 
national  trust  confided  to  it,  by  providing  for  the  disposal  of  the  public  lands 
for  the  common  good,  and  by  prescribing  the  manner  and  terms  of  sale. 
And  by  that  of  1787  provision  was  made  for  successful  forms  of  territorial 

were  even  carried  in  political  processions.  The  first  of  these,  which  became  a  model  for 
many  others,  was  built  of  buckeye  logs.  It  was  filled,  roof  and  all,  with  enthusiastic  Buck- 
eye boys,  who  sang  lustily: 

"  O  what,  tell  me  what,  is  to  be  your  cabin's  fate  ? 
We'll  wheel  it  to  the  Capitol,  and  place  it  there  elate 
For  a  token  and  a  sign  of  the  Bonnie  Buckeye  state." 

The  campaign  was  intensely  exciting,  and  the  buckeye  figured  in  it  largely.  Myriads 
of  men  shouted  for  General  Harrison: 

"  Hurrah  for  the  father  of  the  Great  West, 
For  the  Buckeye  who  follows  the  plow." 

General  Harrison  was  indeed  a  "  Big  Buckeye."  His  "  Big  Buckeye  "  grandson  now 
worthily  fills  the  presidential  chair,  which  he  himself  filled  for  a  period  all  too  brief. 

579 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

government,  adapted  to  successive  steps  of  advancement  in  the  settlement 
of  the  western  country.  It  comprehended  an  inteUigible  system  of  law  on 
the  descent  and  conveyance  of  real  property  and  the  transfer  of  personal 
goods.  It  also  contained  five  articles  of  compact  between  the  original  states 
and  the  people  and  states  of  the  territory,  establishing  certain  great  funda- 
mental principles  of  governmental  duty  and  private  right  as  the  basis  of 
all  future  constitutions  and  legislation,  unalterable  and  indestructible  ex- 
cept by  that  final  and  common  ruin  which,  as  it  has  overtaken  all  former 
systems   of  human   polity,   may   yet   overwhelm   our  American   union. 

"  Never,  probably,  in  the  history  of  the  world  did  a  measure  of  legisla- 
tion so  accurately  fuliill  and  yet  so  mightily  exceed  the  anticipations  of  the 
legislators.  The  ordinance  has  been  well  described  as  having  been  a  pillar 
of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night  in  the  settlement  and  government  of 
the  northwestern  states.  When  the  settlers  went  into  the  wilderness  they 
found  the  law  already  there.  It  was  impressed  upon  the  soil  itself,  while 
it  yet  bore  up  nothing  but  the  forest.  The  purchaser  of  land  became  by  that 
act  a  party  to  the  compact  and  bound  by  its  perpetual  covenants,  so  far 
as  its  conditions  did  not  conflict  with  the  terms  of  the  cessions  of  the  states. 


"  This  remarkable  instrument  was  the  last  gift  of  the  Congress  of  the 
old  confederation  to  the  country,  and  it  was  a  fit  consummation  of  their 
glorious  labors.  At  the  time  of  its  promulgation  the  federal  constitution 
was  under  discussion  in  the  convention,  and  in  a  few  months,  upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  new  national  government,  that  Congress  was  dissolved,  never 
again  to  reassemble.  Some,  and  indeed  most,  of  the  principles  established 
by  the  articles  of  compact  are  to  be  found  in  the  plan  of  1784  and  in  the 
various  English  and  American  bills  of  rights.  Others,  however,  and  these 
not  the  least  important,  are  original.  Of  this  number  are  the  clauses  in  rela- 
tion to  contracts,  to  slavery,  and  to  the  Indians.  On  the  whole,  these  articles 
contain  what  they  profess  to  contain,  the  true  theory  of  American  liberty. 
The  great  principles  promulgated  by  it  are  wholly,  purely  American.  They 
are,  indeed,  the  genuine  principles  of  freedom  unadulterated  by  that  compro- 
mise with  circumstances,  the  effects  of  which  are  visible  in  the  constitution 
and  history  of  the  union." 

Five  years  after  this,  in  an  address  delivered  on  the  semi-centennial  of 
the  ordinance.  Judge  Timothy  Walker  eulogizes  the  wonderful  fact  that  in 
spite  of  the  great  interests  and  wide  areas  which  for  half  a  century  it  had 
controlled,  not  one  of  them  all  had  ever  made  necessary  an  amendment  of 
the  ordinance.     Judge  Walker,  speaking  at  Cincinnati  in  1837,  said: 

"  Upon  the  surpassing  excellence  of  this  ordinance  no  language  of 
panegyric  would  be  extravagant.  It  approaches  as  nearly  to  absolute  per- 
fection as  anything  to  be  found  in  the  legislation  of  mankind;  for  after  the 
experience  of  fifty  years  it  would,  perhaps,  be  impossible  to  alter  without 
marring  it.     In  short,  it  is  one  of  those  matchless  specimens  of  sagacious 

580 


i 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

forecast  which  even  the  reckless  spirit  of  innovation  would  not  venture  to 
assail.  The  emigrant  knew  beforehand  that  this  was  a  land  of  the  highest 
political  as  well  as  national  promise,  and  under  the  auspices  of  another  Moses 
he  journeyed  with  confidence  towards  his  new  Canaan." 

Eai'lier  than  either  of  these,  in  the  speech  to  which  Hayne  replied  and 
wliich  was  followed  by  the  wonderful  "  Reply  to  Hayne,"  Webster  had  said : 

"  We  are  accustomed  to  praise  the  lawyers  of  antiquity ;  we  help  to 
perpetuate  the  fame  of  Solon  and  Lycurgus;  but  I  doubt  whether  one  single 
law  of  any  lawgiver,  ancient  or  modern,  has  produced  effects  of  more  dis- 
tinct, marked  and  lasting  character  than  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  We  see 
its  consequences  at  this  moment,  and  we  shall  never  cease  to  see  them,  per- 
haps, while  the  Ohio  shall  flow." 

Senator  George  F.  Hoar,  of  Massachusetts,  brought  his  admirable  and 
eloquent  oration  at  the  jNIarietta  centennial  to  this  conclusion : 

"  We  stand  by  the  graves  of  great  soldiers  of  the  War  of  Independence. 
This  is  the  centennial  of  the  state  within  whose  borders  were  bom  Grant,  and 
Sherman,  and  Sheridan,  and  Garfield.  The  men  of  the  Revolution  fought 
that  the  principles  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787  might  become  living  realities. 
The  great  captains  of  the  late  war  fought  that  the  compact  might  be  kept 
and  forever  remain  unalterable.  The  five  states  of  the  northwest  sent  nearly 
a  million  soldiers  into  the  war  for  the  Union.  *  *  *  It  is  this  that  makes 
the  birthday  of  Ohio  another  birthday  of  the  nation  itself.  Forever  honored 
be  Marietta  as  another  Plymouth.  The  Ordinance  belongs  with  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  and  the  constitution.  It  is  one  of  the  three  title-deeds 
of  American  constitutional  liberty.  As  the  American  youth  for  uncounted 
centuries  shall  visit  the  capital  of  his  country,  *  *  *  he  will  admire 
the  evidences  of  its  grandeur  and  the  monuments  of  its  historic  glory, 
*  *  *  but  if  he  know  his  country's  history  and  consider  wisely  the  sources 
of  her  glor}^,  nothing  will  so  stir  his  heart  as  two  fading  and  time-soiled 
papers,  whose  characters  were  traced  by  the  hands  of  the  fathers  a  hundred 
years  ago.  They  are  original  records  of  the  acts  which  devoted  this  nation 
forever  to  equality,  to  education,  to  religion,  and  to  liberty.  One  is  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  the  other  the  Ordinance  of  1787." 

The  last  report  of  one  of  these  Indiana  petitions  for  removal  of  the 
anti-slavery  prohibition  of  the  ordinance  was  made  to  the  senate  in  November, 
1807,  by  Mr.  Franklin,  of  North  Carolina,  upon  a  petition  from  the  legisla- 
tive council  and  house  of  representatives.  The  report  was  adverse  and  was 
concuiTcd  in  by  the  senate  without  a  dissenting  vote. 

This  virtuall}''  ended  the  conflict.  The  eastern  portion  of  the  Indiana 
tenntory  filled  up  rapidly  with  settlers  from  Ohio  and  the  north,  and  when, 
in  1816,  that  eastern  portion  came  to  be  the  state,  its  constitution  bore  the 
seal  of  the  great  ordinance  that  there  should  be  "  neither  slavery  nor  in- 
voluntary servitude,  except  for  crime." 

In  Illinois  there  was  the  same  struggle,  with  more  peril  as  to  the  result. 

The  pro-slavery  element  in  that  portion  of  the  northwest  ten'itory  was 

581 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

even  stronger  and  more  violent  than  it  had  been  in  Indiana.  In  spite  of  the 
provision  of  the  enabling  act  that  the  new  constitution  should  conform  to 
the  requirements  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  this  element  made  strenuous 
efforts,  in  the  campaign  for  the  election  of  delegates  to  the  convention,  and 
aftenvards  in  that  body,  to  secure  a  constitution  that  did  not  inhibit  slavery. 
It  failed;  and  in  1818,  once  more  came  into  being  a  new  state,  having  the 
old  certificate  of  lineage,  in  a  constitution  which  provided  that  within  its 
boundaries  there  should  be  "  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  ex- 
cept for  crime." 

Once  in  the  Union  as  a  state,  the  state  of  Illinois  was  free  to  amend  its 
constitution  with  regard  to  slavery  as  was  any  other  state.  The  slave  power 
was  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  this  liberty,  and  in  1824;  a  tremendous 
effort  was  made  to  secure  a  new  constitutional  convention  with  that  end  in 
view.  The  rival  candidates  for  governor  were  nominated  on  that  issue. 
The  struggle  was  intense,  but  the  call  for  a  convention  was  defeated.  This 
result  was  large  due  to  Edward  Coles,  whom  I  have  already  mentioned.  He 
was  the  anti-slavery  candidate  for  governor,  and  was  elected. 

Thirty  years  afterwards — in  1856 — in  his  "  History  of  the  Ordinance 
of  1787,"  he  refers  to  his  own  part  in  that  struggle  as  his  consolation  in  old 
age,  at  the  same  time  that  with  prophetic  foreboding,  referring  to  the  or- 
dinance, he  says:  "  Since  its  principles  were  repudiated  in  1854  we  have 
had  nothing  but  contention,  riots  and  threats,  if  not  the  awful  realities  of 
civil  war."* 

The  subject  matter  of  those  apprehensions,  which  he  thus  expressed,  is 
part  of  that  later  history  of  the  ordinance  which  most  concerns  ourselves. 
In  1837  its  illustrious  phrase  was  stamped  upon  the  constitution  of  Michigan, 
and  in  1848  upon  that  of  Wisconsin.  The  five  states  of  the  northwest 
ten-itory  were  thus  all  made  bright  with  freedom,  like  the  five  points  of  a 
star,  and  the  whole  area  made  radiant  with  the  welfare  of  a  free  people. 

Long  before  this  the  ordinance  itself  had  entered  on  a  new  career. 

From  the  first  beginning  of  a  feeling  of  opposition  between  the  states 
upon  the  slavery  question,  that  feeling  took  the  form  of  jealousy  over  the 
relative  number  of  the  slave  and  free  states  which  should  be  admitted  into 
the  Union  and  should  thus  give  to  one  side  or  the  other  a  preponderance  in 
Congress. 

The  province  of  Congress  to  control  the  slavery  question  in  the  terri- 
tories was  determined  by  the  fact  that  in  law  the  slavery  question  is  a  question 
of  property  right.  A  person  who  is  a  slave  is,  in  the  contemplation  of  the 
law,  the  property  of  some  one  else.  In  the  states,  the  care  and  province  of 
the  state  include  all  rights  of  person  and  of  property;  the  province  of  the 
federal  government  includes  all  interstate  and  international  relations.  In  the 
territories,  however,  the  province  of  the  federal  government  includes,  also, 

*  Vide  p.  68.  Ck)les  died  in  1868,  having  first  lived  throusrh  the  storm  of  those  realities 
to  see  the  same  repudiated  principles,  in  their  time-honored  phrases,  restored  and  made  ap- 
plicable to  the  whole  United  States.  He  was  a  Virpnian,  who  had  set  his  owti  slaves  free, 
and  had  given  to  each  head  of  a  family  160  acres  of  land. 

582 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  rights  of  person  and  of  property,  hence  Congress  controlled  there  the 
question  of  the  right  to  property  in  slaves. 

For  a  time  this  question  was  easily  disposed  of.  South  of  the  Ohio  the 
settlers  in  territory  not  included  in  the  states  generally  held  slaves,  while  in 
the  territory  north  of  the  Ohio  there  were  none.  By  tacit  agreement  new 
states  were  admitted  from  alternate  sides  of  the  river.  In  this  way  came  in 
Louisiana  (1812),  Indiana  (1816),  Mississippi  (1817),  Illinois  (1818), 
Alabama  (1819),  and  Maine  (1820).  The  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi 
thus  exhausted,  Missouri  the  same  year  came  knocking  at  the  door.  This 
raised  a  stonny  question.  What  of  the  whole  vast  territory  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi.?  That  was  settled  by  the  famous  "Missouri  Compromise,"  an  act 
of  Congress  approved  March  6,  1820,  entitled:  "An  Act  *  *  *  to 
Prohibit  Slavery  in  Certain  Territories,"  which  in  its  eighth  section  applies 
the  language  of  the  ordinance  of  1787  to  the  territory  westward  of  the 
Mississippi : 

"  That  in  all  that  territory  ceded  by  France  to  the  United  States,  under 
the  name  of  Louisiana,  which  lies  north  of  36°  SO'  north  latitude  not  in- 
cluded within  the  limits  of  the  state  contemplated  by  this  act,  slavery  and 
kivoluntary  servitude,  otherwise  than  in  'punishment  of  crimes  whereof  the 
parties  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall  he  and  is  hei'eby  forever  pro- 
hibited: Provided  always  that  any  person  escaping  into  the  same  from  whom 
labor  or  service  is  lawfully  claimed  in  any  state  or  territory  of  the  United 
States,  such  fugitive  may  be  lawfully  reclaimed,  and  conveyed  to  the  person 
claiming  his  or  her  labor  or  service  as  aforesaid." 

This  meant  that  it  had  been  agreed  upon  in  Congress  that  the  line  of 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  northwest  territory  should  be  prolonged  due 
west  to  the  Pacific,  and  that  new  states,  free  and  slave  alternately  from 
north  and  south  of  that  line,  should  be  admitted  as  before.  Upon  the  passage 
of  this  act  John  Quincy  Adams  wrote  to  his  wife : 

"  If  the  Union  must  be  dissolved,  the  slavery  question  is  precisely  the 
question  on  which  it  ought  to  break.  For  the  present,  however,  that  question 
is  laid  to  sleep." 

It  was  supposed,  and  correctly,  on  both  sides,  that  the  territories, 
when  they  became  states,  would  adopt  or  exclude  slavery  in  accordance,  in 
each  instance,  with  their  territorial  condition.  Hence  it  was  that,  on  the 
adoption  of  this  compromise,  Mr.  Adams  regarded  the  question  as  "  laid 
to  sleep."  If  there  was  sleep,  however,  it  was  troubled  sleep,  not  rest. 
Florida  and  Iowa  and  Arkansas  and  Oregon,  it  is  true,  came  in  respectively 
without  contention.  The  acquisition  of  Texas  and  Mexico's  teri'itorial  con- 
cessions tended  to  disturb  the  equilibrium  by  greatly  enlarging  the  territory 
south  of  the  dividing  line.  California  was  a  cause  of  contest,  involved  with 
which  were  also  the  applications  of  New  Mexico  and  Utah  for  ten-itorial 
governments. 

In  1854  these  troubles  culminated  in  the  passage  through  Congress  and 
approval  by  the  president  of  the  "  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,"  by  which  the  Con- 

583 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

gress  of  the  United  States  for  the  first  time  withdrew  the  protection  of  the 
ordinance  from  territory  which  the  flag  with  its  inscription  had  once  covered. 
The  repeal  was  in  these  words : 

"  The  eighth  section  of  the  act  preparatory  to  the  admission  of  Missouri 
into  the  Union,  approved  March  6,  1820,  which,  being  inconsistent  with  the 
principle  of  non-intervention  by  Congress  with  slavery  in  the  states  and 
ten-itories,  as  recognized  by  the  legislation  of  1850,  commonly  called  the 
compromise  measures,  is  hereby  declared  inoperative  and  void." 

I  was  a  student  in  Yale  College  at  the  time.  I  remember  that  the  church 
bells  in  New  Haven  were  tolled  as  for  a  funeral  when  the  act  of  repeal  was 
passed.  My  father  and  mother  were  Virginians.  They  set  their  slaves  free 
when  they  were  married,  and  began  life  in  a  free  state,  but  my  early  asso- 
ciations and  my  relatives  were  largely  in  the  south.  I  was  provoked  by  what 
seemed  to  me  so  much  uncalled-for  and  jealous  feeling.  To-day  those  bells 
sound  in  my  memory  as  the  prophetic  knell,  I  need  not  tell  you  of  how  many 
or  of  whom.  Nor  need  I  here  trace  out  for  you  how  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  arose  from  that  appeal. 

It  is  better  to  turn  from  these  memories  to  the  more  pleasing  contem- 
plation of  the  majesty  with  which  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  as  so  many  children 
of  the  ordinance,  each  bearing  on  its  constitution  the  inscription  that  there 
should  be  "  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  except  for  crime," 
came  to  the  rescue  of  the  Union.  More  than  a  million  soldiers  enlisted  on 
the  side  of  freedom  from  these  seven  states.  The  influence  of  the  ordinance 
in  fixing  the  character  of  those  states  has  been  made  plain  to  you.  Perhaps 
their  soldiers  turned  the  scale;  there  were  enough  of  them  for  that.  In  view 
of  the  repealing  act  of  1854,  it  was  the  very  poetry  of  justice,  when  the 
victory  came,  to  go  back  to  the  Ordinance  of  1787 ;  to  take  those  words 
which,  in  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  act,  it  was  decreed,  should  be  "  inopera- 
tive and  void,"  and  to  declare  of  those  words  that  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  in  all  places  under  their  jurisdiction,  they  should  be  forever  in 
full  force. 

The  circumstances  which  attended  this  transaction  deserve  notice.  On 
March  6,  1862,  a  special  message  of  President  Lincoln  had  urged  upon  Con- 
gress the  adoption  of  a  joint  resolution  pledging  the  co-operation  of  the 
United  States,  by  both  pecuniary  aid  and  appropriate  legislation,  "  with 
any  state  which  may  adopt  the  gradual  abolishment  of  slavery  " — the  special 
idea  in  this  being  that  the  acceptance  of  it  by  the  border  states  would  cut 
off  from  the  South  all  hope  that  these  states  would  ever  join  in  demanding 
the  preservation  of  slaver3^  This  suggestion  the  senate  had  adopted  by  a 
vote  of  thirty-two  to  ten.  Other  like  proposals  had  been  brought  forward 
and  considered  in  that  body.  There  had  been  also  some  propositions  in  the 
house.  No  legislation,  however,  was  perfected,  and  the  full  weight  of  the 
situation  was  left  to  be  devolved  upon  the  president,  so  far  as  concerned  the 
question  of  slavery  in  the  states.     An  act  of  Congress,  approved  June  19> 

584) 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

1862,  enacted  that  from  that  date  in  any  territory  in  the  United  States 
there  should  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  except  for  crime. 
A  month  later,  July  19th,  the  president  approved  another  act,  which  author- 
ized the  enlistment  of  colored  men  as  soldiers,  and  provided  that  no  fugitive 
slave  should  be  suiTendercd  by  any  person  in  the  mihtary  or  naval  service ;  but 
that  all  slaves  of  rebels  coming  into  the  possession  or  under  the  protection  of 
tlic  government  should  be  free.  This  march  of  events  was  quickened  by  the 
national  success  of  September  17th,  in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  and  on  the 
22d  of  that  month  President  Lincoln  issued  his  emancipation  proclamation. 
The  United  States  was  now  fully  and  finally  committed  to  the  principle  em- 
bodied in  the  ordinance,  and  there  remained  only  to  fix  that  policy  forever  by 
embedding  it  in  the  organic  law. 

On  December  14,  1863,  in  the  second  week  of  the  first  session  of  the 
thirty-eighth  Congress,  directly  after  the  Speaker  had  announced  the  stand- 
ing committees  and  during  the  call  of  states  for  bills  on  leave  and  joint  reso- 
lutions, both  Mr.  Stevens  and  Mr.  Ashley,  having  introduced  bills  for  the 
repeal  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act,  there  followed  the  motion  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  the  record: 

"  Mr.  Ashley  also  introduced  a  bill  to  provide  for  the  submission  to  the 
several  states  of  a  proposition  to  amend  the  national  constitution  prohibiting 
slavery,  or  involuntary  servitude,  in  all  of  the  states  and  territories  now 
owned  or  which  may  be  hereafter  acquired  by  the  United  States."* 

Mr.  Ashley  further  introduced  a  joint  resolution  to  authorize  the  en- 
listment of  colored  citizens  in  the  rebellious  districts;  Mr.  Love  joy  brought 
in  a  very  radical  bill  for  giving  effect  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
in  the  matter  of  the  rights  of  colored  persons ;  and  Mr.  Arnold  proposed  a 
measure  in  aid  of  the  execution  of  President  Lincoln's  proclamation  of  eman- 
cipation. To  these  proposals  Mr.  Wilson  added  one  for  a  joint  resolution 
providing  for  the  adoption  by  the  states  of  an  amendment  to  the  constitution 
declaring  that  "  Slavery,  being  incompatible  with  a  free  government,  is 
forever  prohibited  in  the  United  States ;  and  involuntary  ser\-itude  shall  be 
permitted  only  as  a  punishment  for  crime." 

Both  Mr.  Ashley's  proposal  and  Mr.  Wilson's  were  referred  to  the  ju- 
diciary committee.  No  action  was  taken  thereon  before  a  joint  resolution 
came  from  the  senate,  which  became  through  the  action  of  the  house,  the 
amendment  for  universal  liberty  everywhere  in  the  United  States. 

The  initiation  in  the  senate  of  this  grand  completion  of  liberty  in 
America  was  due  to  John  B.  Henderson,  a  senator  of  Missouri,  who  was  at 
every  stage  of  the  great  struggle  conspicuous  for  the  courage,  sagacity 
and  unwaA^ering  confidence  with  which  he  accepted,  on  behalf  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  border  states,  whatever  the  new  progress  of  the  nation  into 
light  and  liberty  required.  It  was  on  the  11th  of  Januari,'^,  1864,  that  Mr. 
Henderson  introduced  in  the  senate  a  joint  resolution  providing  for  an 
amendment,  of  which  Article  I  was  to  be: 

*  Congressional  Globe,  1st  Sess.  38th  Congress,  page  19. 

585 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  Slavery  or  involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for  crime, 
shall  not  exist  in  the  United  States."* 

Mr.  Sumner  also  introduced,  February  8th,  a  resolution  providing  for 
a  constitutional  amendment  declaring  that,  "  Everywhere  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States,  and  of  each  state  or  territory  thereof,  aJl 
persons  are  equal  before  the  law,  so  that  no  person  can  hold  another  as  a 
slave." 

On  February  10,  1864,  Mr.  Trumbull,  from  the  judiciai'y  committee  of 
the  senate,  to  which  these  propositions  had  been  referred,  reported  adversely 
upon  Mr.  Sumner's,  but  returned  Mr.  Henderson's  altered  to  read  in  its 
chief  section: 

"  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for 
crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall  exist  within 
the  United  States,  or  any  place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction." 

The  identical  paper  upon  which  Mr.  Henderson  had  written  his  resolu- 
tion was  returned  by  the  judiciary  committee  to  the  senate,  with  the  altered 
wording  of  the  chief  section.  To  this  had  been  also  added  the  second  section 
as  it  now  stands. f 

The  question  of  the  resolution  thus  reported  came  up  in  the  senate  on 
the  28th  of  March,  and  on  April  8th,  after  a  vigorous  debate,  and  fierce  oppo- 
sition, the  resolution  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  38  to  6. 

Mr.  Sumner  obj  ected  in  the  debate  to  the  retention  of  the  language  of  the 
Ordinance  of  1787,  and  in  reply  to  him  Mr.  Howard,  of  Michigan,  pro- 
tested that  he  preferred 

— "  to  go  back  to  the  good  old  Anglo-Saxon  language  employed  by  our 
fathers  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  an  expression  which  has  been  adjudicated 
upon  repeatedly,  which  is  perfectly  well  understood  both  by  the  public  and 
by  judicial  tribunals;  a  phrase,  I  may  say  further,  which  is  peculiarly  near 
and  dear  to  the  people  of  the  northwestern  territory,  from  whose  soil  slavery 
was  excluded  by  it." 

The  resolution  thus  adopted  by  the  senate  came  up  in  the  house  on 
May  31,  1864,  and  excited  there,  along  with  zealous  and  powerful  support, 
the  most  rancorous  opposition,  with  the  result,  on  coming  to  a  vote,  June  15, 
of  93  in  its  favor,  to  65  against,  and  23  not  voting;  a  victory  which  fell 
short  of  the  two-thirds  requisite  for  initiating  an  amendment  to  the  constitu- 
tion.    Mr.  Ashley,  not  to  lose  what  had  been  gained  by  the  action  of  the 


*  Congressional  Globe,  1st  Sess.  38th  Congress,  page  145. 

f  As  to  this  second  section,  Mr.  Henderson  writes  me: 

"Judge  Trumbull,  chairman  of  the  judiciary  conmiittee,  thought  it  advisable,  before 
reporting  the  Thirteenth  Amendment,  to  give  express  power  to  Congress  to  '  carry  out  the 
amendment.'  This  suggestion  came  out  of  the  difB.culties  of  construction  as  to  the  powers 
of  Congress  touching  certain  provisions  of  the  constitution  as  originally  framed.  And  after 
consultation  with  me,  he  added,  before  reporting  back,  the  words  giving  Congress  express 
power  to  enforce  the  amendment.  We  both  agreed  that  these  words  did  not  add  to  nor 
detract  from  the  meaning  or  force  of  the  amendment  as  originally  drawn,  but  thought  it 
better  to  insert  them  in  order  to  exclude  all  possibility  of  adverse  argument  as  to  the  power 
of  Congress  to  enforce  by  legislation  the  express  words  of  the  amendment." 

586 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

sciicate,  and  having  changed  his  vote  to  the  negative  for  the  purpose,  moved 
a  reconsideration  of  the  vote  of  the  house,  and,  pending  action  upon  this,  the 
session  came  to  an  end. 

The  second  session  of  the  thirty-eighth  Congress  began  December  5, 
1864,  and  in  his  annual  message  President  Lincohi,  after  stating  that  an 
"  attempted  march  of  three  hundred  miles  directly  through  the  insurgent 
region  "  was  in  course  of  execution  by  General  Sherman,  urged  consideration 
and  adoption  of  the  Henderson  joint  resolution  upon  the  grounds  which  he 
thus  presented: 

"  Important  movements  have  occurred  during  the  year  to  the  effect  of 
moulding  society  for  durability  in  the  Union.  Although  short  of  complete 
success,  it  is  much  in  the  right  direction  that  12,000  citizens  in  each  of  the 
states  of  Arkansas  and  Louisiana  have  organized  loyal  state  governments 
with  free  constitutions,  and  are  earnestly  struggling  to  maintain  and  admin- 
ister them.  The  movements  in  the  same  direction — more  extensive  though 
less  definite — in  ]\Iissouri,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  should  not  be  overlooked. 
But  Maryland  presents  the  example  of  complete  success.  Maryland  is 
secure  to  liberty  and  union  for  all  the  future.  The  genius  of  rebellion  wiU  no 
more  claim  Maryland.  Like  another  foul  spirit,  being  driven  out,  it  may 
seek  to  tear  her,  but  it  will  woo  her  no  more. 

"  At  the  last  session  of  Congress,  a  proposed  amendment  of  the  consti- 
tution abolishing  slavery  throughout  the  United  States  passed  the  senate, 
but  failed  for  lack  of  the  requisite  two-thirds  vote  in  the  house  of  representa- 
tives. Although  the  present  is  the  same  Congress  and  nearly  the  same  mem- 
bers, and  without  questioning  the  wisdom  or  patriotism  of  those  who'  stood 
in  opposition,  I  venture  to  recommend  the  reconsideration  and  passage  of  the 
measure  at  the  present  session.  Of  course,  the  abstract  question  is  not 
changed,  but  an  intervening  election  shows  almost  certainly  that  the  next 
Congress  will  pass  the  measure  if  this  does  not.  Hence,  there  is  only  a 
question  of  time  as  to  when  the  proposed  amendment  wiU  go  to  the  states  for 
their  action.  And  as  it  is  to  so  go,  at  all  events,  may  we  not  agree  that  the 
sooner  the  better.''  It  is  not  claimed  that  the  election  has  imposed  a  duty  on 
members  to  change  their  views  or  their  votes  any  further  than,  as  an  addi- 
tional element  to  be  considered,  their  judgment  may  be  affected  by  it.  It  is 
the  voice  of  the  people  now,  for  the  first  time,  heard  upon  the  question.  In 
a  great  national  crisis  like  ours,  unanimity  of  action  among  those  seeking  a 
common  end  is  very  desirable — almost  indispensable.  And  yet  no  approach 
to  such  unanimity  is  attainable  unless  some  deference  shall  be  paid  to  the 
will  of  the  majority  simply  because  it  is  the  will  of  the  majority.  In  this 
case  the  common  end  is  the  maintenance  of  the  Union;  and  among  the  means 
to  secure  that  end,  such  will,  through  the  election,  is  most  clearly  declared  in 
favor  of  such  constitutional  amendment." 

On  January  6,  1865,  Mr,  Ashley  called  up  his  motion  to  reconsider  the 
vote  upon  the  Henderson  resolution.     In  the  debate  which  followed  not  a  few 

587 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

former  opponents  were  supporters  of  the  measure,*  although  the  opposition 
was  still  determined  and  bitter,  and  on  the  28th  of  January  the  motion  for 
reconsideration  was  carried,  and  the  final  passage  of  the  Henderson  resolution 
accomplished,  by  a  vote  of  119  in  its  favor  to  56  against,  and  8  not  voting.f 

*  The  following  nine  representatives  changed  on  this  vote  from  opponents  to  supporters: 

Augustus  C.  Baldwin,  Michigan; 

Alexander  H.  Coffroth,  Pennsylvania; 

Archibald  McAllister,  Pennsylvania; 

James  E.  English,  Connecticut; 

Anson  Herrick,  New  York. 

William  Radford,  New  York; 

John  B.  Steele,  New  York; 

Austin  A.  King,  Missouri; 

James  G.  Rollins,  Missouri. 

f  Of  this  vote  Governor  Ashley  has  well  said:  "If  the  vote  is  analyzed,  it  will  be  seeii 
that  of  the  119  votes  recorded  for  the  amendment  thirteen  (13)  were  by  men  from  the  border 
states,  and  eleven  (11)  were  by  Democrats  from  the  free  states.  If  but  three  (3)  out  of 
the  twenty-four  (24)  who  voted  with  us  had  voted  against  the  amendment  it  would  have 
failed.  If  but  four  (4)  of  the  eight  (8)  members  who  were  absent  had  appeared  and  voted 
against,  it  would  have  been  lost.  Had  all  the  Northern  Democrats  who  supported  the 
amendment  voted  against,  it  would  have  been  defeated  by  twenty-six  (26)  votes.  Had  all 
the  border-state  men  who  voted  for  it  voted  against,  it  would  have  failed  by  thirty-two 
(32)  votes. 

"If  the  border-state  men  and  Northern  Democrats  who  voted  for  the  amendment  had 
voted  against,  it  would  have  failed  by  sixty-five  (65)  votes. 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  was  especially  delighted  at  the  vote  which  the  amendment  received  from 
the  border  slave  states,  and  frequently  congratulated  me  on  that  result. 

"  Bancroft,  the  historian,  has  drawn  with  a  graphic  pen  the  character  of  many  of  the 
able  and  illustrious  men  of  the  Revolution  which  achieved  our  independence.  In  writing 
of  George  Mason,  of  Virginia,  he  said:  'His  sincerity  made  him  wise  and  bold,  modest  and 
unchanging,  with  a  scorn  for  anything  mean  and  cowardly,  as  illustrated  in  his  unselfish 
attachment  to  human  freedom.'  And  these  identical  qualities  of  head  and  heart  were  pre- 
eminently conspicuous  in  all  the  border  statesmen  who  voted  for  the  Tliirteenth  Amend- 
ment. 

"  It  would  be  difficult  in  any  age  or  country  to  find  grander  or  more  unselfish  and 
patriotic  men  than  Henry  Winter  Davis  and  Governor  Francis  Thomas,  of  Maryland,  or 
James  S.  Rollins,  ^Frank  P.  Blair  and  Governor  King,  of  Missouri,  or  George  H.  Yeaman, 
of  Kentucky,  or  N.  P.  Smithers,  of  Delaware.  And  not  less  worthy  of  mention,  for  their 
unchanging  fidelity  to  principle,  are  all  the  Northern  Democrats  who  voted  for  the  amend- 
ment, prominent  among  whom  I  may  name  Governor  English,  of  Connecticut;  Judge 
Homer  A.  Nelson  and  Moses  S.  OdeU,  of  New  York;  Archibald  McAllister,  of  Pennsylvania; 
Wells  A.  Hutchins,  of  Ohio,  and  A.  C.  Baldwin,  of  Michigan. 

"Of  the  twenty-four  (24)  border-state  and  Northern  men  who  made  up  this  majority, 
which  enabled  us  to  win  this  victory,  all  had  defied  their  party  discipline,  and  had  delib- 
erately and  with  unfaltering  faith  marched  to  their  political  death.  These  are  the  men 
whom  our  future  historians  will  honor,  and  to  whom  this  nation  owes  a  debt  of  eternal 
gratitude." 

One  of  these  men,  thus  worthy  of  lasting  honor,  was  the  Hon.  George  H.  Yeaman,  of 
Kentucky.  At  the  risk  of  transgressing  somewhat  the  privacy  of  personal  correspondence 
I  venture  to  give  the  following  extract  from  a  descriptive  letter  which,  some  time  ago,  he 
wrote  to  me  at  my  request: 

"  The  amendment  abolishing  slavery  in  the  United  States  had  been  introduced,  and 
was  approaching  a  vote  in  1865.  My  first  resolution  was  not  to  dodge,  but  to  face  the 
responsibility.  There  was  still  a  strong  Union  element  in  my  district,  but  I  believed  that 
the  changes  had  been  such  that,  on  a  full  vote,  the  '  Southern  Sympathizers '  (which  was 
then  the  name)  would  outnumber  them,  and  I  knew  that  those  then  ready  for  actual  emanci- 
pation were  only  a  small  minority.  My  table  was  groaning  under  piles  of  letters  from 
friends  and  Unionists — none  from  opponents — only  two  or  three  letters  suggesting  that  as 
slavery  was  inevitably  doomed,  why  not  let  it  go  now  and  be  done  with  it.     The  great 

588 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

The  educating  influence  of  the  war  had  effected  this  great  change.  The 
widest  interest  and  the  most  intense  feehng  had  watched  and  waited  for  the 
sea]  of  the  final  affirmative  of  the  house  upon  the  senate's  proposition,  which 
was  inspired  by  the  noblest  sentiments  of  humanity.  A  great  audience 
crowded  the  galleries  and  every  place  of  access.  The  senators,  members  of 
the  cabinet  and  judges  of  the  supreme  court  were  on  the  floor  of  the  house 
also  to  watch  the  issue  of  the  roll  call.  When  the  speaker  announced  the  re- 
sult, less  than  one-third  against  and  more  than  two-thirds  for,  there  was  an 
uproar  of  delight.  When  this  had  lessened,  Mr.  Ingersoll,  of  Illinois,  said: 
"  In  honor  of  this  immortal  and  sublime  event  I  move  that  the  house  do  now 
adjourn."  This  commemorative  motion  passed  with  delighted  approval. 
The  requisite  acceptance  of  the  proposed  amendment  by  the  several  states, 
and  the  official  announcement  of  this  fact  by  the  Hon.  William  H.  Seward, 
secretary  of  state,  December  18,  1865,  fixed  the  Thirteenth  Amendment  in 


majority  contained  earnest  warnings  against  making  a  mistake,  being  too  far  in  advance  of 
the  people,  and  against  spoiling  what  they  felt  were  unusually  promising  political  prospects. 

"  Now,  you  see  the  strain.  In  a  small  way  a  slaveholder  (no  real  pecuniary  interest 
imperiled)  representing  a  slave-holding  and  abolition-hating  community,  elected  on  the  plat- 
form of  '  the  constitution  as  it  is,  the  Union  as  it  was,'  knowing  perfectly  well  what  was 
right  and  what  ought  to  be  done,  knowing  that  away  down  in  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  had 
always  been  against  the  institution,  because  I  knew  it  was  wrong;  yet  with  a  fair  prospect 
of  coming  back  to  Congress  if  I  voted  against  the  amendment. 

"  This  narration  would  not  be  truthful  if  I  were  to  say  that  I  did  not  hesitate.  I  claim 
no  such  credit.  I  was  troubled,  I  thought  much,  and  I  felt  much.  There  seemed  to  be  an 
idea  in  the  house  that  I  was  doubtful  and  was  suffering  a  pretty  severe  ordeal.  I  must  do 
opponents  of  the  amendment  the  justice  to  say  that  not  one  of  them  approached  me  to  'talk 
it  over.'  Only  one,  Henry  Winter  Davis,  came  from  the  friends  of  the  amendment.  His 
manner  was  delicate,  discreet  and  so  extremely  deferential,  while  earnest,  that  it  convinced 
me  he  had  read  my  thoughts  in  my  countenance.  He  talked  very  much  as  he  would  to  a 
friend  in  sorrow.  I  gently  put  him  off  with  the  assurance  that  I  was  considering  the  matter 
with  all  the  care  and  earnestness  a  man  could  give  to  any  question.  Just  because  he  had 
walked  across  the  house  to  talk  to  me  about  it  my  pride  prevented  me  from  telling  him 
that  I  had  already  found  that  I  could  not  keep  the  peace  with  my  own  conscience,  could  not 
preserve  my  own  self-respect,  without  voting  in  the  affirmative.  If  I  had  frankly  com- 
mitted myself  then  it  would  have  saved  the  next  struggle. 

"  Doubt,  hesitation,  came  again.  It  was  positively  painful.  Walking  the  floor  of  my 
room  at  midnight,  light  and  thoughts  and  resolution  seemed  to  come  as  volunteers;  and  some 
of  the  thoughts  were  not  very  pleasant.  One  silent,  unspoken  soliloquy  was  as  follows: 
'  What  are  you  hesitating  about  ?  You  know  what  is  right.  You  know  what  you  ought  to  do. 
You  are  discussing  and  weighing  questions  of  expediency,  questions  personal  to  yourself. 
You  are  not  really  thinking  about  the  question  of  freedom  or  slavery.  You  are  a  moral,  a 
political  coward.' 

"  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  I  felt  as  if  I  heard  those  very  words.  The  die  was 
cast;  in  another  moment  the  Rubicon  was  passed.  I  stopped  walking  and  stood  still.  With 
hand  raised  toward  Heaven,  I  literaUy  and  verbally  swore  a  political  oath,  that  I  would 
emancipate  myself  first,  and  then  do  what  I  could  to  emancipate  other  slaves. 

"  The  rough  material  for  my  speech  was  soon  put  in  form.  The  vote  came  soon  after 
it  was  delivered.  As  soon  as  the  count  was  announced  there  was  a  great  uproar.  Colfax  ran 
across  and  threw  his  arms  around  my  neck.  Next  day  brought  a  manly  and  earnest  letter  of 
congratulation  from  Judge  Holt,  the  first  of  dozens  and  hundreds.  Mr.  Seward  afterwards 
conferred  with  me  about  going  to  Frankfort  to  get  the  amendment  ratified  by  the  Kentucky 
legislature.     I  told  him  it  was  no  use,  it  could  not  be  done. 

"  At  the  next  election,  August,  1865,  I  was  beaten  by  only  seven  or  eight  hundred 
majority,  showing  that  the  people  are  sometimes  better  prepared  for  a  forward  move  than 
is  supposed." 

589 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  constitution,  there  to  remain  forever  as  the  transplanted  jewel  of  the 
Ordinance  of  1787. 

Let  these  events  drop  out  now  that  have  intervened,  that  we  may  see 
how  close  those  men  of  '76  have  come  to  us,  and  the  part  that  they  have 
played  in  our  own  lives.  In  a  most  real  sense  the  men  from  the  states  which 
are  within  what  was  the  Northwest  Territory  were  soldiers  of  the  Ordinance 
of  1787.  More  than  a  million  soldiers  came  from  those  five  great  states,  be- 
sides all  those  from  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  from  Oregon  and  California. 
We  were  among  those  soldiers,  or  else  they  Avere  our  comrades.  So  far  as 
that  million  and  more  of  men  may  have  turned  the  scale  of  war,  it  was  the 
ordinance  that  gave  to  their  lives  that  result.  To  whatever  extent  the 
ordinance  did  that,  to  that  extent  our  lives  have  been  directly  influenced  by 
those  men  of  '76  who  were  the  ordinance.  The  ordinance  itself  was  not  a 
living  force,  and  could  not  be  till  its  articles  of  compact  were  put  on  as  armor 
by  those  heroes  of  the  Revolution.  They  carried  its  flag  into  the  wilderness, 
and  there  they  won  new  fields ;  and  they  are  buried  there.  That  was  not,  even 
for  us,  the  last  of  them,  I  think.  We  read  that  when  our  Lord  was  crucified, 
the  bodies  of  the  saints  that  slept  arose  and  went  into  the  city.  So  (rever- 
ently) it  seems  to  me  that  when  Secession  stretched  upon  its  cross  of  war  the 
Love  of  Freedom  in  this  land  of  ours,  those  Revolutionary  heroes  came  again, 
not  to  our  sight  as  such,  but  as  a  million  soldiers  from  those  states  from 
which  they  had  secluded  slavery ;  and  in  that  guise  they  marched  and  fought 
with  us,  until  there  came  upon  the  earth  a  new  and  risen  Liberty  that  builds  a 
broader  and  a  higher  peace. 

Deep  into  its  corner  stone  is  cut  the  precept  of  the  ordinance,  that 
There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except 

AS   A   punishment    FOR   CRIME. 


590 


ASSASSINATION    OF   PRESIDENT   LINCOLN    AND    THE    TRIAL 

OF  THE  ASSASSINS 

By  Gen.  Henry  L.  Burnett 
Delivered  before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  on  April  18,  1892 

I  WAS  serving  with  my  regiment,  the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry,  along  the 
Cumberland  in  Southern  Kentucky  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1863, 
when  the  judge  advocate  on  the  staff  of  General  Burnside,  Major  J. 
Madison  Cutts  (brother-in-law  of  the  late  Senator  Douglas),  committed  an 
offense  for  which  charges  were  preferred  against  him.  General  Burnside  sent 
inquiries  to  the  front  for  some  officer  who  was  a  lawyer,  and  who  could  be 
reconmiended  as  capable  of  trying  his  judge  advocate.  I  was  recommended, 
and  ordered  back  to  Cincinnati,  where  General  Bumside's  headquarters  then 
were,  as  commander  of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio. 

After  finishing  this  case,  I  was  kept  on  court-martial  duty  at  Cincinnati, 
Lexington  and  Louisville  for  some  time,  and  finally,  at  the  request  of  Gover- 
nor Moi-ton,  in  September,  1864,  I  was  ordered  to  Indiana  to  act  as  judge 
advocate  of  the  court  detailed  to  try  the  members  of  the  "  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Circle,"  or  "  Sons  of  Liberty."  These  trials  were  finished  some  time  in 
December  of  that  year,  and  I  entered  almost  immediately  upon  the  trial  of 
the  Chicago  conspirators — St.  Leger,  Grenfel,  and  others — who  had  come 
over  from  Canada  to  engage  in  the  enterprise  of  releasing  the  rebel  prisoners 
then  in  Camp  Douglas,  near  Chicago.  Wliile  making  the  closing  argument 
in  this  case,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1865,  I  received  a  dispatch  from  the  secre- 
tary of  war,  directing  me  to  report  immediately  to  that  department  to  aid  in 
the  examinations  respecting  the  murder  of  the  President. 

I  started  for  Washington  the  same  evening,  reached  there  on  the  morning 
of  the  19th,  and  was  "  specially  assigned  by  the  secretary  of  war  for  duty  on 
the  investigation  of  the  murder  of  President  Lincoln  and  the  attempted  as- 
sassination of  Mr.  Seward,"  and  a  room  was  assigned  to  me  in  the  War  De- 
partment. 

The  gloom  of  that  journey  to  Washington  and  the  feeling  of  vague 
terror  and  sorrow  with  which  I  traversed  its  streets,  I  cannot  adequately 
describe,  and  shall  never  forget.  To  this  day,  I  never  visit  that  city  with- 
out some  shadow  of  that  dark  time  settling  down  over  my  spirit.  All  the 
public  buildings  and  a  large  portion  of  the  private  houses  were  heavily  draped 
in  black.  The  people  moved  about  the  streets  with  bowed  heads  and  sorrow 
stricken  faces,  as  though  some  Herod  had  robbed  each  home  of  its  first  bom. 
When  men  spoke  to  each  other  in  the  streets  there  were  tremulous  tones  in 
their  voices  and  a  quivering  of  the  lips,  as  though  tears  and  violent  ex- 
pression of  grief  were  held  back  only  by  great  effort.     In  the  faces  of  those 

591 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

in  authority — cabinet  ministers,  officers  of  the  army — there  was  an  anxious 
expression  of  the  eye  as  though  a  dagger's  gleam  in  a  strange  hand  was  to 
be  expected;  and  a  pale  determined  expression,  a  set  of  the  jaw  that  said: 
"  The  ti-uth  about  this  conspiracy  shall  be  made  clear  and  the  assassins 
found  and  punished;  we  will  stand  guard  and  the  government  shall  not 
die." 

For  no  ruler  that  ever  lived,  I  venture  to  say,  not  excepting  Washington 
himself,  was  the  love  of  the  people  so  strong,  so  pecuharly  personal  and 
tender,  as  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  Especially  was  this  so  among  tlie  soldiers ; 
all  members  of  the  old  army  will  remember  with  what  devotion  and  patriotic 
affection  the  boys  used  to  shout  and  sing,  "  We  are  coming.  Father  Abra- 
ham !  "  and  will  remember  what  a  personal  and  confiding  sort  of  relation 
seemed  to  exist  between  the  boys  and  "  Uncle  Abe,"  and  how  those  brave 
soldiers — veterans  of  four  years  of  terrible  war,  inured  to  hardship,  to  sick- 
ness and  wounds,  familiar  with  the  faces  of  death — ^wept  like  little  children 
when  told  that  "  Uncle  Abe  "  was  dead.  The  scene  at  the  bedside  of  the 
dying  president  had  been  described  in  the  press,  and  as  the  news  swept  around 
the  earth,  all  the  children  of  men,  in  all  the  civilized  world,  wept  with  those 
about  his  couch.  That  death-bed  scene  will  never  be  forgotten.  It  was 
surrounded  by  his  cabinet  ministers,  all  of  whom  were  bathed  in  tears,  not 
excepting  Mr.  Stanton,  the  war  secretary,  with  iron  will  and  nerve,  who 
when  informed  by  Surgeon-General  Barnes  that  the  president  could  not  live 
until  morning  exclaimed:  "  Oh,  no.  General!  No,  no,"  and  immediately  sat 
down  at  his  bedside  and  wept  like  a  little  child. 

"  Senator  Sumner  was  seated  on  the  right  of  the  president's  couch,  near 
the  head,  holding  the  right  hand  of  the  president  in  his  own.  He  Avas  sob- 
bing like  a  tender  woman  with  his  head  bowed  down  almost  to  the  pillow  of 
the  bed  on  which  the  president  was  lying." 

At  twenty-two  minutes  past  seven  the  president  passed  away,  and  Mr. 
Stanton  exclaimed:  "Now  he  belongs  to  the  ages."  Besides  the  persons 
named,  there  were  about  the  death-bed  his  wife  and  son,  Vice-President  John- 
son, all  the  other  members  of  the  cabinet  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Seward, 
Generals  Halleck,  Meigs,  Farnsworth,  Augur  and  Ladd,  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley, 
Schuyler  Colfax,  Governor  Farwell,  Judges  Cartter  and  Otto,  Surgeon- 
General  Barnes,  Drs.  Stone,  Crane  and  Leals,  Major  John  Hay  and 
Maunsell  B.  Field. 

When  I  entered  upon  the  duty  of  assisting  in  the  investigation  of  the 
murder  of  the  president,  on  the  19th  of  April,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
at  that  time  it  was  not  positively  known  who  had  assassinated  the  president, 
or  attempted  the  life  of  Secretary  Seward;  Booth  was  the  alleged  assassin. 
How  widespread  was  the  conspiracy  or  who  were  in  it,  or  of  it,  was  not 
known. 

There  was  general  apprehension  and  belief  that  further  assassinations 
would  be  attempted,  and  guards  were  placed  around  the  private  residences 
of  the  cabinet  ministers.   General  Grant's  house  and  the  public  buildings; 

592 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

soldiers  patrolled  the  city  and  were  scouring  the  country.  All  that  was 
then  positively  known  as  to  the  assassination  of  the  president,  was  that  a 
tall  dark  man,  apparently  about  thirty  years  of  age,  had  forced  his  way 
into  the  president's  box  at  Ford's  Theatre  on  the  evening  of  the  14th,  had 
shot  the  president,  stabbed  Major  Rathbone  who  attempted  to  detain  him, 
had  leaped  over  the  front  of  the  box  on  to  the  stage  below,  fled  across  it 
crying :  "  Sic  semper  tyrannis !  " — then  out  by  the  right  side  to  the  rear 
door  of  the  theatre,  had  there  mounted  a  horse,  galloped  away  into  the  night, 
crossing  the  navy  yard  bridge;  that  another  supposed  confederate  soon  after 
galloped  after  him  and  joined  him,  and  this  was  the  sum  of  the  positive 
knowledge  at  that  time. 

Of  that  scene  in  the  box  at  the  theatre,  and  on  that  night,  Nicolay  and 
Hay,  in  the  "  Life  of  Lincoln,"  sa}" :  "  The  whole  performance  remains  in 
the  memory  of  those  who  heard  it,  a  vague  phantasmagoria,  the  actors  the 
thinnest  of  spectres.  The  awful  tragedy  in  the  box  makes  everything  else 
seem  pale  and  unreal.  Here  were  five  human  beings  in  a  narrow  space — the 
greatest  man  of  his  time  in  the  glory  of  the  most  stupendous  success  in  our 
history,  the  idolized  chief  of  a  nation  already  mighty,  with  illimitable 
vistas  of  grandeur  to  come ;  his  beloved  wife,  proud  and  happy ; 
a  pair  of  betrothed  lovers,  with  all  the  promise  of  felicity  that  youth, 
social  position  and  wealth  could  give  them;  and  this  young  actor, 
handsome  as  Endymion  upon  Latmus,  the  pet  of  his  little  world.  The 
glitter  of  fame,  happiness  and  ease  was  upon  the  entire  group,  but  in  an 
instant,  everything  was  to  be  changed  with  the  blinding  swiftness  of  en- 
chantment. Quick  death  was  to  come  on  the  central  figure  of  that  company 
— the  central  figure,  we  believe,  of  the  gi'eat  and  good  men  of  the  century. 
Over  all  the  rest  the  blackest  fates  hovered  menacingly — fates  from  which  a 
mother  might  pray  that  kindly  death  would  save  her  children  in  their  in- 
fancj.  One  was  to  wander  with  the  stain  of  murder  on  his  soul,  with  the 
curses  of  a  world  upon  his  name,  with  a  price  set  upon  his  head,  in  frightful 
physical  pain,  till  he  died  a  dog's  death  in  a  burning  barn ;  the  stricken  wife 
was  to  pass  the  rest  of  her  days  in  melancholy  and  madness;  of  these  two 
young  lovers,  one  was  to  slay  the  other  and  then  end  his  life  a  raving  maniac." 

At  the  same  hour  that  Booth  fired  the  fatal  shot,  Pa3me  appeared  at  the 
door  of  Secretary  Seward's  house,  in  the  guise  of  a  messenger  from  Dr. 
Vedi,  holding  in  his  hand  the  package  that  Booth  had  prepared  for  him,  and 
demanded  to  see  the  secretary,  saying  that  he  had  a  verbal  message  which 
was  of  particular  importance  in  regard  to  the  use,  or  application  of  the  medi- 
cine, and  that  he  must  see  the  secretary  himself.  Dr.  Verdi  had  left  his 
patient  but  a  short  time  before,  and  had  consoled  the  family  that  had  for 
days  been  suffering  the  greatest  anxiety  on  account  of  the  secretary's  con- 
dition, by  taking  a  favorable  view  of  the  symptoms.  The  family,  worn  with 
watching  and  anxiety,  we-^e  disposing  themselves  for  the  night.  Major  A.  H. 
Seward  had  retired  to  his  room.  Sergeant  George  F.  Robinson,  acting  as 
attendant  nurse,  was  watching  by  the  bedside  in  company  with  Miss  Seward, 

593 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  secretary's  daughter.  Frederick  D.  Seward  occupied  the  room  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs.  All  the  rooms  occupied  by  the  secretary  and  his  family 
were  on  the  second  floor,  and  were  reached  by  a  flight  of  stairs  in  the  hall- 
way. 

The  second  waiter,  William  H.  Bell,  a  colored  lad  of  nineteen,  was 
stationed  at  the  hall  door.  Being  somewhat  relieved  of  their  anxiety  by  the 
doctor's  favorable  view  of  the  case,  all  were  anticipating  a  night  of  quiet 
rest.  The  door  bell  rang  and  was  responded  to  by  Bell,  the  colored  waiter. 
Immediately  upon  the  opening  of  the  door,  Payne  stepped  into  the  hall.  He 
was  a  tall,  broad-shouldered,  muscular  man,  as  agile  and  ferocious  as  a 
panther;  a  low-browed,  scowling,  villainous-looking  specimen  of  humanity, 
the  animal  preponderating  largely  in  every  feature  of  his  visage  and  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance.  There  he  stood,  holding  in  his  left  hand  the 
package,  and  keeping  his  right  hand  in  his  overcoat  pocket.  He  demanded 
of  the  boy  to  be  allowed  to  see  the  secretary,  telling  his  story  about  being  sent 
by  Dr.  Verdi  to  deliver  the  medicine  with  his  directions.  The  porter  told  him 
that  his  orders  were  to  admit  no  one,  and  that  he  could  not  see  Mr.  Seward ; 
that  he  would  deliver  the  package  himself.  To  this  Payne  would  not  consent, 
but  persisted  in  saying  that  he  must  see  Mr.  Seward.  After  considerable  par- 
leying, he  started  upstairs,  and  the  porter,  seeing  that  he  would  go,  and 
thinking  that  he  might  complain  of  his  conduct  to  the  secretary,  asked  him 
to  pardon  him,  to  which  Payne  rephed :  "  Oh,  I  know ;  that's  all  right." 
He  was  wearing  heavy  boots  and  took  no  pains  to  walk  lightly  as  he  went  up 
the  stairs,  whereupon  the  porter  requested  him  not  to  make  so  much  noise, 
to  which,  however,  he  paid  no  attention.  As  he  approached  the  head  of  the 
stairs,  he  was  met  by  Mr.  Frederick  Seward  who  had  been  attracted  by  the 
noise,  to  whom  he  said,  "  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Seward."  Frederick  went  into 
his  father's  room,  and  finding  him  asleep,  returned  saying,  "  You  cannot 
see  him."  All  this  time  Payne  stood  holding  the  package  in  his  left  hand, 
grasping  with  his  right  hand  the  pistol  in  his  overcoat  pocket.  Frederick 
requested  him  to  give  him  the  package,  saying  he  would  deliver  it ;  but  Payne 
persisted  in  saying  that  that  would  not  do,  he  must  see  Mr.  Seward — he  must 
see  him.  Frederick  finally  said,  "  I  am  proprietor  here,  and  his  son ;  if  you 
cannot  leave  your  message  with  me,  you  cannot  leave  it  at  all."  Payne  still 
continued  parleying  with  Frederick  for  some  time;  but  finding  that  his 
talking  availed  nothing,  ho  started  as  if  to  go  downstairs.  This,  however, 
was  only  a  feint  on  his  part  in  order  to  throw  Frederick  off^  his  guard  and  to 
get  rid  of  the  porter  who  stood  behind  him.  He  again  walked  so  heavily 
that  the  porter  requested  him  not  to  make  so  much  noise ;  but  at  that  moment, 
Payne  having  prepared  himself  for  the  encounter,  turned  quickly,  and  mak- 
ing a  spring  towards  Frederick,  struck  him  two  or  three  times  with  the  pistol, 
which  he  had  all  the  time  held  in  his  hand,  fracturing  his  skull  and  knocking 
him  senseless  to  the  floor.  Having  learned  which  was  the  room  occupied  by  the 
invalid  by  seeing  Frederick  go  into  it,  Payne  rushed  past  the  prostrate  man, 
opened  the  door  of  the  secretary's  room  and  was  met  by  Sergeant  Robinson. 

594) 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Having  broken  and  thrown  down  his  revolver  in  his  encounter  with  Frederick, 
he  had  drawn  his  dagger,  and  at  his  first  encounter  with  the  sergeant,  he 
struck  him  with  his  knife,  cutting  an  ugly  gash  in  his  forehead  and  partially 
knocking  him  down.  He  then  pressed  rapidly  forward,  knife  in  hand,  to 
where  the  invalid  lay  in  his  bed.  Throwing  himself  upon  him,  he  com- 
menced striking  at  his  face  and  neck  with  his  dagger.  The  secretary  was  re- 
clining in  a  half  sitting  position,  having  the  coverings  well  drawn  up  about 
his  neck  and  chin,  to  which  circumstance  the  failure  of  the  would-be  assassin 
to  take  his  life  was  no  doubt  due.  The  sergeant,  as  soon  as  he  recovered  his 
equilibrium,  sprang  upon  Payne,  and  Major  Seward,  having  been  awakened 
by  the  screams  of  his  sister,  sprang  into  the  room  in  his  night  dress.  Finding 
the  sergeant  grappling  him  in  such  a  way  as  to  hinder  the  effectiveness  of  his 
thrusts  at  the  secretary,  and  probably  thinking  that  he  had  accomplished 
his  purpose,  the  assassin  turned  his  attention  toward  making  his  escape.  In 
disentangling  himself  from  the  grasp  of  the  two  men  who  now  had  hold  of 
him,  he  gave  INIajor  Seward  several  severe  cuts  about  the  head  and  face, 
crying  all  the  time,  "  I  am  mad !  I  am  mad !  "  Finally  tearing  himself  loose, 
he  started  to  make  his  way  to  the  street.  Meeting  a  Mr.  Emrick  W.  Hansel, 
another  nurse,  on  the  stairs,  he  made  a  thrust  at  him  with  his  knife,  in- 
flicting an  ugly  wound.  He  now  left  the  house,  leaving  five  of  the  inmates 
stabbed,  cut  and  bleeding  behind  him.  Having  reached  the  street,  he  de- 
liberately threw  his  dagger  away,  mounted  the  horse  which  he  had  hitched  in 
front  of  the  door,  and  rode  off. 

After  the  attack  at  Secretary  Seward's,  Dr.  Verdi  and  two  or  three 
other  surgeons  were  at  once  called  to  examine  and  treat  the  secretary  and  the 
other  victims  of  Payne's  dagger.  The  house  in  which  the  onslaught  was 
made  had  the  appearance  of  a  charnel-house  or  slaughter-pen.  The  secretary 
was  found  to  have  received  three  or  four  severe  cuts  about  the  face  and  neck, 
which  were  only  made  dangerous  by  the  loss  of  blood  they  had  occasioned 
and  the  weak  condition  of  the  patient. 

The  secretary  made  a  slow  but  good  recovery.  Of  the  other  four  wounded 
men,  the  wounds  of  Mr.  Frederick  Seward  proved  the  most  serious,  as  his 
skull  had  been  fractured  and  depressed,  so  as  to  render  him  unconscious,  from 
which  condition  he  was  only  recalled  by  a  surgical  operation.  All  finally 
recovered. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th,  Booth  had  called  at  the  Kirkwood  House, 
where  Vice-President  Johnson  was  stopping,  and  left  a  card  on  which 
was  written:  "Don't  wish  to  disturb  you.  Are  you  at  home?  J.  Wilkes 
Booth." 

On  the  evening  of  the  13th,  a  man  appeared  at  Secretary  Stanton's 
house,  where  General  Grant  was  that  evening,  had  asked  to  have  both  General 
Grant  and  Secretary  Stanton  pointed  out  to  him,  which  was  done.  He  did 
not  speak  to  either  of  them,  and  lingered  in  the  hall  watching  them  and 
sat  down  on  a  step  of  the  front  steps  until  he  was  driven  away.  This  was 
the  sum  of  what  was  actually  and  positively  known  of  the  facts  as  to  the 

595 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

assassination    of    the    president,    the    attempted    assassination    of    Secretary 
Seward,  and  the  movements  of  the  conspirators  on  the  19th. 

As  I  have  said  before,  while  it  was  rumored  and  generally  believed  that 
J.  Wilkes  Booth  was  the  assassin,  for  some  days  this  rested  only  upon  the 
statements  of  some  of  the  persons  at  the  theatre  that  they  beheved  it  was 
Booth;  they  thought  they  recognized  him  as  he  ran  across  the  stage,  but 
could  not  be  certain  about  it.  The  first  evidence  which  conclusively  estab- 
lished his  identity  in  the  minds  of  those  investigating  the  facts,  was  ob- 
tained about  the  21st  or  22d  of  April.  It  was  known  that  the  assassin  had 
injured  himself  when  he  jumped  from  the  president's  box,  that  he  limped  as 
he  ran  across  the  stage,  and  it  was  subsequently  ascertained  that  he  had 
broken  one  bone  of  his  left  leg.  He  was  traced  to  Dr.  Mudd's  house,  near 
Bryantown,  Maryland,  and  there,  on  the  21st,  was  secured  the  boot  which  Dr. 
Mudd  had  cut  from  his  leg,  when  he  set  the  bone.  On  the  inside  of  the  boot 
was  the  number  of  the  boot  and  the  name  of  the  maker,  and  the  words  "  J. 
Wilkes."  As  soon  as  the  boot  was  received  at  the  War  Department,  I  had 
ex-Marshal  Murray  put  aboard  a  special  engine  and  sent  to  New  York  to  look 
up  the  maker  and  ascertain  for  whom  the  boot  was  made.  That  night  a 
telegram  was  received  from  him  saying  the  boot  was  made  for  J.  Wilkes  Booth. 
This  settled  the  identity  of  the  assassin  in  our  minds  beyond  all  doubt,  and 
was  the  basis  on  which  we  proceeded  in  our  investigations  as  to  who  were  the 
aiders  and  abettors  of  the  assassin  and  who  were  his  co-conspirators. 

The  investigation  of  the  facts  was  prosecuted  under  the  personal  direc- 
tion of  the  secretary  of  war  with  earnest  diligence,  until  the  day  the  court  was 
ordered  to  convene.  May  8th.  A  more  indefatigable,  tireless  worker  it  has 
never  been  my  fortune  to  encounter,  either  in  military  or  civil  life,  than 
Secretary  Stanton.  Many  nights  I  worked  with  him  until  the  morning  dawn 
began  to  steal  in  at  the  windows,  and  many  nights  I  left  the  department  at 
midnight  or  in  the  small  hours  of  the  early  morning  completely  worn  out, 
and  I  left  him  still  there  working. 

Early  in  my  work  I  had  a  personal  experience  with  Secretary  Stanton 
which  illustrates  some  of  his  characteristics.  Almost  immediately  after  com- 
mencing my  investigation,  I  learned  that  a  Mr.  Weichman  and  a  Mr.  Holla- 
han,  who  had  been  boarders  with  Mrs.  Surratt,  had  been  sent  by  the  secretary 
to  Canada  to  find  John  H.  Suratt,  whom  the  secretary  believed  to  have  been 
one  of  the  conspirators,  and  if  possible  to  bring  him  back  to  Washington. 
A  few  days  after  learning  tliis  fact,  two  men  appeared  at  my  office  from  the 
War  Department,  and  announced  themselves  as  Weichman  and  Hollahan. 
I  wrote  their  names  on  a  card  and  went  to  the  secretary,  announced  their 
arrival  and  asked  for  instructions.  He  was  busy  and  very  briefly  said,  "  Take 
their  statements  and  have  them  report  from  day  to  day."  This  I  wrote  on 
the  card  and  returned  to  my  office.  I  then  had  their  statements  taken  down 
stenographically  and  instructed  them  to  report  from  day  to  day.  That  even- 
ing, I  should  think  about  twelve  o'clock,  a  messenger  appeared  at  my  room 
at  Willard's  Hotel,  Mr.  Olcott,  a  special  agent  then  at  work  on  this  investi- 

596 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

gation,  and  said  to  me :  "  The  secretary  wants  you,  and  the  devil  is  to  pay." 
I  said,  "  What  is  it?  "  He  answered,  "  I  don't  know,  but  he  is  in  a  terrible 
temper."  When  I  appeared  before  him,  he  was  walking  up  and  down  his 
office  apparently  in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  and  burst  out  with,  "  I  hear 
that  Weichman  and  Hollahan  were  in  your  office  to-day  and  that  you  let 
them  go."  I  said,  "  Yes,  Mr.  Secretary, — "  I  got  no  further  when  he  broke 
in  with,  "  You  had  no  business  to  let  these  men  go.  They  are  some  of  the 
conspirators,  and  you  have  them  here  at  tliis  office  by  eight  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,  or  I  will  deal  with  you."  I  again  commenced,  "  But,  Mr.  Secre- 
tary,— "  (intending  to  add  that  it  was  by  his  instructions)  but  he  inter- 
rupted by  saying,  "  Not  a  word,  sir;  you  have  those  men  here  to-morrow 
morning  by  eight  o'clock." 

I  saw  there  was  no  use  to  attempt  any  controversy  with  him  or  explain, 
so  turned  back  and  went  into  my  office,  a  good  deal  dismayed  and  dis- 
heartened. I  sat  down  at  my  desk,  thinking  what  I  should  do.  I  then  re- 
called one  of  the  military  maxims,  that  where  a  grave  and  important  duty 
is  imposed  by  a  superior,  the  power  is  always  equal  to  the  duty,  and  I  im- 
mediately sat  down  at  my  desk  and  wrote  out  an  order  to  General  Augur,  who 
was  then  in  command  of  the  district  at  Washington,  to  at  once  detail  a  regi- 
ment to  command  and  guard  all  the  usual  modes  of  ingress  and  egress  to 
Washington,  to  examine  every  person  who  departed  therefrom  during  the 
night  or  in  the  morning  until  further  orders,  and  to  carefully  inspect  each 
person  departing,  in  order  to  find  and  bring  to  the  War  Department  the  next 
morning  by  eight  o'clock  the  two  men,  Weichman  and  HoUahan,  giving  as 
near  as  I  could  a  careful  description  of  their  persons.  I  further  ordered 
him  to  detail  two  companies  to  report  at  once  at  the  War  Department  for 
duty.  When  these  companies  arrived,  I  divided  them  into  squads  of  ten  each, 
in  command  of  either  a  commissioned  or  non-commissioned  officer,  and  com- 
menced at  the  Georgetown  Bridge  to  ring  up  and  examine  all  the  occupants 
on  each  street  leading  to  the  capitol,  except  of  course,  the  residences  of  foreign 
diplomats  and  cabinet  ministers,  taking  charge  personally  of  one  squad  and 
one  street.  I  directed  them  to  report  to  me  at  Willard's  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  At  seven  o'clock  all  my  squads  reported  to  me  and  reported  an 
utter  failure. 

I  then  started  up  to  the  War  Department  as  disheartened  and  discour- 
aged a  man  as  you  could  have  found  in  the  city  of  Washington  to  report  to 
the  secretary  and  take  my  medicine.  Just  as  I  was  passing  along  diagonally 
in  front  of  the  presidential  mansion,  and  nearly  opposite  General  Augur's 
headquarters,  I  nearly  ran  into  a  man,  and  looking  up  discovered  it  was 
Weichman.  I  was  almost  overcome  with  conflicting  emotions,  threw  my 
arms  about  him  for  a  moment  and  then  linked  my  arm  in  his  and  said,  "  Come 
with  me."  He  was  considerably  surprised  at  my  agitation,  but  made  no  ob- 
jection, and  we  walked  up  towards  the  War  Department.  I  inquired  where 
he  had  slept  the  night  before  and  where  Hollahan  was.  He  said  that  as  he 
had  formerly  been  employed  in  the  quartermaster-general's  office,  some  of  the 

597 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

clerks  had  tendered  bunks  to  himself  and  Hollahan  for  the  night  and  they  had 
both  slept  there.  (It  had  never  entered  my  head  the  night  before  to  examine 
the  military  officers  of  the  government.) 

As  soon  as  I  reached  my  room  I  sent  an  orderly  over  to  the  Quartermaster 
Department  and  he  returned  almost  immediately  with  Hollahan. 

Putting  them  both  in  my  room  and  putting  a  sentinel  at  the  door  so 
that  they  should  not  again  vanish,  I  took  the  card  that  I  had  taken  with  me 
in  my  interview  the  day  before  with  Mr.  Stanton,  and  went  into  his  room. 
It  was  then  just  about  eight  o'clock.  As  I  came  in,  Mr.  Stanton,  who  was 
then  seated  at  his  desk,  looked  up  and  said,  "  Well,  have  you  those  men.?  " 
I  said,  "  Yes,  Mr.  Secretary,  they  are  in  my  office."  His  whole  manner  and 
countenance  changed  from  that  of  a  grim  sort  of  ill-nature  to  that  of  a  pleased 
smile,  and  I  said — I  was  then  a  good  deal  aroused  and  indignant — and  I 
turned  upon  him  and  said,  "  And  now,  Mr.  Stanton,  I  am  through  with  the 
service  under  you  and  I  beg  here  now  to  tender  my  resignation  to  take  effect 
immediately.  You  would  have  condemned  and  disgraced  me  without  a  hear- 
ing for  obeying  your  own  order,  and  I  am  damned  if  I  will  serve  further 
under  any  such  man.  Here  is  the  card  I  brought  in  to  you  yesterday  on 
which  the  names  of  these  two  witnesses  were  written,  whose  names  I  gave  dis- 
tinctly to  you,  and  on  it  I  wrote  the  order  you  gave  me — namely,  to  take 
their  statements,  let  them  go,  and  have  them  report  from  day  to  day.  Here 
it  is,  and  this  order  I  implicitly  obeyed,  now  I  am  through  with  you  and 
through  with  the  service."  He  got  up  from  his  desk,  came  over  to  where 
I  was  standing,  placing  one  hand  on  my  shoulder  and  said,  "  General,  I 
ask  your  pardon.  I  was  wrong,  but  remember  the  great  strain  I  am  under 
in  trying  to  save  the  country.  In  seeking  to  achieve  the  best  and  the  public 
rights,  sometimes  individual  right  goes  down.  I  am  doing  the  best  I  can 
with  all  the  power  with  which  God  has  endowed  me.  Forget  this  matter  and 
go  back  and  go  on  with  your  work  and  help  me  and  the  great  work  I  am 
trying  to  do." 

Thus  ended  the  matter  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  and  I  went  back  and 
went  on  with  my  work. 

Prior  to  the  first  of  May  the  president,  Andrew  Johnson,  officially  called 
upon  the  attorney-general,  James  Speed,  for  an  opinion  as  to  whether  or  not 
the  persons  implicated  in  the  murder  of  the  president  and  the  attempted 
assassination  of  William  H.  Seward,  secretary  of  state,  and  in  an  alleged  con- 
spiracy to  assassinate  other  officers  of  the  government,  and  their  aiders  and 
abettors,  were  lawfully  triable  before  a  military  commission  in  Washington, 
and  the  attorney-general  having  given  his  opinion  in  response  thereto,  that 
the  said  parties  were  so  lawfully  triable,  on  the  1st  day  of  May  the  president 
ordered  the  adjutant-general  to  detail  nine  competent  military  officers  to 
serve  as  such  commission.  On  the  6th  of  May  the  adjutant-general  issued 
an  order  appointing  a  military  commission  to  meet  at  Washington  on  the 
8th  of  May  for  the  trial  of  Herold,  Atzerodt,  Payne,  O'Laughlin,  Spangler, 
Arnold,  Mrs.  Surratt,  Dr.  Mudd,  and  such  persons  as  might  be  brought  be- 

598 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

fore  it  implicated  in  the  murder  of  the  late  President  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
the  attempted  assassination  of  Hon.  William  H.  Seward,  secretary  of  state, 
and  in  an  alleged  conspiracy  to  assassinate  other  officers  of  the  federal  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  city,  and  their  aiders  and  abettors. 

The  detail  of  the  court  was  as  follows:  Maj.-Gen.  David  Hunter,  Maj.- 
Gen.  Lewis  Wallace,  Brevet  Maj.-Gen.  Augustus  V.  Kautz,  Brig.-Gen.  Albion 
P.  Howe,  Brig.-Gen.  Albert  S.  Foster,  Brig.-Gen.  T.  M.  Harris,  Brevet 
Brig.-Gen.  James  A.  Ekin,  Col.  C.  H.  Tompkins,  Lieut.-Col.  David  T. 
Clendenin. 

Brig.-Gen.  Joseph  Holt  was  appointed  judge  advocate  and  recorder 
of  the  commission,  and  the  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham  and  myself  were  assigned 
as  assistants  or  special  judge  advocates. 

The  court  convened  on  the  9th  of  May,  but  adjourned  to  the  11th,  to 
afford  the  accused  an  opportunity  to  procure  counsel.  The  charge  against 
the  accused  was  for  conspiracy  in  aid  of  the  existing  rebellion  against  the 
government  with  Booth,  Surratt,  Jefferson  Davis,  Saunders,  Tticker,  Thomp- 
son, Cleary,  Clay,  Harper,  Young  and  others  unknown,  to  kill  and  murder 
Abraham  Lincoln,  president  of  the  United  States,  and  commander-in-chief 
of  the  army,  and  Andrew  Johnson,  then  vice-president,  W.  H.  Seward,  secre- 
tary of  state,  and  General  Grant. 

The  specifications  set  forth  the  act  or  acts  of  the  accused,  done  and  per- 
formed in  the  prosecution  of  said  conspiracy. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  review  the  history  and  scope  of  the  conspiracy  as 
developed  by  the  proof  submitted  to  the  Court.  It  is  sufficient  for  the  pur- 
pose of  this  paper  to  say  that  nine  brave  soldiers  and  intelligent  and  con- 
scientious officers,  after  two  months  of  careful  and  laborious  investigation, 
did  find  and  decide  that  the  accused,  together  with  Surratt,  Booth,  Jefferson 
Davis  and  his  rebel  agents  and  confederates  then  in  Canada,  namely,  George 
N.  Saunders,  Beverly  Tucker,  Jacob  Thompson,  William  C.  Cleary,  Clement 
C.  Clay,  George  Harper  and  George  Young,  were  guilty  of  conspiring  to 
kill  and  murder  President  Lincoln,  Vice-President  Johnson,  Secretary  Seward 
and  General  Grant.  It  should  be  remembered  also  in  this  connection,  that 
during  all  the  two  months  of  this  investigation  by  the  commission,  each  of 
the  accused  were  represented  by  one  or  more  able  counsel,  among  whom  were  the 
Hon.  Beverly  Johnson,  of  Maryland;  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  then  of  Wash- 
ington ;  Frederick  A.  Aiken,  W.  E.  Foster,  Walter  S.  Cox  and  Frederick 
Stone,  and  that  the  whole  power  of  the  government  was  put  at  the  service  of 
the  accused  and  used  unreservedly  by  their  counsel  to  bring  from  any  part 
of  the  United  States  any  witnesses  they  might  desire. 

Some  of  the  counsel  for  the  accused  seemed  to  be  as  much  convinced  as 
the  court  of  the  guilty  participation  of  the  rebel  authorities  at  Richmond 
and  their  confederates  in  Canada  in  the  conspiracy  to  assassinate  President 
Lincoln.  Cox  said  in  his  argument,  "  the  assassination  of  the  president  and 
other  heads  of  government  may  have  been  discussed  in  the  South,  as  a  measure 
of  ultimate  resort  to  retrieve  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy  when  at  their 

599 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

lowest  ebb;  the  rebel  agents  in  Canada  may  have  individually  signified  their 
approval  of  the  measure  in  the  abstract,  long  since ;  but  I  undertake  to  main- 
tain upon  the  evidence  that  there  never  was  any  final  determination,  on  the 
part  of  any  person  or  persons,  with  whom  any  of  these  accused  can  possibly  be 
connected,  actually  to  attempt  the  life  of  the  president  or  other  functionary 
until  a  few  days — about  one  week — before  the  murder."  Again  he  says, 
speaking  of  Booth,  "  The  theory  of  the  prosecution  is  that  Booth,  who  is 
acknowledged  to  have  been  the  head  and  front  and  soul  of  the  conspiracy,  if 
there  was  one,  was  only  the  hireling  tool  of  these  rebel  emissaries ;  I  think  he 
was  probably  something  more,  but  it  will  not  vary  the  result.  I  think  he 
was  probably  actuated,  not  only  by  the  sordid  hope  of  gain,  but  by  a  mis- 
guided, perverted  ambition.  Of  strong  will  and  passions,  and  high  nervous 
organization,  accustomed  to  play  parts  and  those  of  a  tragic  character,  he 
had  contracted  perverted  and  artificial  views  of  life  and  duty,  and  had 
aspired  to  be  the  Brutus  in  real  life  that  he  had  been  or  seen  on  the  boards. 
He  well  knew,  however,  that  the  act  he  contemplated  would  be  execrated  all 
the  world  over,  except  possibly  among  those  whom  he  intended  to  serve. 
Therefore,  whether  pecuniary  reward  or  false  glory  was  his  object,  he  could 
hope  for  neither  until  he  was  secure  of  their  approbation.  Whatever  his 
principle  of  action,  he  was  wholly  without  motive  for  so  desperate  an  under- 
taking until  he  supposed  he  had  the  approval  of  the  rebel  authorities.  When 
does  the  evidence  show  this  was  given.?  " 

Mr.  Cox  then  proceeds  to  review  the  testimony,  or  a  portion  of  it,  given 
upon  this  point,  and  adds,  "  Thus,  in  the  end  there  is  seen  to  be  a  substantial 
accord  between  all  the  three  witnesses,  on  the  important  question  when  the 
formal  sanction  of  the  Richmond  authorities  was  received  in  Canada,  and 
when  consequently  for  the  first  time  they  were  in  a  condition  to  give  their 
formal  and  official  approval  to  the  proposed  assassination." 

Let  me  say  here  personally,  after  this  quotation  from  the  argument  of 
counsel  for  the  accused  themselves,  that  my  own  judgment  upon  the  testi- 
mony was  at  the  time  that  while  the  proposed  enterprise  of  assassinating  the 
president  and  vice-president,  members  of  the  cabinet  and  General  Grant  had 
been  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Richmond  authorities  and  to  Jeff'erson 
Davis,  there  was  no  conclusive  evidence  to  show  that  Davis  sanctioned  or  ap- 
proved this  undertaking.  The  proof,  I  think,  also  shows  that  it  was  brought 
to  his  attention  and  that  he  did  not  condemn  or  undertake  to  suppress  the 
movement.  That  the  confederate  agents  in  Canada  did  actually  take  part 
in  fomenting  and  forwarding  the  conspiracy,  I  think  was  conclusively  es- 
tablished. 

As  early  as  November,  1864,  Booth  was  considering  wild  schemes  either 
of  forcible  abduction  of  the  president  or  assassination,  and  was  busy  from 
that  time  down  to  the  day  of  the  assassination  in  trying  to  enlist  others  in 
the  devilish  enterprise. 

It  is  part  of  the  unwritten  history  of  the  time  that  on  the  day  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  second  inauguration,  and  while  he  was  delivering  his  inaugural 

600 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

address,  Booth  sat  near  and  just  behind  him  with  the  purpose  to  stab  him  to 
death  then  and  there  if  any  fit  opportunity  should  occur  in  the  press  and 
confusion  of  the  ci'owd,  for  him  to  do  the  deed  and  make  his  escape.  That 
while  the  great  president  was  uttering  those  immortal  words,  "  With  malice 
toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,"  this  armed  assassin  was  near  his  side 
clutching  the  knife  with  which  to  stab  him  to  death.  Another  curious  fact 
connected  with  this  event  is  that  Booth  secured  his  ticket  of  admission  to 
these  ceremonies  through  a  United  States  senator,  one  of  the  most  faithful  and 
earnest  of  the  Union  republican  group,  and  that  it  was  procured  through  the 
intercession  of  his  daughter,  who,  although  she  had  only  a  casual  acquaintance 
with  Booth,  had  often  seen  him  on  the  stage,  and,  hke  many  of  the  romantic 
young  ladies  of  our  own  time,  had  caught  the  fever  of  stage-hero 
worsliip. 

Later  on  in  the  same  month  of  November,  an  actual  movement  was  made 
to  forcibly  abduct  or  assassinate  the  president.  About  the  20th  of  that 
month  a  party  of  seven  armed  and  mounted  men,  four  of  whom  were  Booth, 
Surratt,  Payne  and  Atzerodt,  appeared  at  Mrs.  Surratt's  house  and  rode 
away  on  some  desperate  enterprise — alleged  to  have  been  the  capture  of  the 
president  on  his  way  to  or  coming  from  the  Soldiers'  Home,  and  delivering 
him  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  Through  seme  cause  not  known,  the  plan 
was  frustrated,  and  Booth,  Payne  and  Surratt  returned  to  Mrs.  Surratt's 
house  very  much  excited  and  angered  over  their  failure.  Surratt  threatened  to 
shoot  any  one  who  approached  his  room,  uttering  wild  exclamations  that  his 
prospects  were  gone,  his  hopes  were  bHghted.  In  the  afternoon,  after  Surratt 
and  his  party  had  departed  on  this  enterprise,  Mrs.  Surratt  was  found  in  the 
hall  or  passage-way  of  her  house  weeping  bitterly,  and  said  to  one  who  at- 
tempted to  console  her,  "  John  is  gone  away !  "  grieving  as  though  he  was 
not  to  return,  and  showing  some  knowledge  of  the  expedition. 

About  the  1st  of  April,  1865,  Booth  went  to  New  York  and  returned 
to  Washington  on  the  8th,  and  from  that  time  was  busy  with  his  confederates 
in  maturing  his  plans  for  the  proposed  assassination  of  President  Lincoln 
and  the  others.  I  do  not  propose  to  give  you  the  evidence  submitted  to  the 
court  bearing  upon  the  general  conspiracy  and  the  act  of  assassination  and 
the  connection  of  each  of  the  accused  therewith,  further  than  to  give  briefly  the 
circumstances  of  the  assassination  of  the  president. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  April,  1865,  Major  Rathbone  and  Miss 
Harris,  of  Washington,  joined  the  president  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  drove  with 
them  in  the  president's  carriage  to  Ford's  Theatre,  reaching  there  about  half- 
past  eight.  When  the  president  reached  the  theatre  and  the  fact  became 
known,  the  actors  stopped  playing,  the  band  struck  up  "  Hail  to  the  Chief," 
and  the  audience  rose  and  received  him  with  cheers  and  shouts  of  applause. 
The  party  passed  to  the  right  into  the  president's  box  in  the  second  tier 
which  was  on  the  left  of  the  stage.  The  president  seated  himself  in  an  arm 
chair,  which  had  been  provided  for  him  that  afternoon  by  Mr.  Ford,  to  tlie 
left  of  the  box  and  nearest  the  audience.     Mrs.  Lincoln  sat  next  on  the  right 

601 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  the  president  and  on  her  right  was  Miss  Harris,  and  immediately  behind 
her  sat  Major  Rathbone. 

About  nine  o'clock  of  that  evening  Booth  rode  into  the  alley  in  the  rear 
of  the  theatre  and  called  upon  Spangler,  a  stage  carpenter  employee  of  the 
theatre,  to  hold  his  horse.  Spangler  sent  a  young  man  named  Burrows, 
another  employee.  Booth  stepped  into  the  theatre  through  the  rear  door, 
took  a  brief  survey  of  the  house,  passed  out  the  same  way,  and  soon  after 
appeared  at  the  front.  There  he  held  a  private  and  hurried  conversation  with 
two  or  three  persons.  Just  before  ten  o'clock  he  went  into  a  saloon  near  the 
theatre  and  took  a  drink  of  whiskey.  He  then  came  out  and  joined  his  con- 
federates, the  parties  he  had  been  conversing  with,  and  then  passed  into  the 
passage  leading  to  the  stage  from  the  street.  At  this  time,  one  of  the  con- 
federates stepped  into  the  vestibule  of  the  theatre,  looked  at  the  clock,  came 
out  and  called  the  time,  started  up  the  street,  was  gone  a  few  minutes,  returned, 
looked  at  the  clock,  and  called  the  time  again.  By  this  time  Booth  had  re- 
appeared in  front  of  the  theatre.  Presently  the  same  party  who  had  called 
the  time  came  and  looked  at  the  clock  and  called  the  time  again  in  a  loud 
voice,  "  ten  minutes  past  ten."  He  then  started  up  the  street  and  Booth 
passed  into  the  theatre.  As  stated,  this  was  about  ten  minutes  past  ten 
o'clock,  and  was  during^  the  second  scene  of  the  third  act  of  "  Our  American 
Cousin,"  then  being  performed  by  Laura  Keene  and  her  company  at  Ford's 
Theatre.  Booth  passed  to  the  right  up  near  to  the  president's  box,  where  he 
stopped  a  moment  and  leaned  against  the  wall.  He  then  stepped  down  one 
step,  placed  his  hand  on  the  door  of  the  passage  leading  to  the  president's 
box  and  his  knee  against  it,  and  pushed  the  door  open.  He  then  placed  a 
brace  against  the  door  on  the  inside,  which  had  previously  been  prepared, 
whether  by  him  or  some  one  of  his  confederates  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
an  entrance  or  intrusion  from  the  outside;  passed  along  the  passage  way  to 
the  door  on  the  left  opening  into  the  president's  box,  stopped  and  looked 
through  a  hole  which  had  been  cut  in  the  door  to  see  the  president's  position, 
and  if  his  attention  was  concentrated  upon  the  stage;  softly  pushed  the  door 
open  and  entered,  no  one  observing  him ;  then,  standing  within  two  or  three 
feet  of  the  president,  fired.  The  ball  entered  the  back  part  of  the  left  side 
of  the  head  of  the  president.  The  pistol  used  was  a  large  sized  Derringer, 
about  six  inches  in  length,  carrying  a  large  hand-made  ball.  Upon  hearing  the 
discharge  of  the  pistol,  Major  Rathbone  looked  around  and  saw  through  the 
smoke  a  man  between  the  door  and  the  president.  At  the  same  time  he  heard 
the  man  shout  some  word  which  he  thought  was  "  freedom."  Another  witness 
thought  he  shouted  "  Revenge  for  the  South !  "  Booth,  the  moment  he  fired, 
dropped  his  pistol  and  drew  a  long  knife.  Major  Rathbone  instantly  sprang 
upon  him  and  seized  him.  Booth  wrested  himself  from  the  major's  grasp, 
and  made  a  violent  thrust  at  his  breast  with  the  knife,  which  Rathbone  parried, 
receiving  the  wound  in  his  left  arm  between  the  elbow  and  the  shoulder,  about 
one  and  one-half  inches  deep  and  several  inches  in  length.  Booth  then  rushed 
to  the  front  of  the  box.  Major  Rathbone  attempting  to  seize  him  again,  but 


602 


i 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

only  caught  his  clothes  as  he  was  going  over  the  railing.  Booth  put  his  left 
hand  on  the  railing,  holding  in  his  right  hand  the  knife,  point  downward, 
leaped  over  and  down  to  the  stage,  about  twelve  feet.  As  he  was  going  over  or 
descending  the  spur  on  his  right  foot  caught  in  the  flag,  which  had  been 
draped  in  front  of  the  president's  box  in  honor  of  his  presence,  and  clung  to 
it,  causing  his  left  foot  to  partially  turn  under  him  as  he  struck  the  stage, 
and  thereby  one  of  the  bones  of  his  left  leg  was  broken.  Had  it  not  been  for 
this  accident  Booth  doubtless  would  have  made  his  escape  into  Virginia  within 
the  confederate  lines,  possibly  out  of  the  country.  Thus  it  was  that  the  na- 
tional flag  was  a  mute  instrument  in  the  vengeance  that  overtook  the  president's 
murderer.  Booth,  as  he  fled  across  the  stage,  partially  turned  facing  the 
audience,  threw  up  his  hand  holding  the  gleaming  knife,  and  shouted  "  Sic 
semper  tyrannis !  " 

In  taking  the  statements  of  persons  at  the  theatre  who  had  witnessed  the 
tragedy,  an  Irishman  in  the  second  row  said  that  Booth  shouted  as  he  fled 
across  the  stage,  "  Am  sick ;  send  for  McManus !  " 

Booth  passed  out  by  the  right  side  of  the  stage  and  through  the  pass- 
age in  the  rear  of  the  theatre,  mounted  his  horse,  which  Burrows  was  still 
holding,  hit  him  a  blow  with  the  handle  of  his  knife,  fled  across  the  navy 
yard  bridge,  and  arrived  at  Lloyd's  tavern,  Maryland,  about  twelve  o'clock 
at  night.     On  the  way  he  had  been  joined  by  Herold. 

Stopping  at  Lloyd's  tavern  in  Surrattsville,  Herold  dismounted  and  went 
into  the  house,  saying  to  Lloyd,  "  For  God's  sake,  make  haste  and  get  those 
things !  "  Lloyd,  understanding  what  he  wanted  from  the  notification  given 
him  by  Mrs.  Surratt  on  the  day  previous,  without  making  any  reply  went 
and  got  the  carbines  which  he  had  placed  in  his  bedroom  that  they  might  be 
handy,  and  brought  them  to  Herold  together  with  the  ammunition  and  field 
glass  that  had  been  deposited  with  him,  and  the  two  bottles  of  whiskey  that 
Booth  had  ordered  through  Mrs.  Surratt  the  day  before.  Herold  carried  out  to 
Booth  one  of  the  bottles  of  whiskey,  drinking  from  his  own  bottle  in  the  house 
before  going  out.  Booth  declined  taking  his  carbine,  saying  his  leg  was  broken 
and  he  could  not  carry  it.  As  they  were  about  leaving  Booth  said  to  Lloyd, 
"  I  will  tell  you  some  news  if  you  want  to  hear  it.  I  am  pretty  certain  that 
we  have  assassinated  the  president  and  Secretar}''  Seward."  The  moon  was 
now  up  and  shining  brightly.  The  next  heard  of  them  was  at  the  house  of 
Dr.  Samuel  A.  Mudd,  near  Bryantown,  in  Maryland,  and  about  thirty  miles 
from  Washington,  where  they  arrived  at  about  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  15th. 

Booth's  leg  had  been  broken  by  a  fracture  of  the  fibula,  or  small  bone  of 
the  left  leg,  when  he  fell  on  the  stage  on  leaping  from  the  president's  box, 
and  by  this  time  had  become  very  painful.  He  needed  rest  and  surgical 
treatment,  but  he  could  get  neither;  for  although  he  had  reached  the  house 
of  a  co-conspirator,  who  was  a  country  doctor,  and  well  disposed  to  render 
him  all  the  aid  he  could,  he  appeared  to  have  made  a  very  bungling  operation, 
dressing  the  broken  limb  with  some  pasteboard  and  a  bandage  which  gave 

603 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

but  a  very  imperfect  support.  As  to  the  rest  he  required,  that  was  impossible, 
for  although  Mudd  placed  him  in  an  upstairs  room  and  kept  him  until  the 
afternoon,  he  was  admonished  by  seeing  a  squad  of  soldiers  under  Lieutenant 
Dana  passing  down  past  Mudd's  place,  which  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off 
the  road  to  Bryantown,  that  there  was  no  rest  for  him;  and  as  quickly  as  it 
could  be  done,  after  the  soldiers  passed,  Mudd  got  rid  of  his  dangerous 
charges  by  sending  them  by  an  unfrequented  route  to  the  house  of  his  friend 
and  neighbor,  Samuel  Cox,  about  six  miles  nearer  to  the  Potomac.  Booth 
was  on  no  new  ground ;  neither  amongst  strangers  either  to  his  person ,  or  to 
his  wicked  purpose.  He  had  spent  a  good  deal  of  his  time  during  the  pre- 
vious fall  in  that  part  of  Maryland,  preparing  a  way  for  his  escape  after 
accomplishing  his  purpose.  His  way  had  seemed  clear  to  him  in  advance;  his 
route  had  been  selected;  his  friendly  acquaintanceships  secured.  But  alas! 
the  broken  leg.  Under  the  guise  of  looking  at  the  country  with  a  desire  to 
purchase  lands,  he  had  perfected  all  his  arrangements  and  had  expected  to 
pass  swiftly  over  his  route,  accompanied  by  Atzerodt  (whose  home  wgis  in 
their  neighborhood  and  who  knew  all  about  the  contraband  trade  with  the 
rebel  capital,  the  underground  mail  route  between  Richmond  and  Washington, 
and  all  of  the  people  engaged  in  these  operations  and  also  the  place  and 
facilities  for  crossing  the  Potomac),  and  also  by  Payne  and  Herold.  He 
had  purposed  to  be  safe  on  the  soil  of  the  Old  Dominion  ere  this  time.  In- 
stead of  realizing  all  this,  he  found  himself  a  cripple,  scarcely  able  to  travel, 
and  closely  pursued  by  those  whom  he  knew  to  be  on  his  trail,  with  no  other 
companion  than  his  devoted  but  inefficient  friend  Herold. 

Mudd  had  done  all  he  could  to  reheve  him,  but  dare  not  try  to  conceal 
and  keep  him.  He  could  only  forward  him  to  the  next  stage  of  his  journey 
and  to  a  safe  place  of  concealment.  This  he  faithfully  did.  Cox  lived  near 
Port  Tobacco,  the  home  of  Atzerodt;  and  as  his  was  too  public  a  place  to 
afford  safety  to  the  fugitives,  he  turned  them  over  to  his  neighbor,  Thomas 
Jones,  a  contraband  trader  between  Maryland  and  Richmond,  who,  in  the 
midst  of  a  constant  scouring  of  the  country  by  pursuing  parties,  kept  his 
charges  concealed  in  the  woods  near  his  house,  supplying  them  with  food  and 
doing  everything  he  could  for  their  comfort,  waiting  and  watching  con- 
stantly to  find  an  opportunity  to  get  them  across  the  Potomac.  They  were 
hunted  so  closely  that  they  could  hear  the  neighing  of  the  horses  of  the  troop- 
ers, and  fearing  they  might  be  betrayed  by  their  horses  answering  the  calls, 
Herold  led  them  into  a  swamp  near  where  they  lay  concealed  in  the  pines  and 
shot  them. 

The  river  was  being  continually  patrolled  by  gunboats,  and  the  task 
of  getting  his  wards  across  proved  both  difficult  and  dangerous  to  Jones. 
The  proclamations  offering  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  capture  of 
Booth  and  warning  all  persons  from  aiding  the  fugitives  in  any  way  in 
making  their  escape  had  been  published  broadcast,  yet  Jones  was  true  to 
his  trust.  Neither  the  offered  rewards  nor  the  warnings  of  the  proclamation 
had  any  effect  on  him;  for  a  whole  week  he  kept  them  secreted  in  the  pines 

604 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

on  his  premises,  where  Booth  lay  night  and  day  wrapped  in  a  pair  of 
blankets  that  had  most  likely  been  furnished  him  by  Dr.  Mudd.  Finally, 
being  furnished  by  Jones  with  a  boat,  they  took  their  own  risks  and  effected 
a  crossing;  but  they  were  seen  by  a  colored  man  through  whose  report 
General  Baker  got  on  their  track  and  finally  effected  their  capture. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Booth  had  selected  this  as  the  route  for  his 
escape  months  before,  and  that  all  of  his  visits  to  this  part  of  Maryland  had 
been  made  with  reference  to  this  plan.  Being  at  length  across  the  Potomac, 
even  though  under  such  unfavorable  auspices,  Booth  no  doubt  drew  a  free 
and  exultant  breath  at  having  been  permitted  to  set  his  foot  at  last  on  the 
soil  of  the  Old  Dominion.  He  felt  that  he  was  now  amongst  friends  who 
would  aid  him  in  his  flight  or  help  him  by  concealment,  and  his  friend  Jones 
no  doubt  breathed  with  a  freedom  he  had  not  known  for  some  days  at  finding 
himself  relieved  from  his  dangerous  charge.  Booth  was  greatly  disappointed 
at  the  cold  reception  g-iven  him  by  the  people  on  whom  he  had  counted  so 
much  after  crossing  into  Virginia.  He  had  expected  to  be  lionized  and 
honored  as  the  hero  of  the  age;  but  instead  of  that  he  received  a  compara- 
tively cold  reception  that  stung  his  vanity  like  the  poison  of  an  asp. 

It  is  true  the  people  showed  no  disposition  to  betray  him;  but,  at  the 
same  time,  they  manifested  a  disposition  to  enter  into  no  compromising  friend- 
ship with  liim,  and  in  a  limited  way  only  to  assume  any  responsibility  in  his 
behalf  by  helping  him  to  escape.  Sad,  indeed,  was  Booth's  condition  at  this 
time.  More  than  a  week  had  elapsed  since  he  had  perpetrated  his  great  crime 
and  commenced  his  guilty  flight;  and  now  he  found  himself  on  foot,  so  lame 
and  in  such  pain  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  walk  a  step,  even  with  the  help  of 
a  crutch,  and  scarcely  more  than  fifty  miles  from  his  starting  point.  His 
companion  in  crime,  Herold,  was  now  the  only  human  being  on  whose  friend- 
ship and  fidelity  he  could  certainly  rely. 

By  the  aid  of  this  blind  follower  he  was  able  to  maintain  his  conceal- 
ment, and  after  a  wretched  fashion  to  resume  his  flight  in  an  old  wagon  drawn 
by  two  miserable  horses  and  driven  by  a  negro.  In  this  state  he  reached  Port 
Conway,  on  the  Rappahannock,  in  King  George  county,  Virginia.  Here  his 
driver  refused  to  take  him  further.  It  is  just  at  this  juncture  and  in  this 
dilemma  that  they  were  met  by  three  confederate  soldiers,  Major  Ruggles, 
Lieutenant  Bainbridge  and  Captain  William  Jett,  the  latter  of  Moseby's 
command. 

Herold,  thinking  they  were  recruiting  for  the  rebel  service,  was  quick 
to  see  in  them  a  means  of  assistance  in  getting  South  and  under  the  protection 
of  the  stars  and  bars,  and  so  revealed  their  identity,  appealing  to  them  for 
assistance.  A  Httle  later.  Booth  getting  out  of  the  wretched  conveyance, 
came  forward,  and  to  assure  himself  of  their  disposition  toward  him,  ac- 
costed them  with  the  interrogator}^,  "  I  suppose  you  have  been  told  who  we 
are?  "  Then  throwing  himself  back  on  his  crutch,  and  straightening  himself 
up,  with  pistol  cocked  and  drawn,  he  said,  "  Yes,  I  am  Wilkes  Booth,  the 
slayer  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  I  am  worth  just  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 

605 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

thousand  dollars  to  the  man  that  captures  me."  His  attitude  and  speech  was 
dramatic  and  that  of  a  man  at  bay,  under  the  power  of  a  desperate  purpose 
never  to  be  taken  alive.  These  three  officers  of  the  confederate  army  (for  they 
were  such  at  this  time,  not  having  been  paroled),  whilst  mildly  protesting 
that  they  did  not  sanction  his  acts  as  an  assassin,  assured  him  that  they  did 
not  want  any  blood  money,  and  promised  to  render  him  all  the  assistance  in 
their  power  in  making  his  escape,  a  promise  which  they  faithfully  kept.  Major 
Ruggles  dismounted  and  placed  Booth  on  his  horse,  when  the  whole  party 
crossed  over  the  Rappahannock  from  Port  Conway,  in  King  George  county, 
to  Port  Royal,  in  Caroline  County,  Virginia,  and  after  an  ineffectual  effort 
to  find  quarters  for  Booth  in  the  town,  they  took  him  three  miles  on  the  road 
to  Bowling  Green,  the  county  seat  of  the  latter  county,  where  they  succeeded 
in  getting  a  man  by  the  name  of  Garrett  to  take  him  in,  with  the  understanding 
that  he  would  do  all  he  could  for  his  comfort  and  safety.  Garrett  took 
Booth  and  Herold  in  with  a  full  knowledge  of  all  the  facts  in  the  case,  and 
with  some  manifest  reluctance  from  a  knowledge  of  the  danger  he  would 
thus  incur. 

Bainbridge  went  on  to  Bowling  Green,  whilst  Ruggles  and  Jett  re- 
mained over  night  in  the  woods  near  the  house,  Booth  being  hidden  on  the 
premises  and  cared  for.  On  the  following  day  Captain  Jett  went  to  Bowling 
Green  on  a  visit,  prompted  by  the  tender  passion,  where  he  remained  a  few 
days,  and  Lieutenant  Bainbridge  returned  to  the  Garrett  farm,  where  he 
rejoined  Major  Ruggles.  The  two  started  for  Port  Conway,  but  before 
getting  there  learned  that  the  town  was  full  of  Union  cavalry,  when  they  lost 
no  time  in  returning  to  Garrett's  and  gave  warning  to  Booth,  advising  him  to 
lose  no  time  in  fleeing  to  a  piece  of  woods,  which  they  pointed  out  to  him,  and 
then  turned  to  look  after  their  own  safety.  The  cavalry  of  which  they  got 
this  notice  was  a  squad  detailed  from  the  Sixteenth  New  York  Regiment, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Dougherty,  which  had  been  ordered  to  report  to 
Gen.  L.  C.  Baker  of  the  Secret  Service  Department. 

Arriving  at  Port  Conway  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  subsequent  to  the 
crossing  of  the  parties  above  referred  to,  and  finding  the  wife  of  the  ferry 
keeper  at  the  ferry  house  sitting  and  conversing  with  another  woman.  Col- 
onel Conger  exhibited  to  them  a  photograph  of  Booth,  and  informed  them 
that  that  was  the  man  they  wanted.  It  at  once  became  apparent  to  him, 
from  the  manner  and  actions  of  the  women,  that  Booth  was  not  far  off.  The 
ferryman,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Collins,  was  sent  for,  and  being  influenced 
no  doubt  by  fear  of  compromising  himself,  became  very  communicative.  He 
told  them  all  about  the  party  that  had  crossed  the  day  before,  one  of  them, 
Captain  Jett,  he  knew  well ;  and  knowing  that  Jett  had  been  paying  attention 
to  a  Miss  Goldman,  the  daughter  of  a  BowUng  Green  hotel  keeper,  he  sug- 
gested that  he  would  most  probably  be  found  there.  Colonel  Conger  pushed  on 
with  his  squad  of  cavalry,  commanded  by  Captain,  then  Lieutenant  E.  P. 
Dougherty,  to  Bowling  Green,  passing  the  Garrett  farm  after  dark. 

Arriving  at  Goldman's  Hotel,  he  inquired  of  Mrs.  Goldman  as  to  the 

606 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

men  that  were  in  the  house.  She  answered  him  that  her  wounded  son  was  in 
a  room  upstairs,  and  that  he  was  all  the  man  there  was  there.  Colonel  Conger 
then  required  her  to  lead  the  way  upstairs,  telling  her  at  the  same  time  that  if 
his  men  were  fired  on  he  would  burn  the  building  and  carry  the  inmates  to 
Washington  as  prisoners.  As  he  entered  the  room  which  she  showed  him,  up 
one  flight  of  stairs.  Captain  Jett  jumped  out  of  bed  half-dresed,  and  admitted 
his  identity.  Colonel  Conger  then  informed  him  that  he  was  cognizant  of  his 
movements  for  the  last  two  days,  and  proceeded  to  read  to  him  the  proclama- 
tions of  the  secretary  of  war,  telling  him  when  he  had  done  reading  it  that  if 
he  did  not  tell  him  the  truth  he  would  hang  him ;  but  that  if  he  truly  gave  him 
the  information  that  he  sought  he  would  protect  him.  Jett  was  greatly  ex- 
cited, and  told  him  that  he  had  left  Booth  at  the  Garrett  farm,  three  miles 
from  Port  Royal.  The  colonel  then  had  Jett's  horse  taken  from  the  stable, 
making  Jett  his  unwilling  guide  to  the  place  of  Booth's  concealment. 

Arriving  at  Garrett's,  the  cavalry  was  so  disposed  as  to  prevent  any  one 
from  escaping,  and  after  having  extorted,  by  threats,  the  information  that 
Booth  and  Herold  were  concealed  in  the  barn,  it  was  at  once  surrounded.  They 
were  ordered  to  come  out  and  surrender  themselves,  which  Booth  refused  to  do. 
After  a  considerable  parley,  Herold  came  to  the  door  and  gave  himself  up. 
He  was  followed  by  the  maledictions  of  Booth.  Booth  still  refused  to  sur- 
render. A  wisp  of  hay  was  fired  and  thrown  in  on  the  hay  in  the  bam.  From 
this  start  the  barn  was  soon  lighted  up  with  the  flames  of  the  burning  hay. 
Booth  was  known  to  be  armed  and  desperate,  and  as  the  burning  hay  began  to 
illuminate  the  bam  he  was  seen,  carbine  in  hand,  peering  through  the  cracks, 
and  trying  to  get  an  aim.  He  had  before  offered  to  fight  the  crowd  for  a 
chance  of  his  life  if  the  colonel  would  but  withdraw  his  men  one  hundred  yards. 
Being  answered  that  they  had  come  to  capture  him,  not  to  fight  him,  he  was 
preparing  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible.  At  this  moment.  Sergeant 
Boston  Corbett,  of  the  Sixteenth  New  York  Cavalry,  fired  at  Booth  through  a 
crack  in  the  barn,  upon  his  own  responsibility.  The  bullet  struck  Booth  on  the 
back  of  his  head,  very  nearly  in  the  same  part  where  his  own  ball  struck  the 
President,  only  a  little  lower  down,  and  passing  obliquely  through  the  base  of 
the  brain  and  upper  part  of  the  spinal  cord,  it  produced  instantly  almost  com- 
plete paralysis  of  every  muscle  in  his  body  below  the  wound,  the  nerves  of 
organic  life  only  sufficing  to  keep  up  a  very  difficult  and  imperfect  respiration, 
and  a  feeble  action  of  the  heart  for  a  few  hours.  After  Booth  was  shot  he 
was  carried  from  the  burning  bam  and  laid  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  on  the 
lawn  of  the  Garrett  premises.  He  was  perfectly  clear  in  his  mind,  but  could 
not  swallow,  and  was  scarcely  able  to  articulate  so  as  to  be  understood,  although 
he  seemed  anxious  to  talk.  He  requested  the  officer  who  was  bending  over  him 
trying  to  administer  to  him  to  tell  his  mother  that  he  died  for  his  country. 
Booth  expired  in  great  agony  on  the  26th  of  April,  twelve  days  after  the 
commission  of  his  crime. 

The  body  was  brought  to  Washington  and  identified  fully.  It  was  buried 
for  a  time  secretly  under  the  floor  of  the  old  Capitol  prison,  but  afterwards  was 

607 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

given  to  his  friends  and  taken  to  Baltimore  and  there  buried  in  an  unknown 
and  unmarked  grave. 

At  the  moment  the  President  was  shot  he  was  leaning  with  his  hand  or 
arm  resting  on  the  railing  of  the  box,  looking  at  some  person  in  the  orchestra, 
holding  the  flag  aside  to  look  between  it  and  the  post;  he  raised  his  head  an 
instant  and  then  it  fell  backward.  He  was  carried  to  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Peterson,  just  opposite  the  theatre,  where  he  expired  about  seven  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  15th. 

The  trial  of  the  accused  occupied  the  commission  from  the  10th  day  of 
May  to  the  30th  day  of  June,  inclusive,  and  resulted  in  the  conviction  of  Her- 
old,  Atzerodt,  Payne  and  Mrs.  Surratt,  and  their  sentence  to  be  hanged  at  such 
time  and  place  as  the  President  might  direct ;  and  the  conviction  of  O'Loughlin, 
Spangler,  Arnold  and  Mudd,  and  the  sentence  of  all  except  Spangler  to  im- 
prisonment at  hard  labor  for  life.  On  July  5,  1865,  these  sentences  were 
approved  by  President  Johnson,  and  the  sentences  of  Herold,  Atzerodt,  Payne 
and  Mrs.  Surratt  were  ordered  to  be  carried  into  effect  on  the  7th  of  the  same 
month,  between  the  hours  of  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  and  two  o'clock  p.  m. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  issued  by  Justice 
Wylie,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  was  served  upon 
General  Hancock,  commanding  him  to  produce  before  his  honor  the  body  of 
Mrs.  Surratt.  Justice  Wylie  signed  the  order  for  the  issuance  of  the  writ  at 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  half-past  eleven  General  Hancock  appeared 
in  person,  accompanied  by  Attorney-General  Speed,  before  his  honor,  and 
submitted  the  following  return: 

"  I  hereby  acknowledge  the  service  of  the  writ  hereto  attached  and  return 
the  same,  and  respectfully  say  that  the  body  of  Mary  E.  Surratt  is  in  my  pos- 
session, under  and  by  virtue  of  an  order  of  Andrew  Johnson,  President  of  the 
United  States  and  Commander  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  for  the  purpose  in  said 
order  expressed,  a  copy  of  which  is  hereto  attached,  etc.,  and  that  I  do  not 
produce  said  body  by  reason  of  the  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
indorsed  upon  said  writ,  to  which  reference  is  hereby  respectfully  made." 

The  President's  endorsement  was: 

"  I,  Andrew  Johnson,  President  of  the  United  States,  do  hereby  declare 
that  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  has  been  heretofore  suspended  in  such  cases  as 
this,  and  I  do  hereby  especiaDy  suspend  this  wo-it  and  direct  that  you  proceed  to 
execute  the  order  heretofore  given  upon  the  judgment  of  the  military  commis- 
sion, and  you  will  give  this  order  in  return  to  the  writ." 

The  court  ruled  that  it  yielded  to  the  suspension  of  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  by  the  President,  and  the  sentences  were  duly  carried  into  execution. 

No  trial  which  ever  took  place  in  this  country  excited  so  much  interest 
throughout  the  whole  land  as  did  the  trial  of  these  conspirators  and  assassins. 
Not  only  because  of  the  great  love  of  the  people  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  but 
from  a  natural  desire  to  learn  from  sworn  testimony  how  widespread  was  the 
conspiracy,  what  was  its  scope  and  purpose,  who  actually  took  part  in  carrying 
it  into  execution,  and  how  far  the  rebel  authorities  in  Richmond  and  their 

608 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

agents  in  Canada  had  knowledge  of  the  proposed  assassination  of  the  heads  of 
the  government,  sanctioned  it,  aided  it,  and  were  responsible  for  it.  Perhaps 
some  additional  interest  was  excited  by  the  fact  that  a  woman  was  charged 
with  being  one  of  the  conspirators. 

For  this  trial,  and  especially  for  the  trial  and  execution  of  Mrs.  Surratt, 
that  portion  of  the  press  and  the  persons  in  sympathy  with  the  late  rebellion  in- 
dulged in  most  bitter  denunciations  of  the  court;  the  judge  advocates ;  General 
Ilartranft,  who  was  in  immediate  command  of  the  detail  having  the  prisoners 
in  charge,  and  who  carried  into  execution  the  sentence  of  the  court;  and  of 
General  Plancock,  who  was  in  command  of  the  military  forces  in  and  around 
Washington.  No  falsehood  was  too  extravagant  to  be  imagined,  stated  and 
believed.  As  an  illustration  of  this,  I  remember  once,  in  passing  along  a  street 
in  Cincinnati,  when  a  lady  beside  whom  was  standing  one  of  these  rebel  sym- 
pathizers honored  me  with  a  bow  and  a  pleasant  smile.  The  gentleman  turned 
to  her  and  said,  "  Do  you  know  who  that  is  you  have  just  bowed  to?  "  "  Oh 
yes,  very  well,"  she  said.  "  Well,  do  you  know  that  he  hung  INIrs.  Sui-ratt  with 
his  own  hand,  and  smiled  as  he  came  down  from  the  scaffold.''  " 

The  fact  being  that  I  never  saw  one  of  the  accused  after  the  close  of  the 
trial  on  the  30th  of  June,  and  that  I  left  Washington  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  trial,  I  think  on  the  5th  of  July.  But  as  illustrating  still  further  the 
malicious  representations  that  followed  this  trial,  let  me  recall  to  your  minds 
the  letter  of  Mrs.  Jane  Swisshelm,  published  in  the  New  York  Tribime  of 
September  16,  1873.  In  this  letter  she  gives  the  impression  that  Mrs.  Surratt 
was  manacled  in  court  during  her  trial,  and  vividly  pictures  how  on  one  occa- 
sion she  (Mrs.  Swisshelm)  was  present  in  the  court,  and  gave  public  exhibi- 
tions of  her  suffering  and  indignation  at  this  outrage  and  cruelty.  The 
Washington  Chronicle,  noticing  this  letter  of  Mrs.  Swisshelm's,  addressed  a 
note  to  Mrs.  Surratt's  counsel,  M.  Aiken,  making  inquiry  as  to  the  fact.  He 
replied  as  follows: 

"  I  have  your  letter  of  this  date,  inclosing  the  letter  of  Jane  G.  Swisshelm, 
pubhshed  in  the  Tribune,  the  16th  inst.,  and  asking  me,  '  Is  her  statement  true 
that  Mrs.  Surratt  was  manacled  during  her  trial.'' '  Without  reference  to  any 
other  fact,  or  to  any  of  the  details  of  the  case  of  that  most  unfortunate 
lady,  I  have  to  say  in  reply  that  at  no  time  during  her  unlawful  trial  was 
Mrs.  Surratt  manacled,  either  on  her  wrists  or  her  ankles,  while  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  court.  I  not  only  speak  from  my  own  absolute  knowledge,  but 
from  recollections  of  Mrs.  Surratt's  oft-repeated  statements  to  me  that  she 
was    not   manacled." 

The  Chronicle  adds,  "  Now,  can  any  fair-minded  person,  however  preju- 
diced, come  to  any  other  conclusion  than  that  the  garrulous  lady  had  willfully 
and  maliciously  misrepresented  the  facts  for  the  mere  purpose  of  glorifying 
herself?  "  I  must  agree  with  this  conclusion  because  I  know  personally  that 
Mrs.  Surratt  was  not  manacled,  and  that  no  such  scene  as  Mrs.  Swisshelm  de- 
scribed ever  took  place  in  the  courtroom.  But  this  letter  of  INIrs.  Surratt's 
counsel  did  not  put  underground  the  falsehood  that  she  was  manacled  during 
her  trial — periodically  it  reappears,  fresh  and  vigorous. 

609 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

General  Hancock  was  especially  denounced  because  he  was  obedient  to  the 
order  of  the  President — the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  under  the  con- 
stitution— and  had  failed  to  deliver  Mrs.  Surratt  over  to  the  custody  of  the 
court  under  the  habeas  corpus  proceedings.  His  rivals  and  enemies  made 
most  unscrupulous  use  of  this  weapon  against  him  as  soon  as  he  became  promi- 
nently talked  of  as  Democratic  candidate  for  President  in  1880. 

In  1871  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  St.  Louis  said:  "  Quite  a  number 
of  the  federal  officers,  dissatisfied  with  the  political  character  and  partisan  pur- 
poses of  the  late  war,  resigned  their  positions  in  the  army  at  one  time  or 
another.  Some  of  them  felt  that  the  '  Union  '  had  somehow  come  to  be  a  sec- 
ondary consideration  in  the  fight ;  others,  that  it  was  a  merely  partisan  struggle 
for  the  ascendancy;  but  General  Hancock,  the  favorite  of  a  few  Western 
Democrats  as  a  candidate  for  President,  seems  to  have  detected  none  of  these 
objections.  He  did  his  duty  like  a  stolid  serving-man  through  the  war. 
When  at  New  Orleans,  he  issued  an  order  that  made  his  great  capital  among 
the  Southern  people ;  and,  when  at  the  North,  he  distinguished  himself  equally 
as  a  federal  zealot.  It  was  General  Hancock,  then  in  command  of  the  Middle 
Military  Division  of  Washington,  who  declined  to  interfere  with  the  order  of 
the  court-martial  sentencing  Mrs.  Surratt  to  death.  It  was  he  who  became 
himself  party  to  one  of  the  most  inhuman  crimes  ever  perpetrated  in  the  name 
of  justice." 

This  sort  of  criticism  and  abuse  embittered  many  an  hour  of  General 
Hancock's  life  up  to  the  day  of  his  death.  General  Hancock,  as  we  all  know 
who  knew  him  well,  in  his  personal  relations  with  his  fellow-men  was  as  kindly 
and  gentle  as  a  child ;  was  a  man  with  the  highest  ideals  and  rules  of  conduct, 
and  as  a  soldier  was  as  brave  and  knightly  as  ever  buckled  sword. 

Of  a  peculiarly^  proud  and  sensitive  disposition,  any  word  which  assailed 
either  his  personal  honor  or  his  record  as  a  soldier  tortured  him  like  a  festering 
wound. 

He  talked  with  me  several  times  about  these  attacks  which  had  been  made 
upon  him,  and  in  1873  I  determined  to  write  an  article  reviewing  some  of  the 
incidents  of  the  trial  of  the  assassins  and  General  Hancock's  relation  to  it. 
This  purpose  I  made  known  to  him ;  and  he  then  informed  me  that  an  article 
had  been  prepared  by  some  friend  of  his  upon  the  subject,  and  if  I  wished  he 
would  have  it  sent  to  me,  and  I  could  make  such  use  of  it  in  the  preparation 
of  my  article  as  I  wished.  It  was  subsequently  sent  to  me,  and  I  still  have  it 
in  my  possession.  About  the  same  time  I  received  from  him  the  following 
note: 

"  New  York,  October  1,  1873. 

"  My  Dear  General :  General  Mitchell  has  the  paper  I  spoke  to  you  of. 
It  reached  me  this  a.  m.  If  you  will  notify  General  M.  (W.  G.  Mitchell) 
where  to  send  it  and  when,  he  will  send  it  by  messenger  to  you. 

"  The  latter  part  of  the  paper  contains  the  matter  I  particularly  desire 
you  to  see,  although  it  might  be  well  for  j^ou  to  read  the  whole.     You  are  at 

610 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

libei-ty  to  use  any  part  of  it  verbatim  dr  nil.     It  was  not  printed.     I  should  be 
pleased  if  you  would  preserve  the  paper  for  me. 

"  I  leave  for  St.  Louis  this  p.  m.  The  only  true  plan  is  to  meet  and  crush 
out  this  Surratt  matter,  not  to  '  dally  it ' — as  this  paper,  for  example.  It  is 
about  my  idea  of  meeting  the  question.  Yours  truly, 

"  WiNFiELD  S.  Hancock. 

"  To  General  Burnett,  N.  Y." 

This  paper  is  too  long  to  present  here,  but  I  will  give  only  a  few  ex- 
tracts showing  General  Hancock's  views  of  his  relation  to  the  habeas  corpus 
episode  and  Mrs.  Surratt's  connection  with  the  conspiracy.  I  quote  from  the 
paper  as  follows: 

"  On  the  7th  day  of  July,  1865,  the  day  of  the  execution,  the  Honorable 
Andrew  Wylie,  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  District  of  Columbia, 
issued  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  directed  to  General  Hancock,  commanding  him 
to  produce  the  body  of  IVlary  E.  Surratt  in  court.  Thereupon  Andrew  John- 
son, as  President  of  the  United  States,  and  as  such  superior  in  authority  to 
General  Hancock,  assumed  the  responsibility  of  suspending  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  and  setting  aside  the  order  of  the  judge.  The  President's  order  was  in 
these  words,  and  was  indorsed  on  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  (Here  is  given 
the  President's  order,  as  given  above.) 

"  Nevertheless,  General  Hancock  deemed  it  his  duty  to  appear  before 
Judge  Wylie  and  submit  himself  to  the  judgment  of  the  civil  court.  Having 
appeared  before  the  civil  court,  General  Hancock  filed  the  following  statement 
in  writing,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  setting 
out  the  return  above. 

"  Judge  Wylie  said :  '  The  court  finds  itself  powerless  to  take  any  further 
action  in  the  premises,  and  therefore  declines  to  make  an  order,  which  would 
be  vain  for  any  practical  purpose.  As  regards  the  delay,  it  having  been  fully 
accounted  for,  the  court  has  no  fault  to  attach  to  the  respondent  (General 
Hancock)  in  that  respect."      .... 

"  Against  such  a  record  as  this  nothing  but  inveterate  malice  would  pre- 
fer a  censure  against  General  Hancock.  The  conduct  of  General  Hancock  was 
not  only  dutiful  and  obedient  to  the  civil  authority,  but  such  as  to  manifest  for 
that  authority  profound  respect  and  reverence. 

"  It  was  not  necessary  he  should  appear  in  person  before  the  court.  He 
went,  however,  laid  aside  the  sword,  and  submitted  himself  to  its  judgment. 
He  could  have  assumed  an  air  of  defiance.  He  could  have  spurned  the  puny 
power  of  the  civil  magistrate,  who  had  presumed  to  send  his  mandate  to  a  mili- 
tary commander  of  a  hundred  thousand  soldiers.  But  no,  he  deemed  it  an  im- 
perative duty  to  submit  himself  personally  to  the  authority  and  jurisdiction  of 
the  court. 

"  If  General  Hancock  was  responsible  for  the  non-production  of  the  body 
of  Mrs.  Surratt,  the  Court  was  armed  with  jurisdiction  to  fine  and  imprison  him 
for  the  dereliction  of  duty  and  for  a  contempt  of  the  authority  of  the  court. 

611 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  But  the  court  did  neither.  Judge  Wylie  dismissed  the  general  from 
his  court  without  punishment  and  without  censure;  assigning  the  failure  of 
the  writ,  not  to  an  act  of  General  Hancock,  but  to  the  act  of  the  Presi- 
dent. .  .  .  The  suggestion  that  General  Hancock  should  have  resigned  is 
simply  silly.  His  resignation  could  have  no  tendency  to  bring  the  body  of  Mrs. 
Surratt  into  court  or  to  prevent  her  execution. 

"  It  has  been  a  common  thing  for  those  who,  from  political  partisanship 
or  personal  maHce,  have  been  most  violent  in  their  clamor  against  General 
Hancock  in  this  connection,  to  omit  all  mention  of  the  other  parties  who  suf- 
fered with  Mrs.  Surratt.  It  would  seem  as  if,  in  their  opinion,  no  inhuman  crime 
was  perpetrated  in  the  execution  of  Herold,  Atzerodt  or  Payne.  The  reason 
for  this  is  plain  enough.  There  is  always  sypipathy  for  a  woman.  And  it  is 
supposed  that  much  will  be  conceded  for  her  which  could  not  be  asked  in  the 
case  of  another  person.  It  is  quite  immaterial  to  our  present  purpose  whether 
Mrs.  Surratt  was  innocent  or  guilty  of  the  crime  for  which  she  suffered,  since 
General  Hancock  was  in  no  wise  responsible  for  it.  But  when  she  is  pronounced 
perfectly  innocent  and  her  execution  '  an  inhuman  murder '  committed  by  nine 
respectable  officers  of  the  army,  and  by  the  approbation  of  the  President,  with- 
out evidence  of  guilt,  it  is  not  amiss  to  state  the  simple  facts  of  her  case. 

"  That  nine  men  of  ordinary  respectable  character  in  the  federal  army, 
colonels,  brigadiers  and  major-generals,  should  have  been  so  lost  to  all  sense  of 
duty  and  humanity,  so  ineffably  brutal,  as  to  sentence  a  woman  to  death  for 
nothing,  is  a  very  strong  proposition. 

"  Any  one  who  looks  into  the  evidence  will  find  out  that  for  some  weeks  be- 
fore the  assassination  Mrs.  Surratt  was  holding  frequent  private  interviews 
with  Wilkes  Booth;  and  was  also  on  terms  of  intimate  communication  in  her 
own  house  with  Lewis  Payne,  alias  Wood,  alias  Powell,  who  attempted  the  life 
of  Mr.  Seward.  Some  weeks  before  the  assassination,  John  H.  Surratt,  David 
E.  Herold  and  George  A.  Atzerodt  left  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Eloyd,  near 
Washington,  two  carbines,  ammunition,  and  a  rope  sixteen  to  twenty  feet 
long,  which  were  laid  away  under  a  joist  until  they  should  be  wanted.  On 
the  Monday  preceding  the  assassination  Mrs.  Surratt  came  to  Floyd's  house 
and  inquired  about  the  '  shooting-irons,'  and  told  Floyd  '  they  would  be  wanted 
soon.'  On  the  very  day  of  the  assassination  Mrs.  Surratt  was  at  Floyd's 
house  again,  and  told  him  '  to  have  the  shooting-irons  ready  for  that  night.' 
She  then  gave  Mr.  Floyd  a  field-glass  and  asked  him  to  have  all  the  things 
ready,  with  two  bottles  of  whiskey,  for  the  parties  who  would  call  for  them  in 
the  night,  and  left. 

"  True  to  her  prediction,  at  about  a  quarter-past  twelve  o'clock  the  same 
night.  Booth  and  Herold  came  to  Floyd's  and  called  for  the  carbines,  field-glass 
and  whiskey,  which  Floyd  delivered  to  them  according  to  Mrs.  Surratt's  direc- 
tions. Herold  took  his  carbine,  but  Booth  was  unable  to  carry  his,  having 
a  broken  leg,  and  so  left  it  behind.  The  assassins  were  at  Floyd's  house  about 
five  minutes.  Booth  said,  as  they  rode  off:  '  I  will  tell  you  some  news.  I  am 
pretty  certain  we  have  assassinated  the  President  and  Secretary  Seward.' 

612 


I 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  About  midnight  on  the  17th  of  April,  1865,  the  third  day  after  the 
assassination,  Payne,  who  till  then  had  secreted  liimself,  came  disguised  to 
Mrs.  Surratt's  house  and  was  arrested  by  soldiers  then  in  possession  of  it.  He 
said  Mrs.  Surratt  had  sent  for  him  to  dig  a  ditch. 

"  Mrs.  Surratt,  though  she  knew  him  well,  denied  she  ever  saw  him.  Her 
words  were, '  Before  God,  I  do  not  know  this  man,  and  have  never  seen  him.' 

"  It  is  not  for  us  to  pass  upon  the  guilt  of  M'rs.  Surratt.  We  would  pre- 
fer to  behold  her  pure  and  stainless,  '  as  the  angels  in  heaven.' 

"  But  whomsoever  indulges  in  wide-mouthed  proclamations,  or  pronounces 
her  conviction  '  an  inhuman  crime,'  unsupported  by  evidence,  betrays  an  ani- 
mus, to  say  the  least,  not  overcareful  of  the  truth.  The  same  malevolent  animus 
which,  in  defiance  of  all  truth,  calls  General  Hancock  her  murderer,  also  de- 
nounces liim  for  having  been  a  Union  soldier,  and  not  for  resigning  his  com- 
mission, and  for  all  the  gallant  service  he  has  rendered  to  his  country. 

"  '  Cease,  viper :  you  bite  a  file ! '  " 

Of  General  Hancock's  connection  with  the  trial  and  the  habeas  corpus 
proceedings,  in  an  interview  published  in  the  New  York  World,  August  5, 
1880,  after  his  nomination  for  the  presidency  by  the  Democratic  party,  al- 
though I  was  a  Republican  and  voted  against  liim,  I  took  occasion  to  say : 

"  I  do  not  think  that  anybody  who  ever  examined  the  case  fairly  could 
impute  the  least  blame  to  General  Hancock.  I  think  from  first  to  last  he  only 
performed  what  was  his  strict  military  duty."  After  citing  the  record :  "  Thus 
you  see  that  General  Hancock  fully  respected  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  and 
made  a  proper  and  respectful  return  to  it,  pleading  a  higher  authority  for  not 
obeying  it  by  producing  the  body  of  Mrs.  Surratt.  .  .  .  Any  attempt  to 
cast  blame  on  General  Hancock  for  his  action  in  connection  with  these  events  I 
feel  confident  must  fail.     He  simply  performed  his  duty  like  a  good  soldier." 

After  the  nomination  of  General  Hancock  for  the  presidency  in  1880  by 
the  Democratic  party,  at  the  request  of  the  editor  of  the  North  American  Re- 
view, Mr.  Speed,  Mr.  Lincoln's  attorney-general,  prepared  a  paper  for  that 
periodical  on  the  trial  of  Mrs.  Surratt.  In  that  article,  among  other  things, 
in  speaking  of  the  military  commission  and  the  fairness  of  her  trial,  he  said : 

"  The  military  commission  which  tried  the  assassins  of  the  President  was 
carefully  selected.  It  was  composed  of  men  taught  by  experience  and  habit  to 
maintain  coolness  and  equanimity  in  the  midst  of  the  most  exciting  scenes.  If 
it  was  possible  at  that  period  and  at  that  place  to  have  secured  a  fair  trial,  the 
method  adopted  was  the  most  certain  to  secure  it.  That  commission  certainly 
had  no  desire  to  wantonly  and  recklessly  inflict  punishment  upon  a  woman.  It 
patiently  investigated  the  case.  If  Mrs.  Surratt  had  not  been  guilty — if  there 
had  been  any  reasonable  doubt  of  her  guilt — she  would  have  been  acquitted, 
as  some  of  the  other  accused  persons  were.  The  government  never  showed  any 
disposition  to  deal  severely  with  any  of  those  guilty  of  crimes  connected  with 
the  rebellion.  Its  military  power  was  exercised  mildly  and  humanely.  It  was 
only  in  a  few  instances  of  absolutely  hideous  crimes  that  the  perpetrators  suf- 
fered the  extreme  penalty. 

613 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

"  There  is  no  ground  for  the  complaint  that  the  military  court  was  harsh, 
or  unjust,  or  cruel.  There  is  every  ground  for  the  conclusion  that  it  did  its 
duty  with  judicial  calmness  and  perfect  conscientious  impartiality.  It  found 
the  proofs  of  guilt  clear  and  incontestable,  and  rendered  judgment  accord- 
ingly. .  .  .  There  was  an  additional  guarantee  of  fairness  of  the  pro- 
ceeding against  the  assassins  of  the  President  in  the  fact  that  General  Han- 
cock, a  disciplined,  trained  and  accomplished  soldier,  was  in  command  at 
Washington  at  the  time.  His  calmness  and  equipose  in  the  midst  of  excitement, 
cultivated  by  familiarity  with  scenes  of  carnage  in  the  whirlwind  of  scores  of 
terrific  conflicts,  would  naturally  inspire  calmness  in  others.  Had  the  assassins 
been  turned  over  to  the  civil  courts  for  trial,  the  result  would  doubtless  have  been 
the  same;  and  in  that  case  we  would  have  heard  a  more  just  complaint,  per- 
haps, that,  instead  of  a  trial  by  an  impartial  military  tribunal,  they  were  re- 
manded to  the  mercies  of -an  angry  and  revengeful  mob  of  passionate  civilians, 
from  whom  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  fair  jury." 

This  was  the  calm  judgment  upon  this  trial  and  the  justice  of  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt's  conviction  of  one  of  the  purest  of  men — one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  his 
time — after  the  thought  and  reflection  of  fifteen  years. 

I  have  given  briefly  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  assassination 
and  the  trial  of  the  assassins.  The  criticisms  of  those  opposed  to  the  govern- 
ment in  relation  to  the  trial  and  the  execution  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  but  these  criti- 
cisms did  not  end  the  matter.  There  was  attached  to  the  record  of  the  evidence, 
when  it  was  transmitted  tO'  the  office  of  the  judge  advocate  general  of  the  army, 
to  be  transmitted  to  the  President  for  his  approval,  a  recommendation  to  mercy 
signed  by  five  of  the  nine  members  of  the  court.  While  Mr.  Johnson  was  still 
President  a  charge  had  circulation  through  the  public  press  that  Mr.  Johnson 
never  saw  this  recommendation  to  mercy,  that  it  had  been  suppressed  by  the 
judge  advocate  general.  Judge  Holt.  Mr.  Johnson  liimself  never  openly  made 
the  charge  until  after  his  term  had  expired  and  some  time  in  1873. 

No  graver  charge  could  be  made  against  a  public  officer  than  this  against 
Judge  Holt,  and  if  true  no  more  cruel  and  treacherous  betrayal  of  a  public 
trust  was  ever  committed  by  a  man  in  high  official  position.  It  would  be  mur- 
derous in  intent  and  eff^ect.  This  charge  rested,  so  far  as  human  testimony  went, 
upon  the  solemn  assertion  alone  of  President  Johnson,  and  if  untrue,  was  one 
of  the  most  cruel  wrongs  ever  perpetrated  by  one  man  against  another.  This 
controversy  was  heated  and  active  for  many  years,  and  in  a  paper  read  several 
years  ago  before  the  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  New  York,  I  have 
reviewed  all  the  testimony  bearing  upon  the  question,  and  given  my  personal 
connection  with  the  aff*air,  and  I  do  not  propose  now  to  go  into  the  matter.  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  without  any  doubt  that  the  charge  made  by  Andrew 
Johnson  was  absolutely  false. 

The  execution  of  the  assassins  was  the  closing  scene  of  the  greatest 
tragedy  in  our  history.  The  assassination  removed  from  the  stage  of  life  the 
greatest  figure  of  the  century. 

As  time  goes  on,  his  place  seems  to  grow  larger;  the  estimate  of  men 

614 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

higher;  not  only  did  he  seem  to  be  the  special  instrument  raised  up  by  Provi- 
dence to  save  and  preserve  us  a  nation,  but  to  strike  the  shackles  from  millions  of 
slaves.  The  mighty  potency  and  significance  of  his  utterances  and  his  work  in 
preserving  us  a  nation  and  making  this  a  land  of  freedom  each  year  grows  in 
the  minds  of  men.  Not  only  was  he  this  mighty  leader,  but  he  had  those 
peculiar  qualities  which  brought  him  close  to  the  hearts  of  the  plain  people  of 
the  country.  No  pen  can  quite  describe  his  personality.  Each  historian  gives 
certain  leading  attributes  to  the  man.  I  met  him  only  two  or  three  times,  but 
was  brought  in  close  touch  with  all  the  personal  anecdote  and  the  testimony 
of  those  who  were  in  daily  intercourse  with  him  during  his  presidential  office. 
What  seemed  to  impress  those  about  him  most  was  his  absolute  honesty,  his  hon- 
esty in  thought,  word  and  deed — that  he  was  honest  with  every  man  with 
whom  he  had  to  deal,  and  honest  with  himself;  his  love  of  truth  and  his  perfect 
confidence  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  truth,  his  grand  simplicity  of  nature 
and  speech,  the  great  brain  that  seemed  to  grow  and  fit  itself  to  all  new  and 
great  occasions,  to  be  equal  to  any  and  every  emergency,  and  his  loving,  kindly 
nature,  which  seemed  to  draw  in  and  hold  in  his  heart  not  only  his  fellow  coun- 
tryman, but  all  who  lived  and  toiled  and  suffered;  and  he  had  no  enmity,  or 
hatred  of  any  human  being,  not  even  for  those  who  were  wicked  or  in  the 
wrong,  only  a  hatred  of  the  wrong  itself,  and  a  great  yearning  that  the  erring 
might  be  brought  to  see  the  right  and  the  truth  and  do  the  things  which  would 
make  for  truth  and  righteousness. 

Of  his  gentleness  and  tenderness  and  kindliness  of  heart,  an  instance  given 
by  his  friend  Speed  will  best  illustrate.  Lincoln  and  the  other  members  of  the 
bar  from  the  capital  at  Springfield  had  been  attending  court  at  Christiansburg, 
and  Speed  was  riding  with  them  towards  Springfield.  He  tells  us  that  there 
was  quite  a  party  of  these  lawyers  riding  two  by  two  along  a  country  lane  or 
road.  Lincoln  and  John  J.  Harding  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  caval- 
cade. 

We  had  passed,  said  Speed,  through  a  thicket  of  wild  plum  and  crab- 
apple  trees  and  stopped  to  water  our  horses.  Harding  came  up  alone.  "  Where 
is  Lincoln.''"  we  inquired.  "Oh,"  replied  he,  "when  I  saw  him  last,  he 
had  got  two  young  birds  which  the  wind  had  blown  down  from  their  nest,  and 
he  was  hunting  the  nest  to  put  them  back."  In  a  short  time  Lincoln  came  up, 
having  found  the  nest  and  placed  the  j'oung  birds  in  it.  The  party  laughed 
at  him,  but  he  said,  "  I  could  not  have  slept  if  I  had  not  restored  those  little 
birds  to  their  mother."  You  will  remember  also  his  letter  to  the  mother  who 
had  given  all  her  sons  to  her  country : 

"  I  have  been  shown,"  he  says,  "  in  the  files  of  the  war  department  a 
statement  that  you  are  the  mother  of  five  sons  who  have  died  gloriously  on  the 
field  of  battle.  I  feel  how  weak  and  fruitless  must  be  any  words  of  mine  which 
should  attempt  to  beguile  you  from  your  grief  for  a  loss  so  overwhelming,  but 
I  cannot  refrain  from  tendering  to  you  the  consolation  which  may  be  found 
in  the  thanks  of  the  Republic  they  died  to  save.  I  pray  that  our  Heavenly 
Father  may  assuage  the  anguish  of  3'our  bereavement  and  leave  you  only  the 

615 


OHIO  SOCIE^rY  OF  NEW  YORK 


cherished  memory  of  the  loved  and  the  lost,  the  solemn  pride  that  must  be 
yours  to  have  laid  so  costly  a  sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  freedom." 

I  find  nowhere  a  better  statement  descriptive  of  the  man  and  of  his  at- 
tributes than  in  Choate's  address  upon  Abraham  Lincoln  before  the  Edin- 
burgh Philosophical  Institution  in  November,  1902.  He  says :  "  The  growth 
and  development  of  Lincoln's  mental  power  and  moral  force,  of  his  intense 
and  magnetic  personahty,  after  the  vast  responsibilities  of  government  were 
thrown  upon  him  at  the  age  of  fifty-two,  furnish  a  rare  and  striking  illustra- 
tion of  the  marvelous  capacity  and  adaptability  of  the  human  intellect — of 
the  sound  mind  in  the  sound  body.  He  came  to  the  discharge  of  the  great 
duties  of  the  presidency  with  absolutely  no  experience  in  the  administration 
of  government  or  of  the  vastly  varied  and  complicated  questions  of  foreign 
and  domestic  policy  which  immediately  arose,  and  continued  to  press  upon 
him  during  the  rest  of  his  life;  but  he  mastered  each  as  it  came,  apparently 
with  the  facility  of  a  trained  and  experienced  ruler.  As  Clarendon  said  of 
Cromwell,  '  His  parts  seemed  to  be  raised  by  the  demands  of  great  station.' 
His  life  through  it  all  was  one  of  intense  labor,  anxiety  and  distress,  without 
one  hour  of  peaceful  repose  from  first  to  last.  But  he  rose  to  every  occa- 
sion. He  led  public  opinion,  but  did  not  march  so  far  in  advance  of  it  as  to 
fail  of  its  effective  support  in  every  great  emergency.  He  knew  the  heart 
and  thought  of  the  people,  as  no  man  not  in  constant  and  absolute  sympathy 
with  them  could  have  known  it,  and  so,  holding  their  confidence,  he  triumphed 
through  and  with  them.  Not  only  was  there  this  steady  growth  of  intellect, 
but  the  infinite  delicacy  of  his  nature  and  its  capacity  for  refinement  devel- 
oped also,  as  exhibited  in  the  purity  and  perfection  of  his  language  and  style 
of  speech.  The  rough  backwoodsman,  who  had  never  seen  the  inside  of  a 
university,  became  in  the  end,  by  self-training  and  the  exercise  of  his  own 
powers  of  mind,  heart  and  soul,  a  master  of  style — and  some  of  his  utterances 
will  rank  with  the  best,  the  most  perfectly  adapted  to  the  occasion  which  pro- 
duced them." 

And  as  a  terse  summing  up  of  his  characteristics,  the  words  of  Emerson : 
"  His  occupying  the  Chair  of  State  was  a  triumph  of  the  good  sense  of  man- 
kind and  of  the  public  conscience.  He  grew  according  to  the  need ;  his  mind 
mastered  the  problem  of  the  day ;  and  as  the  problem  grew,  so  did  his  compre- 
hension of  it.  In  the  war  there  was  no  place  for  holiday  magistrate,  nor  fair 
weather  sailor.  The  new  pilot  was  hurried  to  the  helm  in  a  tornado.  In 
four  years — four  years  of  battle  days — his  endurance,  his  fertility  of  re- 
source, his  magnanimity,  were  sorely  tried,  and  never  found  wanting.  There, 
by  his  courage,  his  justice,  his  even  temper,  his  fertile  counsel,  his  humanity, 
he  stood,  a  heroic  figure  in  the  centre  of  a  heroic  epoch.  He  is  the  true  history 
of  the  American  people  in  his  time,  the  true  representative  of  this  continent — 
father  of  his  country,  the  pulse  of  twenty  millions  throbbing  in  his  heart,  the 
thought  of  their  mind  articulated  in  his  tongue." 

And  finally  may  it  not  be  said  of  him,  "  In  his  early  days  he  struck  roots 
deep  down  into  the  common  soil  of  the  earth,  and  in  his  latest  years  his  head 
towered  and  shone  among  the  stars." 

616 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  FREEDOM  IN  KANSAS 

By  General  Thomas  Ewing 

Delivered  before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  on  May  9,  1892 

IN  February,  1854,  I  sat  in  the  gallery  of  the  senate  chamber  at  Wash- 
ington, and  heard  much  of  the  debate  on  the  bill  to  repeal  the  Missouri 
compromise  of  1820.  I  was  then  about  ccmpleting  my  collegiate  course 
in  BroAvn  University,  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  Four  years  before  I 
had  sat  in  the  gallery  of  the  old  senate  chamber,  now  the  supreme  court  room, 
in  company  with  Captain  William  Tecumseh  Sherman  (then  in  Washington 
from  the  Pacific  coast,  and  about  to  be  married),  and  heard  that  ever  memora- 
ble debate  which  ended  in  the  compromises  of  1850,  growing  out  of  our  vast 
accessions  of  territory  from  Mexico,  and  in  the  enactment  of  the  cruel  and 
barbarous  fugitive  slave  law.  I  was  intensely  anti-slavery — far  more  so 
than  my  Whig  training  would  account  for.  I  was  hot  with  indignation  at  the 
Whig  leaders  who  supported  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise,  or 
acquiesced  in  it,  or  resisted  it  but  feebly.  I  recollect  my  pang  of  disappoint- 
ment at  the  labored  speech  against  the  bill  of  Edward  Everett,  who  was  re- 
garded as  representing  the  conservative  Whigs.  It  was  so  cool,  didactic,  ele- 
gant, without  a  glow  of  the  indignant  spirit  of  the  North  which  blazed  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people. 

The  gauge  thrown  down  by  the  South  to  fight  for  the  possession  of  the 
territories  was  promptly  taken  up;  and  Kansas  became  the  battle-ground. 
While  studying  law  at  Cincinnati,  I  watched  every  step  in  the  struggle — saw 
how  the  genius  and  energy  of  Eli  Thayer  taught  the  North  to  win  Kansas 
for  freedom  by  organized  emigration,  against  the  sporadic  hordes  from  the 
populous  borders  of  Missouri  who  poured  over  the  line  to  plant  slavery  there. 
When  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  winter  of  1856-7,  I  was  married,  and  re- 
moved with  my  wife  to  Leavenworth. 

On  the  seventh  of  October,  1854,  Andrew  H.  Reeder  had  arrived  at  Fort 
Leavenworth — ^the  first  of  the  ten  governors,  and  acting  governors,  Reeder, 
Shannon,  Geary,  Walker,  Denver,  Medary,  Woodson,  Stanton,  Walsh  and 
Beebe,  whose  brief  careers  form  part  of  the  tragic  history  of  Kansas. 

The  pro-slavery  partisans  of  western  Missouri,  as  soon  as  the  Organic 
Act  was  passed,  invaded  Kansas  at  the  first  election  in  the  fall  of  1854,  and 
again  at  the  second  election  in  the  spring  of  1855 ;  and  although  few  of 
them  intended  to  become  settlers,  they  took  possession  of  the  polls  and  re- 
turned the  pro-slavery  candidates  for  the  territorial  legislature  as  having 
been  elected.  The  first  legislature  assembled  at  Pawnee,  near  Fort  Riley, 
July  2,  1855 — very  promptly  ejected  nine  Free  State  men,  who  had  been 
inadvertently  returned  as  elected;  enacted  all  the  general  laws  of  Missouri, 
modified  so  as  to  be  applicable  to  Kansas ;  and  crowned  their  work  by  enact- 

617 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ing  a  complete  slave  code,  specially  invented  for  the  occasion — requiring 
every  territorial  officer  to  swear  to  support  the  fugitive  slave  law;  making  it 
a  felony,  punishable  with  two  years'  imprisonment,  to  write  or  say  that 
slavery  did  not  legally  exist  in  Kansas;  a  felony,  punishable  with  five  years' 
imprisonment,  to  bring  into  the  territory  or  circulate  any  printed  matter  cal- 
culated to  create  dissatisfaction  among  slaves ;  and  finally,  making  it  a  felony, 
punishable  with  death,  to  interfere  knowingly,  in  any  manner,  with  the  tenure 
of  slave  property. 

The  Free  State  men,  outraged  by  the  forcible  seizure  of  the  territorial 
government  by  mere  invaders,  and  by  the  atrocious  character  of  the  laws 
enacted,  peremptorily  and  unanimously  repudiated  this  government  as  a  law- 
less usurpation.  They  held  a  delegate  convention  at  Topeka,  September  19, 
1855,  and  there  provided  for  the  election  of  members  of  a  convention  to  form 
a  State  constitution  and  apply  for  admission  into  the  Union.  The  delegates 
so  elected  assembled  at  Topeka,  October  23,  1855,  and  sat  until  November 
11th.  They  formed  the  Topeka  constitution,  which  was  ratified  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote  of  the  Free  State  men  of  Kansas,  and  was  by  petition  duly 
laid  before  Congress.  A  bill  was  passed  by  the  United  States  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, July  3,  1856,  admitting  Kansas  into  the  Union  under  this  con- 
stitution, but  it  was  defeated  in  the  senate,  and  no  further  action  was  taken 
on  it  in  Congress.  This  constitution,  however,  and  the  state  officers  and 
legislature  elected  under  it,  formed  the  nucleus  and  rallying  ground  for  the 
Free  State  party,  as  against  the  usurped  Lecompton  territorial  government, 
until  the  election  in  October,  1857,  when  the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the 
Free  State  men  enabled  them  to  elect  a  large  majority  of  the  legislature  under 
the  Lecompton  territorial  government,  which  thereupon  became  universally 
recognized  as  the  law-making  power  of  the  people.  The  Topeka  form  of 
state  government  then  quietly  passed  out  of  even  nominal  existence. 

Prior  to  this,  on  the  nineteenth  of  February,  1856,  the  pro-slavery  terri- 
torial legislature  had  enacted  a  law  providing  for  the  election  of  a  state  con- 
vention, which  assembled  on  the  seventh  day  of  September,  1857,  and  formed 
what  was  known  as  the  Lecompton  state  constitution.  This  was  submitted  to 
the  people  for  adoption  or  rejection  at  an  election  held  December  21,  1857. 
There  was  a  large  majority  of  qualified  voters  ready  and  anxious  to  vote  it 
down.  That  would  have  ended  slavery  in  Kansas  forever.  But  the  con- 
vention had  arranged  an  ingenious  and  rascally  scheme  for  submission  of  the 
constitution  in  such  a  manner  that  a  majority  could  not  vote  it  down.  Part 
of  the  tickets  were  printed,  "  For  the  Constitution,  with  Slavery,"  the  other 
part,  "  For  the  Constitution,  without  Slavery."  No  other  votes  could  be 
given  or  counted.  All  the  votes  cast  were  for  the  adoption  of  the  constitu- 
tion ;  and  even  if  the  constitution  should  be  adopted  without  slavery,  the  slaves 
then  in  the  territory,  and  their  children,  were  to  remain  slaves  for  life. 

As  the  time  approached  for  this  election  a  Free  State  delegate  convention 
was  called  and  held  at  Lawrence,  December  2,  1857,  "  to  take  into  considera- 
tion the  present  political  situation  of  the  territory."     It  resolved  unanimously 

618 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

that  everything  connected  with  the  Lecompton  constitution  was  a  swindle, 
and  that  the  people  could  gain  notliing  by  participating  in  the  election  on 
tlie  adoption  of  the  constitution.  So  that  election  went  by  default  in  favor  of 
the  pro-slavery  party.  The  votes  stood,  for  the  constitution,  with  slavery, 
6,143  (a  large  part  of  which  votes  were  fraudulent),  and  for  the  constitution, 
without  slavery,  569.  Three  thousand  and  twelve  of  this  vote  were  returned 
from  tliree  precincts — Oxford,  Shawnee  and  Kickapoo — which  everybody 
knew  had  not  combined  a  voting  population  of  three  hundred — the  two  pre- 
cincts first  mentioned  being  in  the  Shawnee  Reserve,  where  there  were  no  white 
men  legally  settled. 

Then  came  the  election  for  state  officers  and  legislature  under  the  Le- 
compton constitution,  which  had  been  fixed  in  the  schedule  of  that  instrument 
to  be  held  on  the  4th  of  January,  1858.  The  convention  of  the  Free  State 
party,  held  on  the  2d  of  December,  was  re-convened,  to  assemble  in  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  West  Lawrence  on  the  23d  of  December,  to  settle  the 
question  whether  the  Free  State  party  should  or  should  not  go  into  the  elec- 
tion of  officers  under  the  Lecompton  constitution,  and  elect,  as  they  could 
easily  do.  Free  State  executive  officers  and  a  Free  State  legislature. 

This  was  the  final  crisis  in  the  struggle  for  freedom  in  Kansas.  If  the 
Free  State  men  should  elect  a  majority  of  the  state  and  local  officers  and  of 
the  legislature,  under  the  Lecompton  constitution,  we  would  thereby  kill  that 
attempted  usurpation  in  Congress,  because  the  South  could  gain  nothing 
by  admitting  the  state  into  the  Union,  with  the  certainty  that  the  constitution 
would  be  immediately  amended,  prohibiting  slavery  utterly  and  forever. 
While,  if  the  Free  State  men  should  refuse  to  vote,  the  pro-slavery  men  would 
control  all  departments  of  the  proposed  state  government,  and  the  state 
would,  in  all  probability,  be  admitted  under  the  Lecompton  constitution. 

The  expediency  of  our  electing  officers  under  the  Lecompton  constitution 
was  obvious  to  a  large  majority  of  the  Free  State  men  of  Kansas,  and  was 
well  supported  by  The  Herald  of  Freedom,  the  Leavenworth  Times,  and  other 
influential  newspapers  of  our  party.  That  policy  was  also  urged  on  us  by 
many  influential  friends  of  free  state  in  and  out  of  Congress — by  my  father, 
the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  of  Ohio,  who  wrote  my  elder  brother,  Hugh  Ewing, 
then  in  partnership  with  me  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Leavenworth,  most 
strongly  insisting  that  the  Free  State  men  in  Kansas,  who  were  known  to 
have  a  large  majority  in  the  territory,  should  elect  the  state  officers  and 
members  of  the  legislature  under  the  Lecompton  constitution,  and  thus  take 
possession  of  the  government  and  control  it,  so  as  to  make  Kansas  a  free 
state — ^just  as  in  the  then  recent  October  election  the  Free  State  men  chose 
the  legislature  and  took  possession  of  the  territorial  government.  The  Hon. 
Salmon  P.  Chase,  then  governor  of  Ohio,  wrote  an  urgent  letter  to  Governor 
Robinson,  advising  the  voting  policy,  which,  as  well  as  the  letter  from  my 
father,  was  read  to  the  convention  with  great  eff^ect.  The  Hon.  Samuel  F. 
Vinton,  an  eminent  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  from  Ohio,  wrote 
a  similar  letter  to  me,  which  I  read  to  the  convention,  in  which  he  said  that  if 

619 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

the  Free  State  men  should  stubbornly  and  fanatically  refuse  to  adopt  this 
policy,  he  for  one  would  abandon  the  struggle  in  Congress  in  our  behalf. 

But  that  was  the  path  leading  to  a  peaceful  solution  of  the  Kansas  strife, 
and  many  of  the  most  active  Fi-ee  State  leaders  in  Kansas  did  not  want  to  tread 
it.  They  hoped  for  armed  colUsions  between  the  Free  State  men  and  the 
general  government,  expecting  that  all  of  the  states  would  become  involved, 
and  that  although  the  North  would  be  in  rebellion,  and  the  South  would  have 
the  prestige  and  power  of  the  legitimate  government,  the  superior  numbers 
and  resources  of  the  North  would  certainly  triumph.  John  Brown,  of  Osawot- 
tomie,  was  the  inspirer,  though  not  the  active  leader,  of  this  radical  wing  of  the 
Free  State  party.  He  regarded  slavery  as  a  crime,  to  be  expiated  in  blood, 
and  himself  as  a  chosen  instrument  of  its  expiation — "  the  sword  of  the  Lord, 
and  of  Gideon."  His  oft-repeated  maxim  was,  "  Without  blood  there  can 
be  no  remission."  His  dream  was  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  by  northern 
bayonets,  aided  by  the  torch  of  the  slave.  He  never  doubted  that  the  blacks 
would  rise  en  jnasse,  as  soon  as  the  North  should  be  in  the  field  to  support 
them.  He  and  his  influential  followers,  mostly  correspondents  of  eastern 
papers,  were,  therefore,  determined  to  defeat  the  proposition  to  vote  for 
officers  under  the  Lecompton  constitution,  and  were  active  and  enthusiastic  in 
securing  control  of  the  convention,  held  on  the  23d  of  December,  1857. 

Charles  Robinson,  who  had  been  chosen  governor  under  the  Topeka  con- 
stitution— a  man  of  great  ability,  earnestness  and  honesty  of  purpose — ^pre- 
sided at  this  convention  and  strongly  urged  the  adoption  of  the  voting  policy. 
Most  of  the  recognized  leaders  of  the  Free  State  party  supported  it — 
George  W.  Brown  (now  of  Rockford,  111.);  S.  N.  Wood,  P.  C.  Schuyler, 
M.  F.  Conway,  J.  P.  Root,  Robert  Morrow,  James  Davis,  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  my- 
self, and  others,  spoke  for  that  policy.  Gen.  James  H.  Lane,  who  was  by 
many  regarded  as  pre-eminently  the  leader  of  the  Free  State  party,  was 
absent — non-committal — crafty-sick. 

For  several  days  preceding  the  assembling  of  the  convention,  it  was 
rumored  through  the  territory  that  the  United  States  marshal  at  Fort  Scott 
held  a  writ,  issued  out  of  the  District  Court  there,  commanding  him  to  arrest 
James  Montgomery,  one  of  the  radical  Free  State  leaders,  on  an  indictment 
for  treason,  and  that  the  marshal  had  been  furnished  with  a  posse  of  two 
companies  of  federal  infantry  to  enforce  obedience  to  the  writ,  and  was  about 
to  set  out  for  Sugar  Mound,  in  Linn  county,  where  Montgomery  lived  and 
where  several  hundred  Free  State  men  had  assembled  to  resist  and  prevent 
his  arrest  by  force  of  arms. 

The  debate  in  the  convention,  on  the  proposition  to  take  part  in  the 
election,  was  protracted  throughout  the  first  day,  and  was  very  acrimonious 
and  exciting.  On  the  second  day,  December  24th,  the  debate  went  on,  and 
the  friends  of  the  voting  policy  had  almost  silenced  opposition,  when  "  Gen- 
eral "  E.  B.  Whitman,  one  of  General  Lane's  political  lieutenants,  rode  up 
to  the  church  where  the  convention  was  being  held,  and,  dismounting  from 
"  his  steed  of  foam,"  strode  into  the  convention  and  onto  the  platform,  booted 

6S0 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  spurred,  "  stained  with  the  variation  of  each  soil "  'twixt  Sugar  Mound 
and  Lawrence,  and  in  a  passionate  speech  declared  that  he  had  just  ridden 
eighty  miles,  from  Sugar  Mound,  without  stopping  for  food  or  sleep,  to 
call  the  people  of  Kansas  to  arms ;  that  General  Lane  was  in  command  there, 
and  a  desperate  battle  was  impending  with  the  federal  troops.  The  excite- 
ment that  followed  this  announcement  was  furious  and  indescribable.  I 
sprang  on  a  table  and  bitterly  denounced  the  statement  as  an  obvious  trick 
and  fraud  to  control  the  convention.  But  the  vote  was  forced  at  once,  and 
the  voting  policy  was  rejected — ayes,  sixty-four;  noes,  seventy- four.  The 
vote  was  taken  by  representative  districts  and  proxies  were  received;  but  the 
vote  of  persons  actually  present  stood  sixty-four  for  the  voting  policy  to 
sixty-five  against  it.  In  the  excitement  and  confusion  which  followed,  the 
convention  adjourned  sine  die. 

While  the  assemblage  was  breaking  up  I  called  several  friends  to  ac- 
company me,  and  hastening  to  W.  Y.  Roberts,  vice-president  of  the  conven- 
tion and  a  strong  supporter  of  the  voting  policy,  we  persuaded  him  to  an- 
nounce to  the  dispersing  crowd  that  the  friends  of  that  pohcy  who  were  will- 
ing to  bolt  the  action  of  the  convention  would  meet  at  Masonic  Hall,  on 
Massachusetts  street,  at  seven  o'clock  that  evening,  to  nominate  a  state  ticket 
and  organize  the  territory  for  the  election.  The  announcement  was  received 
with  violent  denunciations  and  yells  of  dissent.  The  bolters'  meeting,  when 
convened  that  evening,  was  broken  up  by  a  mob,  who  put  out  the  lights  and 
forcibly  ejected  all  the  bolting  delegates  from  the  hall.  We  re-convened,  on 
the  invitation  of  George  W.  Brown,  in  the  basement  of  his  Herald  of  Freedom 
printing-office.  Only  thirteen  bolting  delegates  appeared,  out  of  sixty-four^ 
who  in  the  convention  supported  the  voting  policy  to  the  last.  A  Free  State 
ticket  was  nominated,  as  follows :  for  governor,  George  W.  Smith ;  lieutenant- 
governor,  W.  Y.  Roberts ;  secretary  of  state,  P.  C.  Schuyler ;  state  treasurer, 
A.  J.  Meade  (now  a  resident  of  New  York  city)  ;  state  auditor,  Joel  K. 
Goodin;  representative  in  Congress,  Marcus  J.  Parrott,  who  was  then  dele- 
gate in  Congress  from  the  territory — all  tried  and  true  Free  State  men ;  all 
pledged,  if  they  should  be  elected  and  the  state  admitted  under  the  Le- 
compton  constitution,  to  favor  an  immediate  call  of  a  convention,  to  wipe 
out  every  vestige  of  that  odious  constitution,  and  to  frame  and  adopt  a  new 
one — a  pledge  which  was  exacted  from  every  Free  State  candidate,  big  and 
little,  nominated  in  the  bolting  movement. 

The  next  day — Christmas — a  large  edition  of  The  Herald  of  Freedom 
was  gotten  out  by  George  W.  Brown,  its  editor  and  proprietor — to  whose 
pen  and  purse,  zeal  and  sense,  the  Free  State  cause,  from  beginning  to  end 
of  the  struggle,  was  greatly  indebted  for  its  triumphs.  It  was  filled  with  ar- 
guments and  information  in  favor  of  our  movement,  and  with  tickets  for  the 
Free  State  candidates.  I  hired  every  livery  stable  horse  and  rider  that 
could  be  hired  in  Lawrence,  and  had  many  volunteers,  who  carried  The  Herald 
of  Freedom  post-haste  to  every  considerable  settlement  in  the  territory.  It 
will  be  considered,  I  hope,  only  a  pardonable  vanity  in  me  to  say  that  I  por- 

621 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

sonally  expended  in  the  movement  over  a  thousand  dollars — being  all  the 
money  I  had  or  could  borrow.  We  had  but  nine  days  in  which  to  organize 
and  conduct  the  campaign,  over  a  settled  territory  two  hundred  miles  square, 
without  a  railroad. 

The  pro-slavery  men  and  newspapers  fought  us  fiercely.  Fully  half 
of  the  Free  State  newspapers  supported  our  movement,  but  the  other  half 
bitterly  opposed  and  ridiculed  it,  calling  our  voters'  assemblage  "  Brown's 
cellar-kitchen  convention,"  and  calling  us  all  "  disappointed,  ambitious  kick- 
ers "  and  "  soreheads."  S.  N.  Wood,  of  Council  Grove,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed chairman  of  the  executive  committee  by  the  bolters'  convention,  did 
great  work  in  organizing  and  conducting  the  campaign.  Never  was  there 
a  nine  days'  canvass  conducted  over  a  greater  area,  under  greater  difficulties, 
or  more  vigorously.  The  result  was  watched  in  Washington  and  throughout 
Kansas  with  breathless  interest,  as  likely  to  settle  forever  the  vexed  Kansas 
question  one  way  or  the  other. 

At  Leavenworth,  a  town  of  perhaps  four  thousand  people,  the  largest 
in  the  territory,  the  election  was  regular  and  the  vote  full,  free  and  fair  on 
both  sides.  At  Mound  City,  in  Linn  county,  Montgomery  seized  and  de- 
stroyed the  ballot-box  and  broke  up  the  election  when  about  half  the  votes 
had  been  cast.  At  Sugar  Mound,  also,  the  ballot-box  was  destroyed  and 
the  ballots  scattered  to  the  winds  by  a  party  of  Free  State  men  who  were 
hostile  to  the  voting  policy ;  and  so,  also,  at  Clinton.  In  Wabaunsee  county 
it  was  the  boast  of  some  of  the  extreme  Free  State  men  that  the  feeling  was 
too  intense  there  to  suffer  an  election  for  officers  under  the  Lecompton  con- 
stitution to  be  held  in  any  precinct  in  that  county.  The  night  before  the 
election  I  organized  a  company  of  about  thirty  armed  Free  State  men  under 
Captain  Losee,  and  towards  morning  went  with  them  to  Kickapoo,  a  pro- 
slavery  village  numbering  a  few  hundred  people,  eight  miles  above  Leaven- 
worth and  directly  across  the  Missouri  River  from  Weston,  Missouri,  a  large 
town  which  had  contracted  the  habit  of  sending  its  men  at  every  election  to 
swell  the  pro-slavery  vote  in  Kickapoo.  We  rode  into  Kickapoo  at  daybreak, 
and  had  tied  our  horses  and  taken  position  near  the  polling  place  before  the 
voting  commenced,  intending  to  see  who  voted  and  how  many.  Our  appear- 
ance caused  great  excitement,  and  threats  of  violence  especially  among  the 
MSssourians,  who  came  from  Weston  as  fast  as  the  one  ferry-boat  could  bring 
them.  By  ten  o'clock  we  were  so  overwhelmingly  outnumbered  that  all  of 
our  troop  had  been  induced  to  return  to  Leavenworth,  except  only  the  vener- 
able John  C.  Vaughan,  Wolff,  Currier  and  myself.  We  four  gave  our  pistols 
to  our  retiring  comrades,  as  more  likely  to  provoke  attack  on  us  than  to  be 
useful  in  defence  against  such  numbers.  We  then  took  position  near  the 
polling  window  in  a  comer  made  by  a  projection  of  the  building,  where  we 
might  be  crushed,  but  from  which  we  could  hardly  be  ejected,  and  there  we 
stood  all  day.  The  voters,  generally,  made  headquarters  in  several  saloons, 
from  which  they  poured  out  from  time  to  time,  noisy,  drunk,  armed  with  two 
revolvers  to  the  voter — each  man  voting  several  times;  several  gangs  voting 

62S 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

as  often  as  six  times — threatening  us  with  death  if  we  did  not  leave  for 
Leavenworth.  A  friend  of  mine  named  Spivey,  who  was  a  clerk  for  General 
Whitfield,  in  the  Kickapoo  land  office,  and  who  was  a  sober  and  sensible 
man,  acted  as  an  intermediary  between  the  mob  and  us,  warning  us  most 
solemnly  to  leave  for  Leavenworth,  or  we  would  be  murdered.  I  told  Spivey, 
and  had  him  tell  the  mob,  that  we  would  not  leave  until  the  polls  should  close, 
and  that  they  would  not  dare  to  fire  on  us,  because  they  knew  that  if  they 
should  kill  one  of  us,  the  Free  State  people  of  Leavenworth  would  burn  both 
Kickapoo  and  Weston  to  the  subsoil  before  morning.  Just  before  the  polls 
closed,  to  mark  the  end,  Mr.  Currier  and  I  voted — as  we  had  a  right  to  do, 
being  citizens  of  that  county.  Our  votes  were  numbered  550  and  551.  Only 
two  votes  were  cast  after  we  voted,  when  the  polls  were  closed  the  total  vote 
being  553.  Whereupon,  about  dark,  after  having  submitted  to  a  good  deal 
of  hustling  and  rough  handling,  we  rode  off  for  Leavenworth  in  a  shower  of 
rotten  eggs  and  pistol  shots. 

The  returns  of  the  election,  as  provided  in  the  schedule  of  the  constitu- 
tion, were  sent  to  John  Calhoun,  at  Lecompton,  who  was  surveyor-general 
of  Kansas,  and  president  of  the  convention.  He  made  and  published  his 
official  statement  of  the  result  in  each  county,  showing  the  election  of  the 
entire  pro-slavery  state  ticket,  and  a  pro-slavery  majority  in  both  branches  of 
the  legislature.  His  decision  was  prima  facie  correct,  and  beyond  review  or 
reversal  by  any  territorial  authority.  Calhoun  forthwith  left  for  Washing- 
ton to  report  the  result  to  Buchanan's  administration,  that  it  might  be  officially 
laid  before  Congress. 

Immediately  on  this  announcement,  and  solely  on  my  own  impulse  and 
initiative,  I  went  to  the  territorial  legislature,  which  had  assembled  at  Law- 
rence in  regular  session,  January  4<,  1858,  and  was  controlled  by  the  Free 
State  party,  and  there  procured  the  passage  of  a  law,  approved  January  14, 
1858,  creating  a  board  to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  frauds  committed 
at  the  election  on  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  December  21,  1857;  and 
also  at  the  election  for  officers  under  the  constitution,  January  4,  1858,  and  in 
the  returns  thereof.  Henry  J.  Adams,  J.  B.  Abbott,  Dillon  Peckering,  E. 
L.  Taylor,  H.  T.  Green,  and  myself,  composed  the  board.  L.  A.  McLean, 
who  was  Surveyor-General  Calhoun's  chief  clerk,  was  summoned  to  appear 
before  us  as  a  witness,  together  with  the  other  pro-slavery  men  emplo3"ed  in 
the  office  of  the  surveyor-general  at  Lecompton,  where  the  election  returns 
and  all  the  archives  relating  to  the  Lecompton  constitution  had  been  filed. 
McLean  appeared  and  swore  that  Calhoun  had  taken  all  the  returns  relating 
to  the  elections  under  the  Lecompton  constitution  with  him  to  Washington. 
This  struck  us  as  a  very  improbable  story;  but  McLean  stuck  to  it  with  a 
respectfulness,  dignity  and  sincerity  of  manner  which  was  very  impressive. 
No  one  could  be  found  to  throw  a  doubt  on  his  statement.  We  had  the  sur- 
veyor-general's office  at  Lecompton  searched  for  the  returns  by  our  sergeant- 
at-arms,  but  not  a  scrap  of  them  was  found.  Our  investigation,  obviously, 
could  amount  to  nothing  without  these  returns ;  so,  with  Calhoun  in  Washing- 

623 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ton,  and  his  subordinates  swearing  that  he  took  the  returns  with  him,  we  felt 
utterly  baffled  and  beaten. 

At  a  late  hour  of  the  second  night  after  McLean's  testimony  was  given, 
as  I  was  returning  to  my  room  at  the  Eldridge  House,  I  was  accosted  in  the 
dark,  on  a  lonely  street,  by  a  man  whom  I  did  not  know,  who  asked  my  name, 
but  refused  to  give  his  own.  He  handed  me  his  revolver  as  an  assurance  of 
his  pacific  intentions,  saying  that  he  had  been  watching  on  the  street  for  me 
for  several  hours.  He  said  he  had  heard  a  report  of  McLean's  testimony  be- 
fore our  board,  and  desired  to  know  if  it  was  given  as  stated.  I  replied  that 
it  was.  He  said  it  was  a  lie  and  he  could  prove  it,  if  it  would  do  any  good. 
He  said,  however,  that  he  lived  at  Lecompton,  and  would  in  all  probabihty 
be  murdered  if  he  should  be  known  to  have  informed  on  McLean  and  his 
associates.  I  satisfied  him  that  if  he  could  and  would  give  me  information 
exposing  the  falsity  of  McLean's  testimony,  his  action  should  not  be  known, 
and  that  with  that  information  we  could  drive  Calhoun  and  his  gang  from 
the  territory  and  defeat  the  Lecompton  constitution. 

He  then  said  that  late  in  the  night  preceding  the  day  when  McLean 
appeared  as  a  witness  before  our  board,  he  (McLean)  had  buried  a  large 
candle-box  under  a  woodpile  adjoining  his  office  and  that  he  had  been  seen  by 
Charley  Torrey,  the  janitor,  who  slept  in  the  building  and  who  told  my  in- 
formant. He  then  gave  me  his  name  as  Henry  W.  Petrikin,  and  described 
himself  as  being  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  William  Brindle,  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  at  Lecompton.  This  was  a  voucher  for  his  good  faith,  for 
I  knew  enough  of  Gleneral  Brindle  to  know  that  he  would  have  no  rascals 
about  him. 

Next  day,  aided  by  my  official  position  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to 
investigate  the  election  frauds,  I  obtained  from  Josiah  Miller,  probate  judge 
of  Douglas  county  (now  deceased),  a  search  warrant  directed  to  Captain 
Samuel  Walker,  sheriff^  of  Douglas  county  (who  had  already  done  loyal  serv- 
ive  to  the  Free  State  cause  and  was  eager  to  do  more),  commanding  him  to 
enter  upon  and  search  the  premises  of  the  surveyor-general,  in  Lecompton, 
and  (if  practicable)  to  find,  take  and  bring  before  Judge  Mailer  all  the 
original  returns  of  elections  on  or  under  the  Lecompton  constitution.  En- 
joining Judge  Miller  to  secrecy,  I  then  sought  Sheriff^  Walker  and  requested 
him  to  pick  out  a  dozen  fighting  men  well  armed,  to  go  with  him  as  a  posse, 
and  told  him  I  had  a  writ  for  him  to  execute,  and  would  tell  him  at  daybreak 
next  morning  where  to  go  and  what  to  do.  Captain  Walker  was  on  hand 
punctually,  with  his  trusty  squad  in  a  back  alley ;  and  after  receiving  the 
warrant  and  full  instructions  from  me,  he  set  out  unobserved  from  Lawrence 
for  Lecompton,  eight  miles  away.  He  pounced  upon  the  surveyor-general's 
premises  early  in  the  morning,  dug  up  a  buried  candle-box  from  under  a 
great  woodpile  adjoining  the  office,  and  before  noon  he  rode  up  Massachusetts 
street,  in  Lawrence,  at  the  head  of  his  squad,  holding  the  candle-box  on  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle. 

C.  W.  Babcock,  president  of  the  council ;  G.  W.  Dietzler,  speaker  of  the 

624 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

house  of  representatives;  and  J.  W.  Denver,  acting  governor,  met  the  in- 
vestigating board  in  the  office  of  Judge  Miller.  Sheriff  Walker  made  return 
of  his  search  warrant  and  delivered  the  candle-box  to  Judge  Miller,  who 
opened  and  produced  from  it  all  the  returns  of  the  election  for  officers  of  the 
Lecompton  constitution,  which  McLean  had  sworn  had  been  taken  by  Calhoun 
to  Washington.  The  Kickapoo  returns  had  swollen  to  995,  from  553,  which 
was  the  actual  vote  (chiefly  fraudulent)  when  the  polls  closed,  there  being 
442  names  added  to  the  list  of  voters  after  the  names  of  Currier  and  Ewing, 
and  after  the  polls  closed.  Oxford,  which  had  a  legitimate  vote  of  about  one 
hundred,  had  the  number  increased  in  the  returns,  through  obvious  forgery, 
to  1,266;  the  returns  from  Shawnee  showed  about  fifty  real  voters,  to  which 
had  been  added  names — fictitious  names,  bringing  the  total  up  to  729.  The 
fraudulent  additions  were  as  apparent  on  the  face  of  the  returns  as  would  be 
extensions  of  the  legs  in  a  boy's  trousers.  They  were  all  on  the  pro-slavery 
side ;  but  proving  insufficient  to  effect  the  desired  result,  a  return  from  Dela- 
ware Crossing,  in  Leavenworth  county,  which  had  been  honestly  made  by  the 
two  judges  of  election,  was  forged,  by  splicing  with  a  sheet  containing  336 
additional  names  of  pro-slavery  voters  in  a  different  handwriting  and  in 
different  ink — these  fraudulent  votes  electing  the  whole  legislative  ticket  of 
eleven  members  from  Leavenworth  county,  and  giving  both  branches  of  the 
legislature  to  the  pro-slavery  party. 

These  entire  returns  showed  6,875  votes  cast  for  Free  State  candidates, 
and,  counting  in  all  the  returns,  valid  and  fraudulent,  a  few  hundred  more 
for  pro-slavery  candidates.  On  the  same  day,  the  4th  of  January,  1858,  an 
election  was  held  under  a  statute  then  recently  passed  by  the  Free  State 
legislature,  to  take  a  vote  on  the  adoption  or  rejection  of  the  Lecompton 
constitution,  at  which  10,226  votes  were  cast  against  it  and  none  in  its  favor. 
This  last-named  vote  shows  the  whole  strength  of  the  Free  State  party  of 
Kansas,  while  the  vote  of  6,875  for  Free  State  candidates  under  the  Le- 
compton constitution,  shows  that  3,351  Free  State  men  who  voted  against 
the  Lecompton  constitution  did  not  vote  for  officers  under  it.  In  other  words, 
the  Free  State  men  who  opposed  the  voting  pohcy  were  thus  shown  to  com- 
prise only  one-third  of  the  Free  State  party. 

Immediately  on  this  exposure  (January  28,  1858),  I  swore  out  a  war- 
rant for  the  arrest  of  McLean  for  perjury.  But  as  soon  as  the  candle-box  had 
been  dug  up  from  the  woodpile,  he  had  fled  with  his  fellow-conspirators,  never 
to  return  to  Kansas.  I  met  McLean  six  years  later,  when  I  was  in  command 
of  our  troops  at  Fort  Davidson,  adjacent  to  Pilot  Knob,  Missouri,  ninety 
miles  below  St.  Louis.  He  was  then  chief  of  staff  of  General  Sterling  Price, 
who  was  marching  on  St.  Louis  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  twenty-two  thousand 
men.  McLean  came  to  me  under  a  flag  of  truce,  demanding  the  surrender  to 
Price  of  the  little  fort  and  its  garrison  of  1,060  men,  together  with  its  en- 
ormous accumulation  of  quartermaster,  commissary  and  ordnance  stores,  which 
were  greatly  needed  by  the  rebel  army.  The  demand  being  refused.  Price 
stormed  the  fort,  but  was  repulsed  with  great  slaughter. 

625 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

It  is  but  just  to  McLean  to  say  that  I  have  a  letter  from  Ely  Moore,  of 
Lawrence,  dated  March  1,  1894,  which  says  that  he  was  living  at  Lecompton 
on  the  25th  of  January,  1858,  when  the  candle-box  containing  the  returns 
was  buried  under  the  woodpile,  and  that  it  was  done  by  another  person,  whom 
he  names,  without  McLean's  presence  or  knowledge.  And  further,  that  Mc- 
Lean really  believed,  when  he  testified  before  the  board,  that  the  returns  had 
been  taken  by  Calhoun  to  Washington.  He  says  McLean  fled  the  night 
following  the  unearthing  of  the  candle-box,  because  appearances  indicated 
that  he  had  committed  perjury,  though,  in  fact,  he  was  innocent  of  the 
crime. 

The  exposure  of  the  frauds  struck  the  Lecomptonites  dumb.  Every  in- 
cident was  telegraphed  and  published  everywhere.  On  the  day  of  the  ex- 
posure, Henry  W.  Petrikin,  who  is  now  living  at  Montoursville,  Pennsylvania, 
got  a  brief  statement  of  the  facts  signed  by  the  presiding  officers  of  the  two 
houses  of  the  legislature,  and  by  Acting-Governor  Denver,  which  statement 
he  carried  post-haste  to  Washington  and  laid  before  President  Buchanan 
in  presence  of  Senator  Bigler,  of  Pennsylvania;  Senator  Dickinson,  of  New 
York ;  General  Sam  Houston,  of  Texas ;  Hon.  Allison  White,  of  Pennsjdvania ; 
and  R.  Bruce  Petrikin,  of  Pennsylvania.  I  followed  in  a  day  or  two  with 
the  report  of  our  board  to  investigate  the  election  frauds,  accompanied  by  an 
abstract  of  the  candle-box  returns,  and  a  memorial  to  Congress,  all  of  which 
I  caused  to  be  printed  at  once  and  laid  on  the  desk  of  each  member  of  Con- 
gress. 

Thereupon,  the  bill  then  pending  in  Congress  for  the  admission  of  Kan- 
sas into  the  Union,  under  the  Lecompton  constitution,  dropped  dead.  A  few 
months  afterwards  the  English  bill  was  forced  through  Congress  by  the  ad- 
ministration. It  provided  for  the  submission  of  the  Lecompton  constitution 
to  a  free  vote  of  the  people  of  Kansas,  and  offered  them  five  and  a  half  mil- 
Hons  of  acres  of  the  public  lands  for  common  schools  and  a  university,  and 
five  per  cent,  of  all  the  public  lands  in  the  territory  (being  about  two  and  a 
half  millions  of  acres  more)  for  internal  improvements — all  the  grants  being 
conditioned  on  the  acceptance  of  that  constitution  by  the  people.  The  offer 
and  the  constitution  were  contemptuously  rejected  on  the  2d  of  August, 
1858,  by  a  vote  of  11,300  against  the  proposition,  to  1,788  in  its  favor. 
Thereupon,  the  Lecompton  constitution  was  abandoned,  and  Kansas  was  kept 
out  of  the  Union  for  more  than  two  years  longer  to  do  penance  for  its  de- 
votion to  freedom. 

The  waves  which  rolled  high  in  Kansas  during  the  political  storm  of 
1855-6-7  extended  throughout  the  Northern  states  and  were  long  in  sub- 
siding. As  late  as  the  fall  of  1860,  the  Kansas  questions  were  uppermost  for 
political  discussion  in  every  Northern  state.  On  my  way  through  Cincinnati 
to  Lancaster,  Ohio,  during  the  political  campaign  in  October,  1859,  I  was 
taken  to  make  a  speech  at  a  Republican  meeting  in  Fifth  street,  Market  space, 
then  being  addressed  by  Tom  Corwin  and  Caleb  B.  Smith.  When  I  reached 
the  stand,  Corwin  was  speaking.     He  had  been  discussing  only  Kansas  ques- 

626 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

tions.  As  I  ascended  the  steps  he  turned  and  greeted  me  with  some  pleasant 
words  of  recognition,  and  then  branched  off  on  Kansas  pohtics,  appeahng  to 
me  as  a  witness  and  a  participant.  He  told  with  mock  gravity  of  our  many 
governments  there;  spoke  of  the  Lecompton  territorial  government,  the  To- 
peka  provisional  government,  the  Lecompton  state  government,  the  Topeka 
state  government,  and  the  Leavenworth  state  government,  and  described  them 
all  as  being  in  full  operation,  electing  state,  territorial,  county,  township, 
and  city  officers  under  each  government,  and  all  in  full  operation  at  the  same 
time.  He  said  it  brought  on  a  general  election  every  month,  and  a  county, 
city  or  township  election  every  other  day.  He  said :  "  My  fellow  citizens : 
Kind  and  benignant  nature  always  responds  to  wants  and  habits  of  men; 
and  I  now  make  the  prediction  that  the  next  generation  in  Kansas  will  be 
bom  with  ballot-boxes  in  their  bellies,  like  'possimis;  so  they  can  vote  when- 
ever they  want  to !  " 

Thirty-six  years  have  passed  since  the  Free  State  struggle  in  Kansas 
ended.  I  have  never,  until  recently,  told  all  of  this  story  to  any  but  my  own 
family.  In  making  it  public  now,  I  wish  not  to  seem  unmindful  of  the  hero- 
ism of  the  Free  State  men  in  the  earlier  phases  of  the  contest,  when  many 
suffered  capture,  imprisonment  and  death  in  the  cause ;  nor  of  the  wisdom  and 
forbearance  of  Governor  Robinson  and  his  associates,  and  the  patriotic  re- 
sistance to  party  dictation  of  Governors  Walker,  Stanton  and  Denver,  which 
contributed  so  much  to  the  happy  solution  of  the  controversy.  I  have  written 
only  of  the  last  phase  of  that  protracted  struggle,  which  ended  in  February, 
1858,  in  the  abandonment  of  all  attempt  to  force  slavery  on  Kansas. 

Those  brilliant,  patriotic  and  enthusiastic  young  men  of  the  press — 
William  A.  Phillips,  lately  deceased,  who  crowned  his  glorious  ser\dces  for 
freedom  in  Kansas,  with  a  service  equally  glorious  in  the  army;  James  Red- 
path,  Richard  J.  Hinton,  and  their  associates,  Kegi,  Realf,  Cook,  Tappan, 
Walden  and  others,  whose  political  letters  filled  all  the  Republican  papers  of 
that  day  with  reports  of  the  struggle  for  freedom  in  Kansas — were  imbued 
with  John  Brown's  fervid  faith  that  slavery  would  be  abolished  through  a 
war  of  the  North  against  the  South,  brought  on  by  collisions  in  Kansas  be- 
tween the  Free  State  party  and  the  federal  government.  In  their  correspond- 
ence with  the  Republican  newspapers,  they  wrought  up  and  magnified  the  in- 
cidents of  the  Kansas  struggle  in  1855-6-7,  when  it  was  a  struggle  of  force 
and  blood ;  but  they  were  not  friendly  to  the  efforts  by  which  the  Lecompton 
constitution  was  at  last  peacefully  defeated.  Hence  the  final  and  decisive  move- 
ments which  I  have  here  narrated  were  ignored  or  underestimated  in  the  con- 
temporary press,  and  have  been  almost  overlooked  in  nearly  all  the  histories 
of  the  Kansas  struggle. 

The  importance  of  that  struggle  cannot  be  overestimated.  It  was  the 
prelude  to  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  prepared  the  people  to  realize  its 
magnitude  and  to  resolve  that  it  should  be  a  fight  to  the  finish.  But  for  this 
long  preparation,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  rebellion  would  have  ended  in 
a  compromise,  leaving  slavery,  though  crippled,  a  lasting  cause  of  bad  blood 

627 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

and  strife  between  the  sections.  Had  John  Brown's  purpose  to  bring  on  a 
war  between  the  sections  succeeded,  with  the  South  in  possession  of  all  the 
power  and  prestige  of  the  general  government,  and  the  North  in  rebellion, 
all  the  nations  of  the  world  would  have  stood  by  the  South  and  the  general 
government ;  while  the  North  would  have  been  divided,  overwhelmed  and  con- 
quered. But  there  was  a  higher  power  which  foiled  John  Brown's  mad  scheme. 
The  great  sweep  of  events,  from  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  to  the  surrender  at 
Appomattox,  was  no  doubt  divinely  directed  to  unify  and  purify  our  people 
for  their  Slorious  mission.  Whoever  bore  an  honorable  part,  however  humble, 
on  the  Northern  side  in  the  great  struggle,  has  reason  to  thank  God  for  having 
made  him  an  instrument  in  preserving  this  beneficent  republic,  which  is  the 
hope  and  light  of  the  world. 


SOME  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

By  David  Homee  Bates 

Cipher  Operator  in  the  War  Department  Telegraph  OflBce  During 
the  Civil  War,  1861-1865 

Read  before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  on  the  evening  of 
February  10,  1900 

LINCOLN,  "  That  kindly,  earnest,  brave,  fore-seeing  man ;  patient,  saga- 
cious, dreading  praise  not  blame." 
This  tribute  from  James  Russell  Lowell's  "  Commemoration  Ode," 
uttered  at  Harvard  forty-five  years  ago,  less  than  three  months  after  Lincoln's 
tragic  death,  when  his  fame  had  only  just  begun  to  take  on  its  brilliancy,  is 
still,  after  the  lapse  of  all  these  years,  a  true  estimate  of  his  character.  It 
well  expresses  the  judgment  formed  by  me  from  daily  intercourse  with  him 
in  the  War  Department  telegraph  office,  during  four  long  years  of  the  Civil 
War,  confirmed  by  careful  study  since  his  death  of  his  life  and  writings. 

To  those  of  my  hearers  who  may  have  read  my  paper  on  Lincoln  in  the 
symposium  pubhshed  in  the  New  York  Independent,  April  4,  1895,  I  owe  an 
apology  for  now  repeating  some  of  the  matter  contained  in  that  article,  but  as 
partial  compensation  I  will  add  a  few  bona  fide  stories  which  I  can  testify 
are  authentic.  I  was  a  mere  youth  when  I  first  met  Lincoln,  in  April,  1861, 
only  about  ten  days  after  Sumter's  fateful  signal  to  the  world.  Simon  Cam- 
eron, secretary  of  war,  had  appointed  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Scott  general  mana- 
ger of  mihtary  railroads  and  telegraphs,  and  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  tele- 
graph to  Andrew  Carnegie,  then  superintendent  of  the  Pittsburg  division 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  asking  him  to  send  expert  telegraph  opera- 
tors to  Washington  at  once.  Mr.  Carnegie  selected  four,  and  accordingly 
about  April  20,  1861,  or  a  few  days  thereafter,  David  Strouse,  Richard 
O'Brien,  Samuel  M.  Brown  and  David  Homer  Bates  started  for  Washington, 
via  Philadelphia  and  Perryville.  Arriving  at  the  Susquehanna  River,  oppo- 
site Havre  de  Grace,  we  learned  that  a  band  of  rebels  from  Baltimore,  evi- 
dently encouraged  by  the  disloyal  sentiments  of  the  mayor  and  other  leading 
citizens,  had  destroyed  the  railroad  bridges  over  the  Gunpowder  and  Bush 
rivers,  and  we  were,  therefore,  compelled  to  go  by  water  to  Annapolis.  The 
celebrated  Seventh  New  York,  under  Col.  Marshall  Lefferts,  had  gone  for- 
ward to  Annapolis  a  few  days  before,  and  the  old  steamer  "  Maryland,"  on 
which  they  sailed,  had  just  returned.  Old-timers  will  remember  this  historic 
vessel,  which  was  used  by  the  P.  W.  &  B.  Railroad  Company  for  transferring 
cars  across  the  Susquehanna  River  to  and  from  Havre  de  Grace,  and  which 
after  the  war  was  burned  and  then  rebuilt,  and  under  the  same  name,  "  Mary- 
land," is  still  in  daily  use  between  Jersey  City  and  Mott  Haven. 

629 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

On  that  April  night,  thirty-nine  years  ago,  our  little  band  of  telegraph- 
ers, the  nucleus  of  the  United  States  military  telegraph  corps,  which  during 
the  war  rendered  such  confidential  and  important  service  to  the  government, 
embarked  on  the  old  "  Maryland  "  in  company  with  a  body  of  federal  troops, 
among  whose  officers  was  Ormsby  M.  Mitchel,  celebrated  astronomer  and 
soldier.  We  were  compelled  to  pass  the  eventful  night  without  any  home  com- 
forts. I  clearly  remember  that  we  were  very  hungry  and  that  we  could  only 
find  rest  and  occasional  sleep  on  top  of  bags  of  coffee  that  were  being  taken 
to  Annapolis  for  our  troops.  Arriving  there  next  morning,  the  four  young 
operators  reported  to  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  who  had  just  established  his 
headquarters  at  the  Naval  Academy  after  his  exciting  march  through  Balti- 
more, where  our  troops  were  attacked  by  the  mob  of  rebel  sympathizers,  and 
where  the  first  blood  was  shed  in  the  Civil  War.  Little  did  we  think,  that 
bright  spring  morning,  as  we  landed  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Severn 
and  walked  across  the  lovely  grounds  of  the  Naval  Academy,  that  the  great- 
est war  of  the  century,  in  the  number  of  men  engaged,  the  enormous  loss  of 
life  and  the  vital  problems  solved,  was  just  begun.  I  had  never  before  seen 
a  slave,  and  when  the  colored  men  took  off  their  hats  and  bowed  and  the 
women  curtsied,  it  seemed  we  were  in  a  strange  land,  everything  was  so 'new 
and  different,  and  besides  we  were  sleepy,  tired  and  hungry. 

We  called  on  General  Butler  and  next  day  went  to  Washington  by  rail 
and  there  reported  at  the  War  Department  for  orders.  The  secretary's  office 
was  in  the  southeast  room  on  the  second  floor  of  that  old  historic  building, 
since  demoHshed.  The  telegraph  instruments  were  in  the  adjoining  room,  and 
as  we  were  ushered  in  we  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  with  Secretary  Cameron,  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott  and  one  or  two  others.  Lincoln  was  six  feet  four  inches. 
Cameron  was  by  no  means  small  of  stature,  while  General  Scott  was  massive 
as  well  as  tall.  At  the  moment  the  commanding  general  was  the  chief  object 
of  our  curiosity,  although  the  kindly  face  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  singularly 
attractive. 

It  was  my  lot  during  the  succeeding  four  years,  until  the  very  night  of 
his  taking  off  by  the  bullet  of  Booth,  to  see  Mr.  Lincoln  almost  every  day 
and  generally  several  times  a  day,  as  he  visited  the  War  Department  tele- 
graph office  about  nine  o'clock  every  morning,  and  again  in  the  afternoon, 
and  almost  invariably  in  the  evening  in  order  that  he  might  receive  the  latest 
news  from  the  various  military  headquarters  in  the  field,  and  at  the  same  time 
keep  in  touch  with  the  secretary  of  war  and  the  commander-in-chief;  it 
followed,  therefore,  that  he  made  the  telegraph  office  a  sort  of  rendezvous, 
sitting  always,  or  generally,  at  one  particular  desk,  that  of  Major  Eckert, 
the  military  superintendent  of  telegraph,  for  whom  both  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
Mr.  Stanton  had  a  very  high  personal  regard.  Conferences  would  be  had 
almost  daily  between  the  President,  Secretary  Stanton  and  other  members  of 
his  cabinet,  or  their  assistants,  and  with  General  Halleck,  and  afterwards 
General  Grant  and  other  prominent  generals,  and  many  of  these  conferences 
were  held  in  the  telegraph  room.    I  was  too  young  at  the  time  to  fully  appre- 

630 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ciate  and  avail  of  the  opportunity  thus  thrown  in  my  way,  but  as  time  passes 
my  mind  reverts  to  many  of  these  interviews  at  which,  in  the  performance  of 
my  official  duties,  I  was  necessarily  present,  and  when  grave  problems  of  the 
war  were  discussed  by  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  cabinet  or  military  officers. 

On  one  occasion  an  official  letter  was  received  by  me  from  the  operator 
at  Wilmington,  Del.,  on  the  route  of  the  Washington-Fortress  Monroe  mili- 
tar^^  line.  The  operator's  name  was  John  Wintrup,  who  for  many  years  past 
has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Steamship  Line  in  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  Wintrup's  signature  was  written  in  a  large,  bold  hand,  with  the  final 
letter  of  his  name  quite  large,  and  ending  with  a  series  of  flourishes  which 
tended  to  obscure  the  name.  Mr.  Lincoln,  seeing  the  letter  on  my  table,  and 
noting  the  peculiar  signature,  remarked  that  "  it  reminded  him  of  a  short- 
legged  man  wearing  a  long'tailed  overcoat,  which,  as  the  man  walked  through 
the  snow  wiped  out  the  tracks  made  by  his  feet." 

Many  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  stories  were  in  couples,  like  man  and  wife,  one 
corresponding  to  the  other.  For  instance,  most  of  you  will  recall  Tom  Hood's 
spoiled  child,  which,  as  I  remember  it,  was  represented  by  a  series  of  pic- 
tures. 

First,  the  nurse  placing  the  baby  in  the  arm  chair  before  a  grate  fire 
and  covering  it  over  with  a  shawl  to  shield  it  from  the  heat.  The  next  scene 
shows  the  fat  aunt  coming  into  the  room  and,  being  near  sighted,  she  flops 
down  into  the  comfortable  looking  chair,  and  of  course  there  is  a  rumpus  and 
scream,  and  the  next  scene  shows  the  nurse  entering  the  room,  rescuing  the 
child  from  beneath  the  heavy  weight,  and,  as  she  holds  it  in  her  arms  in  front 
of  her,  the  next  scene  shows  the  mother  and  father  coming  into  the  room, 
and  the  baby  is  smashed  so  flat  that  the  parents  cannot  see  it.  A  reference 
being  made  to  this  spoiled  child  story  of  Mr.  Hood's,  Mr.  Lincoln  thereupon 
produced  its  companion  as  follows: 

Scene,  a  theatre.  Curtain  just  going  up.  Enter  a  man  with  a  high 
hat,  who  becomes  so  interested  in  what  is  transpiring  on  the  stage  that  involun- 
tarily he  places  his  hat  upside  down  on  the  adjoining  seat,  without  observing 
the  approach  of  a  fat  dowager  who,  being  nearsighted,  like  the  aunt  of  the 
spoiled  child,  does  not  observe  the  open  door  of  the  hat.  She  sits  down  and,  of 
course,  there  is  a  crunching  noise,  and  the  owner  of  the  hat,  too  late  to  rescue 
it,  reaches  out  to  take  hold  of  it  just  as  the  fat  woman  arises,  and  holding  the 
hat  in  front  of  him  says  to  the  lady,  "  Madam,  I  knew  that  hat  would  not 
fit  you  when  I  saw  you  try  it  on." 

While  all  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  stories  were  illustrative  of  some  argument  or 
point  he  wished  to  make,  some  of  them,  I  regret  to  say,  were  off  color,  and 
to  this  date  it  has  been  a  matter  of  sincere  regret  that  I  listened  to  any  of 
that  character.  Marc  Antony,  in  his  address  over  the  dead  body  of  Ca?sar, 
says  that  "  The  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them,  the  good  is  oft  interred 
with  their  bones."  So  in  this  case,  without  detracting  one  iota  from  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's greatness  or  goodness,  still  the  one  thread  of  error  in  his  character,  as 
I  saw  it,  was  in  that  direction.     There  were  some  stories  of  his  which,  while 

631 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

not  really  bad,  yet  were  suitable  only  for  home  consumption,  and  not  for  a 
general  assembly  of  saints. 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  General  Schenck,  afterwards  minister  to  Eng- 
land, and  perhaps  more  renowned  as  the  author  of  a  popular  treatise  on 
"  The  Art  of  Playing  Poker,"  was  in  command  of  our  troops  near  Alexandria, 
Va.,  and  for  weeks  there  had  been  almost  daily  skirmishes  between  the  pickets 
or  small  detachments  from  the  two  armies,  but  no  considerable  fighting,  and 
there  had  been  numerous  complaints  in  the  daily  press  that  some  definite 
movement  was  not  made.  Finally,  a  larger  detachment  than  usual  was  sent 
out  by  General  Schenck  and  they  succeeded  in  capturing  twenty  or  thirty 
rebel  prisoners,  each  of  whom,  as  the  telegram  reported,  had  a  "  Colt's  "  revol- 
ver, and  the  president,  upon  glancing  at  the  dispatch,  remarked  that  we  would 
soon  have  an  evidence  of  the  great  faculty  possessed  by  newspaper  correspon- 
dents to  enlarge  upon  facts,  because,  he  said,  no  doubt  by  the  time  to- 
morrow's papers  are  printed  these  Colt's  revolvers  will  all  have  grown  into 
horse-pistols. 

He  then  went  on  to  speak  of  the  dilly-dallying  of  the  two  armies  and 
said  it  put  him  in  mind  of  two  dogs  barking  and  snapping  at  each  other 
on  opposite  sides  of  a  rail  fence,  along  which  they  both  ran  until  finally 
coming  to  an  opening  they  pricked  up  their  ears,  ceased  barking,  and  then 
turning  tail  trotted  off  as  if  they  had  no  further  interest  in  the  promised 
fight. 

One  day  in  the  early  part  of  the  war  Mr.  Lincoln  brought  to  the  tele- 
graph office  a  photograph  that  some  army  surgeon  had  forwarded  to  him 
in  connection  with  his  application  for  promotion  or  transfer.  This  photo- 
graph represented  a  man  of  the  type  of  the  Boer  General  Joubert,  with  ex- 
ceptionally long  hair  and  whiskers,  the  latter  reaching  nearly  to  the  bottom 
of  the  picture,  which  showed  only  the  bust  down  to  the  waist.  Mr.  Lincoln 
remarked  that  he  was  glad  to  receive  that  picture,  and  if  now  he  could  only 
get  two  long-haired  persons  of  that  sort,  one  a  male  and  the  other  a  female, 
he  would  take  measures  to  preserve  them  and  raise  them  for  their  hair. 

Apropos  of  this  whisker  story,  Mr.  John  H.  Littlefield,  in  an  address 
at  the  Pl^^mouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  only  two  weeks  ago,  narrated  some  of 
his  personal  recollections  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Mr.  Littlefield  studied  law  under 
Mr.  Lincoln,  and  at  one  time  practised  in  his  office.  He  told  of  a  letter  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  received  in  the  summer  of  1864,  before  his  re-election,  from  a 
young  woman  in  Buffalo,  in  which  she  said : 

"  If  you  will  allow  your  whiskers  to  grow  I  think  I  can  get  three  votes 
for  you,  those  of  my  father  and  two  brothers.  They  say  they  will  never  vote 
for  such  a  homely  man  as  you  are  without  your  whiskers." 

Once,  not  more  than  sixty  days  before  his  death,  he  came  into  the  tele- 
graph office  with  a  photograph  of  himself,  which  had  been  addressed  to  his 
wife  and  sent  through  the  mail.  The  sender  had  added  to  the  picture  a 
rope,  which  passed  around  the  neck  and  then  upward,  tautly  drawn,  as  in- 
dicating his  hellish  desire.     Mr.  Lincoln  remarked  that  it  had  caused  Mrs. 

632 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Lincoln  some  anxiety,  which  he  did  not  share,  although  he  added  some  words 
of  sorrow  that  any  human  being  could  be  so  devoid  of  feeling  as  to  thus 
wound  an  innocent  woman.  As  for  himself,  he  said  tliat  he  had  received  many 
similar  missives  and  had  come  to  look  upon  them  with  nothing  more  than  a 
passing  thought. 

The  crystaUized  opinion  of  the  generation  since  Lincoln's  tragic  death 
is  that  his  state  papers  as  well  as  the  many  letters  written  by  him,  and  the 
speeches  he  made  during  his  poUtical  career,  are  models  of  clear,  undefiled 
Enghsh,  and  that  some  of  them,  notably  his  short  Gettysburg  address,  are 
classics,  to  which  the  present  and  coming  generations  may  turn  for  inspiration 
of  liberty  loving  patriotism  and  for  an  education  in  the  best  forms  of  ex- 
pression of  great  thoughts.  But  back  of  all  this  beauty  of  form  and  irre- 
sistible force  of  argument  inherent  in  the  body  of  his  utterances,  whether 
spoken  or  written,  there  was  something  more.  There  was  the  spirit  of  a  great 
man,  tlie  throb  of  a  human  heart  that  first  of  all  loved  all  other  hearts  and, 
loving,  sought  to  do  them  good,  and  never  did  he  allow  force  of  logic  or 
attractiveness  of  diction,  either  in  choice  of  words  or  manner  of  expression,  to 
obscure  this  one  great  thought  and  purpose. 

It  is  well  known  that  there  were  many  sides  to  Lincoln's  character.  I  do 
not  venture  to  speak  of  him  as  a  story  teller  pure  and  simple,  a  pohtician,  or 
leader  of  men,  a  statesman,  or  even  a  writer  of  the  best  English,  and  he  was 
all  these  and,  in  the  best  sense,  notably  so,  but  I  will  refer  briefly  to  that  per- 
sonal trait  of  his  which  always  impressed  me  more  forcibly  than  any  other 
feature  of  his  character,  namely,  the  evident  kindly  disposition  always  present 
with  him  towards  his  opponents  and  the  nation's  enemies. 

In  hiis  second  inaugural  address,  March  4,  1865,  he  used  two  short  ex- 
pressions, which  so  well  illustrate  his  trust  in  God  and  his  love  for  man  that  I 
quote  them  to  point  my  meaning.  One  of  these  is  from  the  Holy  Writ,  "  The 
judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether."  The  other  ex- 
pression he  used  is  his  own  wording  of  Christ's  love  for  humanity,  "  With 
malice  toward  none  and  charity  for  all."  If  love  be  the  fulfilling  of  that 
divine  law,  then,  in  my  opinion,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  nearly  perfect  ex- 
ample of  his  generation. 

I  do  not  refer  specially  to  his  belief  in  a  Divine  Being,  nor  in  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  although  his  manifold  utterances  on  the  subject  of  slavery  and  the 
many  quotations  from  the  Bible  in  his  state  papers  and  messages  to  Congress 
shall  ever  proclaim  to  the  thinking  world  that  at  the  very  root  of  his  spiritual 
nature  he  held  the  teachings  of  Christ  to  be  sacred  and  worthy  of  acceptance, 
and  his  whole  public  life,  as  well  as  his  words,  when  stripped  of  a  certain  rude- 
ness incident  to  his  early  surroundings,  exemplified  those  teachings.  But  I 
am  now  referring  to  that  period  of  his  later  career,  during  which,  far  more 
than  ever  before,  the  inborn  and  inbred  kindliness  of  his  nature  was  taxed  to 
the  uttermost  by  the  treason  of  many  of  his  former  political  acquaintances  and 
including  some  he  had  before  called  personal  friends,  and  by  the  perfidy  and 
malice  of  the  Northern  Copperhead,  and  by  the  blind  unreasoning  impatience 

633 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  a  few  otherwise  patriotic  men,  prominent  in  the  public  eye,  who  seemed  to 
think  the  Civil  War  should  be  conducted  according  to  their  own  narrow  and 
generally  selfish  ideas.  Whatever  may  have  been  his  inmost  thoughts  respect- 
ing his  enemies  and  their  efforts  to  sting  and  crush  him,  his  truly  noble  heart 
in  its  outward  expressions  exhibited  only  love  and  charity  for  all  and  malice 
toward  none.  His  logic  was  unerring,  his  homely  illustrations  effective,  and 
his  fund  of  good  humor  proverbially  unfailing.  Never  once  in  the  four  years 
did  I  ever  discover  in  him  any  anger  or  malice,  nor  was  he  ever  without  a  clear 
opinion  upon  any  subject  presented,  excepting  when  he  gave  good  reasons  for 
not  expressing  at  the  time  a  final  judgment.  If  others  disagreed  with  him,  he 
sought  to  convince  them  that  they  were  wrong,  rather  than  that  he  was  right. 
I  heard  him  say  once  that  in  trying  cases  in  court  he  usually  adopted  that 
plan.  His  habit  of  speech  was  conversational  and  argumentative  and  invaria- 
bly convincing.  Speaking  of  resentment,  Mr.  Lincoln  once  said  to  Gustavus 
V.  Fox,  assistant  secretary  of  the  navy,  who  was  urging  Mr.  Lincoln  to  some 
retaliatory  action  in  the  celebrated  "  Blair  "  controversy :  "  Mr.  Fox,  you  have 
more  of  that  feeling  of  personal  resentment  than  I  have;  perhaps  I  have  too 
little  of  it,  but  I  never  thought  it  paid,  and  a  man  has  no  time  to  spend  half 
his  life  in  quarrels.  If  any  man  ceases  to  attack  me,  I  never  remember  the 
past  against  him." 

Some  of  my  older  hearers  will  doubtless  remember  a  pictorial  Book  of 
Nonsense  which  was  popular  many  years  ago,  and  which  was  once  referred 
to  in  my  presence  by  Mr.  Lincoln  in  illustrating  his  idea  that  the  best  method 
of  meeting  or  allaying  anger  on  the  part  of  others  was  to  adopt  a  conciliatory 
attitude.  He  referred  to  this  Book  of  Nonsense,  which  he  said  he  had  seen 
when  a  boy  or  young  man,  and  he  told  of  the  picture  in  the  book  of  the  angry 
cow  in  the  field  and  the  maiden  seated  on  the  stile,  who  is  made  to  say : 

"  How  shall  I  soften  the  heart  of  this  cow.? 
I  will  sit  on  this  stile,  and  continue  to  smile, 
Till  I  soften  the  heart  of  this  cow." 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln  our  troops  captured  Jefferson  Davis 
and  some  members  of  his  cabinet  and  one  of  his  aides.  Col.  Burton  N.  Harrison, 
whose  wife  has  made  her  mark  in  the  literary  world.  The  papers  and  baggage 
of  these  parties  were  brought  to  the  war  department,  and  the  secretary  of  war 
detailed  me  to  make  up  an  inventory  of  these  articles.  In  Colonel  Harrison's 
valise  was  found  a  copy  of  the  "  Book  of  Nonsense."  I  have  met  Colonel  Har" 
rison  frequently  since,  and  once  told  him  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  reference  to  it,  and 
asked  him  how  he  came  to  be  in  possession  of  the  book.  He  answered  that  it 
was  given  to  him  by  the  captain  of  the  government  vessel  which  brought  him 
from  Charleston  to  Fortress  Monroe,  to  help  pass  the  time  away. 

The  military  telegrams  were  mostly  in  cipher  and  it  was  sometimes  a 
task  to  decipher  a  difficult  message,  because  of  telegraphic  errors.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's interest  and  anxiety  at  such  periods  were  very  great,  especially  when 
the  dispatches  referred  to  a  battle.     The  late  Charles  A.  Dana,  long  editor 

634 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

of  the  New  York  Sun,  had  been  assigned  to  the  duty  of  visiting  Grant's  head- 
quarters in  Mississippi,  and  afterwards  in  Tennessee,  and  his  telegraphic  re- 
ports were  generally  full  and  always  of  great  interest.  Mr.  Lincoln  looked 
forward  eagerly  to  Mr.  Dana's  accounts  of  the  various  engagements  with  the 
enemy.  The  latter's  strong,  virile  manner  of  expressing  himself  on  important 
questions  is  well  known,  and  as  the  telegrams  were  audibly  read  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, possibly  merited  criticisms  were  softened  in  the  reading  by  side  remarks. 
It  was  his  habit  to  read  aloud  and  to  bring  his  listeners  into  the  current  of  his 
thoughts  by  question  or  suggestion. 

In  our  cipher  code  there  were  several  words,  each  translated  "  Jefferson 
Davis."  Other  words  stood  for  "  Robert  E.  Lee,"  and  so  on.  Whenever  Mr. 
Lincoln  came  to  these  words  he  would  shorten  or  transform  them  into  some- 
thing else;  for  instance,  "  Jeffy  D.,"  "  Bobby  Lee,"  etc.,  so  that  there  seemed 
to  go  out  from  him  at  such  times,  and  indeed  on  many  other  occasions,  a 
gentle,  kindly  influence.  He  appeared  to  be  thinking  of  the  leaders  of  th# 
rebellion  as  wayward  sons,  rather  than  as  traitorous  brethren. 

Secretary  Stanton  in  his  intercourse  with  the  public  was  haughty,  severe, 
and  exacting,  especially  in  cases  where  he  had  even  the  smallest  suspicion  of 
the  loyalty  of  the  person  with  whom  he  was  in  communication.  In  fact,  he 
never  gave  the  other  person  the  benefit  of  a  doubt.  Intensely  in  earnest  him- 
self, he  required  of  everyone  a  like  zeal  and  devotion,  with  an  utter  sacrifice 
of  self  interest  and  convenience  where  the  government  was  concerned.  Accord- 
ingly, Mr.  Stanton  was  brusque,  and  oftentimes  rude  to  newspaper  men,  mem- 
bers of  Congress  and  others  who  applied  to  him  for  news  from  the  front.  On 
the  other  hand,  Mr.  Lincoln  freely  told  what  he  heard  in  the  way  of  early 
dispatches  from  army  headquarters  in  the  field,  and  there  were  occasions  when 
he  disclosed  in  advance  maneuvers  of  special  importance  and  in  some  way  the 
rebels  got  wind  of  the  movement  and  its  object  was  thus  defeated.  It  was 
Mr.  Lincoln's  custom  when  he  came  to  the  War  Department  telegraph  office 
to  read  over  the  military  telegrams  that  were  always  placed  upside  down  in  a 
special  drawer  in  one  of  the  cipher  operator's  desks,  the  latest  on  top.  It 
came  to  pass  after  awhile  that  we  were  instructed  by  Secretary  Stanton  not 
to  place  in  that  drawer  copies  of  dispatches  referring  in  advance  to  specially 
important  movements  of  the  army;  for  instance,  a  battle  in  progress  or  im- 
pending, until  he  had  first  seen  the  dispatches,  and  in  some  cases  the  Secretary 
retained  both  the  original  and  the  duplicate  copies.  Mr.  Lincoln's  keenness 
soon  led  him  to  the  discovery  of  the  Secretary's  order,  and,  without  criticising 
our  course  in  the  slightest,  he  would  sometimes  ask  if  there  were  not  some  later 
news  which  he  could  get  from  Mr.  Stanton.  If  there  were,  he  would  then  go 
to  the  adjoining  room  and  see  the  Secretary,  or  "  Mars,"  as  Mr.  Lincoln  called 
him. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  April  14,  1865,  the  day  of  his  assassination, 
Mr.  Lincoln  made  his  accustomed  call  at  the  War  Department  telegraph  office. 
He  came  earlier  than  usual,  however,  because,  as  we  afterwards  learned,  of 
his  expected  visit  in  the  evening  to  Ford's  Theatre. 

635 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Although  I  was  on  duty  at  the  time  I  have  no  distinct  remembrance  of  the 
occasion,  for  what  occurred  a  few  hours  later  was  so  appalling  that  memory 
retained  nothing  clearly,  except  that  which  took  place  after  the  awful  news 
was  received.  First  came  word  that  the  president  was  shot;  then,  horror  fol- 
lowing fast  upon  horror,  the  savage  attack  upon  Secretary  Seward,  the  frus- 
trated efforts  to  reach  and  kill  Secretary  Stanton,  Vice-President  Johnson 
and  other  members  of  the  government,  and  as  the  successive  accounts  crystal- 
lized, a  fearful  dread  filled  every  soul  lest  it  should  be  found  that  the  entire 
cabinet  had  been  murdered.  An  hour  or  more  of  this  awful  suspense  and  we 
received  a  message  from  Major  Eckert,  who  had  gone  quickly  with  Secretary 
Stanton  to  the  house  on  Tenth  street  to  which  the  president  had  been  carried. 
This  news  simply  assured  us  of  the  present  safety  of  Stanton,  while  confirm- 
ing our  worst  fears  concerning  the  president. 

A  relay  of  messengers  was  established  between  Major  Eckert  and  the 
War  Department,  and  all  night  long  they  carried  their  portentous  news  in 
the  form  of  bulletins,  in  the  handwriting  of  Secretary  Stanton,  addressed  to 
Gen.  John  A.  Dix,  commanding  general.  New  York  City,  and  which  were  dis- 
tributed to  the  press  throughout  the  country.  As  these  bulletins  were  spelled 
out  in  the  Morse  telegraph  characters,  over  the  wires  leading  north,  it  seemed 
to  us,  as  I  remember,  Albert  Chandler,  Charlie  Tinker  and  myself,  whose 
fingers  manipulated  the  keys,  that  never  sadder  signals  formed. 

The  awfulness  of  the  scenes  transpiring  before  us  hushed  us  into  silence, 
except  for  an  occasional  outburst  of  sorrow  and  amazement,  and  tears,  of 
which  none  of  us  were  ashamed,  were  freely  shed.  As  the  hours  slowly  passed, 
hope  revived  as  to  the  president's  life  being  spared,  but  at  last,  about  7 :30 
A.  M.  the  following  morning,  the  tension  broke  and  we  knew  for  a  certainty 
that  he  was  dead.  Then  we  looked  out  upon  the  light  of  day,  which  before  we 
had  not  observed,  or  at  least  with  consciousness,  and  the  force  of  the  blow 
seemed  to  be  increased  by  recalling  the  previous  day  when  we  had  last  seen 
the  president.  We  thought  of  his  daily  visits,  and,  most  of  all,  in  the  close 
presence  of  our  great  sorrow,  did  we  think  of  his  loving  heart  and  the  many 
evidences  he  had  given  us  of  the  entire  absence  from  that  heart  of  anger  or 
resentment  towards  his  country's  enemies. 

Let  me  close  this  desultory  sketch  by  a  quotation  from  Mr.  Lincoln's 
midnight  speech  on  November  10,  1864,  as  he  was  leaving  the  War  Depart" 
ment  telegraph  office  after  the  welcome  news  had  been  received  of  his  certain 
re-election  to  the  presidency:  "  So  long  as  I  have  been  here  I  have  not  will- 
ingly planted  a  thorn  in  any  man's  bosom.  While  I  am  deeply  sensible  to  the 
high  compliment  of  re-election  and  duly  grateful,  as  I  trust,  to  Almighty  God 
for  having  directed  my  countrymen  to  a  right  conclusion,  as  I  think  for  their 
own  good,  it  adds  nothing  to  my  satisfaction  that  any  other  man  may  be  dis- 
appointed or  pained  by  the  result.  May  I  ask  those  who  have  not  differed 
with  me  to  join  with  me  in  this  same  spirit  towards  those  who  have."  Who 
shall  say  that  he  did  not  have  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ .? 


A  REBEL  CIPHER  DISPATCH  WHICH  DID  NOT  REACH  JUDAH 

P.  BENJAMIN 

By  David  Homee  Bates 

Cipher  Operator  in  the  War  Department  Office  During  the  Civil 
War,  1861-1865 


T 


Read  before  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  on  March  9,  1903 

HERE  appeared  in  the  New  York  Herald,  in  the  month  of  July,  1896, 
an  article  headed,  "  Cryptograph  Solved,"  in  which  was  given  a  key  to 
certain  cabalistic  characters  on  an  old  tombstone  in  Trinity  churchyard. 
The  full  inscription  reads  thus : 

mm  \kH\LMBB  a  Q  ji  J  n 

HERE   LIES 
DEPOSITED    THE    BODY    OF 

JAMES  LEESON 

WHO  DEPAETED  THIS  LIFE  ON  THE  28tH  DAY  OF  SEP- 
TEMBER,   1794. 
AGED   38   YEARS. 

From  Harper's  Magazine.    Copyright,  1898,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

The  hieroglyphics  at  the  head  of  the  tombstone,  when  translated  by  the 
method  shown  in  the  Herald  article,  reveal  the  motto,  "  Remember  Death," 
and  by  analogy  the  remaining  letters  of  the  alphabet  are  discovered  by  the 
writer  of  that  article,  who  deserves  great  credit  for  his  perspicacity. 

The  reading  of  the  Herald  article  recalled  to  my  mind  certain  rebel 
cipher  dispatches  in  1863,  which  I  helped  to  translate,  and  in  which  the  same 
hieroglyphics  were  used.  These  dispatches  were  written  in  New  York  by 
J.  H.  Cammack,  an  agent  of  the  rebel  government,  and  were  enclosed  in  an 
envelope  addressed  to  Alexander  Keith,  Jr.,  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  to  be  for- 
warded by  him  to  Richmond,  Va.  One  of  them  was  addressed  to  Judah  P. 
Benjamin,  and  the  other  to  Benjamin  H.  Hill,  members  of  Jeff  Davis's  cabi- 
net. As  soon  as  possible  I  confirmed  my  recollection  by  referring  to  my  war 
records,  and  as  the  history  of  these  rebel  ciphers  has  never  been  written,  ex- 
cept briefly,  I  determined  to  give  the  facts  to  the  public,  beheving  them  to  be 
of  general  interest. 

First  let  me  speak  of  the  United  States  military  staff,  to  whose  members 
were  entrusted  all  the  more  important  military  and  state  dispatches  trans- 
mitted from  and  to  the  government  at  Washington  during  the  Civil  War. 
W.  R.  Plum,  in  his  history  of  the  military  telegraph,  says,  "  To  the  statement 

637 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

that  in  no  case  did  the  enemy  ever  succeed  in  deciphering  our  messages,  let 
us  add  that  neither  did  any  federal  cipher-operator  ever  prove  recreant  to 
his  sacred  trust,  and  we  have  in  a  sentence  two  facts  that  reflect  infinite  credit 
upon  the  corps." 

Plum  further  says  that  "  Col.  Thomas  A.  Scott,  assistant  secretary  of 
war  and  general  manager  of  m.ilitary  railroads  and  telegraphs,  called  to  his 
aid  four  operators  from  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  line.  These  operators 
reported  at  Washington  on  April  27,  1861,  traveling  via  Philadelphia,  Perry- 
ville  and  Annapolis.  Their  names  were  David  Strouse,  D.  H.  Bates,  Samuel 
M.  Brown  and  Richard  O'Brien."  This  was  the  nucleus  of  the  United  States 
military  telegraph  corps,  which  rendered  such  important  service  to  our  gov- 
ernment during  the  Civil  War.  The  outlines  of  the  history  of  that  war  were 
sketched  by  the  telegraph. 

Strouse  was  appointed  superintendent.  Brown  was  stationed  at  the  Navy 
Yard,  O'Brien  at  the  Arsenal  and  the  writer  at  the  War  Department,  where 
he  remained  until  after  the  close  of  the  war  as  manager  and  cipher-operator, 
two  of  his  associates  being  Mr.  Charles  A.  Tinker  and  Mr.  Albert  B.  Chandler, 
who  have  long  occupied  high  official  positions  in  the  commercial  telegraph  serv- 
ice of  the  country. 

Two  cipher  operators  were  required  to  be  at  their  post  of  duty  during  the 
day  time,  holidays  and  Sundays  not  excepted,  and,  as  a  rule,  until  eleven  or 
twelve  o'clock  at  night. 

On  the  fateful  night  of  April  14,  1865,  we  remained  all  night  for  the  pur- 
pose of  transmitting  Secretary  Stanton's  graphic  bulletins  to  the  newspapers, 
giving  the  details  of  Lincoln's  assassination  and  of  the  scenes  at  his  deathbed. 

The  federal  cipher  codes  were  very  simple  and  yet  absolutely  secret,  ar- 
bitrary words  being  used  to  represent  proper  names,  and  also  many  ordinary 
words  and  military  phrases.  The  words  of  the  entire  body  of  the  dispatch, 
after  being  concealed  in  this  manner,  were  then  arranged  in  one  of  over  a 
thousand  possible  combinations,  the  particular  combination  being  indicated 
by  a  key-word,  and  as  each  combination  had  several  key-words,  it  was  not 
necessary  to  use  the  same  one  twice  in  succession.  As  a  feature  of  the  com- 
bination blind  words  were  interspersed  at  regular  or  varying  intervals,  which, 
in  translation,  were  of  course  discarded.  When  finally  prepared  for  transmis- 
sion, the  dispatch  was  wholly  unintelligible  to  the  transmitting  or  receiving 
operator,  and  no  case  is  recalled  of  the  enemy's  having  translated  a  federal 
cipher  dispatch.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  rebel  cipher  dispatches, 
which  fell  into  our  hands  by  capture  or  through  our  spies,  were  translated  by 
our  cipher  operators,  and  thus  important  military  information  was  secured 
by  our  commanding  generals. 

The  rebels,  instead  of  adopting  a  plan  similar  to  ours,  which  was  at  once 
secret  and  speedy,  made  use  of  the  crude  plan  of  transposing  the  letters  of 
the  alphabet  in  various  ways.  I  remember  that  when  John  Wilkes  Booth  was 
captured  there  was  found  in  his  vest  pocket  a  copy  of  the  identical  alphabet 
square  which  formed  the  basis  of  many  of  the  rebel  ciphers. 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

In  some  cases  the  hieroglyphic  plan  was  adopted  by  the  rebels,  and  it 
■was  this  method  which  was  followed  in  the  instances  referred  to  below. 

As  the  chief  feature  developed  by  the  fortunate  translation  of  these  two 
ciphers  was  a  plot  for  the  seizure  by  rebel  emissaries  of  two  ocean  steamers 
after  leaving  New  York  harbor,  it  is  well  to  recall  that  during  the  latter  part 
of  1863  there  was  very  great  excitement  in  the  North  occasioned  by  the  activity 
and  aggressiveness  of  the  rebel  navy,  and  by  the  fact  that  both  England  and 
France  were  allowing  rebel  ships  to  be  built  and  equipped  in  those  countries. 
The  newspapers  were  full  of  accounts  of  damage  done  to  our  shipping  by  the 
rebels,  and  it  was  feared  that  by  means  of  a  sudden  dash  they  might  even 
capture  and  set  fire  to  one  of  our  seaport  cities  before  suitable  help  could  ar- 
rive. Slidell,  the  rebel  envoy,  was  in  Europe  trying  to  secure  recognition, 
and  while  he  did  not  accomplish  this  result,  he  did  obtain  practical  aid  and  com- 
fort from  English  and  French  shipbuilders.  Gunboats,  iron-clad  rams  and 
warships  had  been  purchased  by  the  rebels  and  were  already  on  the  high  seas, 
and  others  were  then  building  in  England  under  the  quasi  protection  of  the 
authorities.  Years  afterwards,  in  the  Geneva  award  of  $15,000,000,  the 
United  States  received  definite  acknowledgment  of  the  fact  that  England,  in 
allowing  the  "  Alabama  "  and  other  rebel  war  vessels  to  be  fitted  out  in  Eng- 
lish shipyards,  had  violated  our  treaty  rights. 

The  state  correspondence  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
in  1863,  shows  how  serious  and  critical  the  conditions  were,  for  on  September 
4,  of  that  year,  our  minister  at  London,  Mr.  Charles  Francis  Adams,  after  re- 
peated protests  addressed  to  the  British  government,  received  a  note  from  Lord 
Russell,  prime  minister,  stating  that  "  Her  Majesty's  government  are  advised 
that  they  can  not  interfere  in  any  way  with  these  vessels  " — referring  to  certain 
iron-clad  rams  already  completed  by  the  Lairds  at  Birkenhead,  and  which 
were  about  to  sally  forth  to  prey  upon  our  commerce.  Minister  Adams 
answered  Lord  Russell  instantly  in  these  words :  "  It  would  be  superfluous  for 
me  to  point  out  to  your  lordship  that  this  would  be  war." 

In  France  the  situation  was  equally  grave,  for  Slidell  was  in  close  touch 
with  the  French  cabinet,  and  especially  with  Emperor  Napoleon,  the  latter 
having  in  a  private  interview  promised  that  certain  iron-clad  rams  and  cor- 
vettes, which  were  building  at  Bordeaux  and  Nantes  for  the  rebel  navy,  should 
be  allowed  to  sail.  The  emperor  also  gave  to  the  French  shipbuilders  like  as- 
surances. 

On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  the  capture  of  the  City  of  Mexico  in  June, 
1863,  by  French  troops,  and  the  selection,  in  August,  of  Prince  Maximilian, 
of  Austria,  as  Emperor  of  Mexico,  by  the  hastily  convened  assembly  of  nota- 
bles, were  events  of  grave  importance  to  us,  and  seemed  likely  to  have  an 
immediate  and  favorable  influence  upon  the  fortunes  of  the  confederate 
cause. 

Secretary  Seward,  in  September,  1863,  instructed  INlinister  Dayton  to 
convey  to  the  French  government  the  views  of  President  Lincoln,  which  pointed 
\io  the  maintenance  by  the  United  States  of  the  iVIonroe  doctrine,  even  at  the 

639 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

risk  of  ultimate  war  with  France,  if  the  latter  persisted  in  imposing  a  mon- 
archy upon  Mexico. 

In  October  the  reply  of  the  French  government  was  received,  to  the  effect 
that  "  the  sooner  the  United  States  showed  itself  satisfied,  and  manifested  a 
willingness  to  enter  into  peaceful  relations  with  the  new  government  in  Mexico, 
the  sooner  would  France  be  ready  to  leave,"  etc. 

This  disturbance  of  our  foreign  relations  was  creating  intense  anxiety 
in  the  North,  and  the  public  mind  was  further  loused  by  various  movements  of 
rebel  vessels,  including  freebooters  and  pirates,  as  well  as  those  acting  under 
regular  commission. 

For  instance,  in  September,  1863,  a  plot  was  laid  by  the  rebels  to  seize 
the  steamer  "  Michigan  "  on  Lake  Erie,  and  to  make  use  of  her  to  liberate 
several  thousand  rebel  prisoners  near  Sandusky.  Fortunately,  this  failed  in 
execution,  but  attention  was  strongly  drawn  to  the  latent  possibilities  of  sudi 
movements,  and  the  newspapers  contained  daily  references  to  the  subject,  so 
that  the  excitement  in  the  public  mind  was  running  high.  In  December  of 
that  year  the  United  States  steamer  "  Chesapeake  "  sailed  from  New  York  to 
Portland,  Me.,  and,  when  several  days  out  from  land,  rebel  emissaries,  who 
had  shipped  as  passengers,  assaulted  the  officers  and  crew,  overpowered  them, 
and  seized  the  vessel,  which  was  then  headed  for  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  The 
cruise  of  these  pirates  was  not  continued,  however,  because  some  of  the  crew 
stole  the  cargo  and  decamped. 

But  a  far  bolder  plot  was  being  hatched  in  New  York  City,  having  for 
its  immediate  object  the  seizure  of  two  large  ocean  steamers,  when  one  or  two 
days  out,  by  rebel  agents,  who  were  to  ship  as  passengers  or  crew.  The  scheme 
included  also  the  shipment  as  freight  of  crates,  packages  and  hogsheads,  os- 
tensibly containing  merchandise,  but  which  in  reality  contained  guns,  small 
arms,  ammunition,  etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  pirates  after  they  had  overpowered 
the  loyal  crew  and  obtained  control  of  the  ship. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that,  at  the  time  referred  to — ^December,  1863 — 
the  seizure  of  two  ocean  steamers,  and  their  conversion  into  privateers,  would 
create  dismay  and  consternation  in  the  North,  and  would,  perhaps,  be  followed 
by  the  capture  of  many  small  craft,  merchant  vessels  and  government  trans- 
ports, and  possibly  the  destruction  of  some  of  our  seaboard  cities. 

Meantime,  the  rebel  government  was  actually  having  a  large  and  varied 
issue  of  confederate  bonds  engraved  and  printed  almost  within  sight  of  the  old 
tombstone  in  Trinity  churchyard,  and  communications  on  the  subject  of  such 
bonds  were  passing  to  and  fro  between  the  rebel  government  in  Richmond  and 
its  agents  in  New  York  City,  the  medimn  of  these  communications  being  the 
very  same  hieroglyphics  which  were  carved  on  that  old  tombstone  nearly  one 
hundred  years  before. 

These  deep'laid  plots  were  fortunately  revealed  to  the  federal  authorities 
in  time  to  prevent  their  fulfillment.  The  date  set  for  the  seizure  of  the  two 
ocean  steamers  was  Christmas,  1863,  and  only  four  days  previous  to  that  time 
the  first  of  the  two  rebel  ciphers  was  translated  by  the  trio  of  War  Depart- 

640 


OPIIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

ment  cipher-operators,  and  the  assistant  secretary  of  war,  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Dana,  started  for  New  York  at  7:30  P.  M.  the  same  day  to  confer  with 
General  Dix,  and  before  the  date  set  for  the  seizure  of  the  ocean  vessels  the 
rebel  plotters  and  agents  had  been  spotted,  a  watch  set  upon  their  movements, 
and  within  a  week  they  had  all  been  arrested  and  millions  of  rebel  bonds  seized 
and  destroyed,  instead  of  being  used  in  England  and  France  to  help  pay  for 
the  rebel  ships  of  war  then  being  built  in  those  countries. 

The  history  of  these  two  rebel  ciphers  is  as  follows : 

They  were  each  enclosed  in  an  envelope  addressed  to  Alexander  Keith,  Jr., 
Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  and  were  mailed  from  New  York  City,  the  first  one  being 
dated  December  18,  1863,  and  the  second  one  four  days  later. 

United  States  Consul  Jackson,  at  Halifax,  had  previously  reported  that 
Keith  was  in  frequent  communication  with  rebel  blockade-runners  and  with 
rebel  agents  in  the  United  States.  The  mails  were  therefore  being  closely 
watched,  and  when  Abram  Wakeman,  postmaster,  discovered  the  envelope 
bearing  Keith's  address,  which  was  dropped  in  the  New  York  postoffice  on 
December  18,  he  promptly  sent  it  to  the  secretary  of  war,  who,  on  seeing  that 
the  inclosure  was  in  cipher,  turned  it  over  to  the  War  Department  clerks, 
who  vainly  puzzled  over  the  mysterious  signs  for  two  daj^s.  On  the  third  day 
the  important  document  was  turned  over  to  the  telegraph  department  and 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  trio,  who  set  to  work  with  a  determination  to  do 
what  the  War  Department  clerks  had  failed  in  doing. 

Horace  White,  now  editor  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post,  was  a  clerk  in 
the  War  Department  at  that  time,  and  may  have  tried  to  solve  the  puzzle. 

In  my  boyhood  days  I  was  for  a  short  period  employed  in  the  store  of 
John  Home  &  Co.,  Pittsburg,  and  as  one  of  their  cost  marks  was  based  upon 
the  thirteen  prime  characters  taken  from  the  two  geometrical  figures  shown  be- 
low, I  was  thus  able  to  discern,  perhaps,  more  readily  than  my  associates,  the 
slight  differences  between  the  several  characters  of  that  series. 

The  basis  or  foundation  referred  to  is  as  follows :  The  Arabic  numerals 
and  the  dollar  and  cent  mark  being  shown  in  their  respective  places : 


1 

2 

5  . 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

From  Harper's  Magazine.  From  Harper's  Magazine. 

Copyright,  1898,  by  Harper  &  Copyright,  1898,  by  Harper  & 

Brothers.  Brothers. 

By  placing  a  dot  in  each  of  the  thirteen  spaces  all  the  letters  of  the  alphabet 
can  be  represented  by  the  above  signs,  thus: 

641 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


»        3       •  • 

•  •  • 

«  •  • 


From  Harper's  Magazine. 

Copyright,  1898,  by  Harper  & 

Brotiiers. 


From  Harper's  Magazine. 

Copyright,  1898,  by  Harper  & 

Brothers. 


The  first  thirteen  letters  being  shown  without  the  dot,  and  the  other  thirteen 
with  the  dot.  The  close  resemblance  between  these  symbols  and  those  on  the 
Trinity  tombstone  will  be  readily  apparent. 

In  the  rebel  cipher  letter  the  two  words  "  before  this  "  are  represented 
by  signs  taken  from  the  series  last  above  shown,  and  as  the  letter  e  occurred 
twice,  we  followed  the  clew,  but  with  only  limited  success. 

Meantime  my  associates  had  found  other  clews,  there  being,  in  fact,  at 
least  ten  separate  and  distinct  series  of  cipher  characters  used  in  the  Keith 
letter.  Cammack,  however,  made  the  vital  mistake  of  confining  himself  to 
only  one  series  for  any  given  word.  Had  he  varied  the  series  of  symbols,  tak- 
ing the  characters  from  two  or  more  different  series  to  represent  a  given  word, 
the  result  of  our  efforts  might  have  been  far  different.  Together  we  labored 
for  hours,  at  first  with  only  a  few  detached  words  being  revealed,  but  little  by 
little  the  whole  letter  was  deciphered. 

The  following  is  an  exact  copy,  and  is  all  we  had  to  work  from : 


E^   13  — /-  r\  -u  S  ''f  5"-/  (±1  a 

V-KK    R.OI     ac^r-i-rw  ....  « 

\/  U,  D  tn 1    •(   > 

U  o  ••    p 

n  •><■  L->  ■ —  §  u.<Ac:  —  o  /-/.-/oai3--c3  -sFS 

-I  — K  "    n<- -^-^g.  c^o^  ^-T-.=  ^  ....  t, 

<s>i®>  ©>  <©>  ta  CO  -1^  -c3  c;><tg  ia>  4  Ju^scj  m  ///n$. 

^CjjVPy.^  ■m.Jf-e.  OIL  J  S.    'i  xyt^-uu  — | •• 

1  -H'    • K" 1-  3c  K>;  c^>LJM.■e>^^  oort  -^ 

— J. — J.  o   •  •    .  •     oo -.-(^    oo   •  • 

c:  n  V  >  a  :3  u  IT  3Z3  ><•  T] )  a  3  <•  3  c  •>  □ 

u>  urnn  y^u.y  Aarvvs  t.-i<>  d^d  a->^=} 
A>>c:n>  ^vr3    /u^cta, yrt^  T^^J  ^ ^ '" ^^^^ 
"^-^  -— ,—  ®95?  -P'r- S.^^  +  ~  ©/-^.tsl    :i:—-zz 
^  .|  —  ©  o    -—  ^  ^£ -i.  -—   ;•  =:  o  o  (f  —  o  o 
/TN -^.= -=—£—/>— ■as?  —  3nr<>nn 
<•  "i<  a  •>A'n  3  □>a'<  cQi<s>  c=s>  ,Gb  a=,  ci3-.<zi 

^  azn  asD  So  <S  <C 

=      -I     /7^ 

From  Harper's  Magazine.    Copyright,  1898,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

642 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

After  we  had  translated  these  hieroglyphics,  the  following  is  what 
appeared : 

N  Y  Dec  18  1863 
Hon  J  P  Benjamin  Secretary  of  State  Richmond  Va 

Willis  is  here  The  two  steamers  will  leave  here  about  Christmas  Lamar 
and  Bowers  left  here  via  Bermuda  two  weeks  ago  12000  rifled  muskets  came 
duly  to  hand  and  were  shipped  to  Halifax  as  instructed 

We  will  be  able  to  seize  the  other  two  steamers  as  per  programme  Trow- 
bridge has  followed  the  Presidents  orders  We  will  have  Briggs  under  arrest 
before  this  reaches  you  Cost  $2000  We  want  more  money  How  shall  we 
draw    Bills  are  forwarded  to  Slidell  and  rects  reed    Write  as  before 

(Signed)  J  H  C 

Two  days  after  we  had  interpreted  the  first  cipher  dispatch,  another  one, 
dated  December  22,  and  also  placed  in  an  envelope  bearing  Keith's  address, 
was  placed  before  us,  and  was  quickly  translated. 

This  communication  proved  to  be  of  almost  equal  importance,  referring, 
as  it  did,  to  the  fact  that  Confederate  notes  and  bonds  were  being  engraved 
and  printed  in  Ncav  York  City. 

The  second  cipher  was  prepared  in  the  same  way  as  the  first,  and  its 
translation  is  as  follows: 

New  York  Dec  22  1863 
Hon  Benj  H  Hill  Richmond  Va 

Dear  Sir — Say  to  Memminger  [Secretary  of  the  Treasury]  that  Hilton 
will  have  the  machines  all  finished  and  dies  all  cut  ready  for  shipping  by  the 
first  of  January  The  engraving  of  the  plates  is  superb 

They  will  be  shipped  via  Halifax  and  all  according  to  instructions 

The  main  part  of  the  work  has  been  under  the  immediate  supervision  of 
Hilton  who  will  act  in  good  faith  in  consequence  of  the  large  amount  he  has 
and  will  receive  The  work  is  beautifully  done  and  the  paper  is  superb  A 
part  has  been  shipped  and  balance  will  be  forwarded  in  a  few  days 

Send  some  one  to  Nassau  to  receive  and  take  the  machines  and  paper 
through  Florida  Write  me  at  Halifax  I  leave  first  week  in  January  Should 
Goodman  arrive  at  Nassau  please  send  word  by  your  agent  that  he  is  to  await 
further  instructions  Yours  truly 

(Signed)  J  H  C 

The  following  telegrams  to  the  War  Department,  during  the  week  fol- 
lowing Mr.  Dana's  visit  to  General  Dix,  will  show  that  no  time  was  lost  in 
hunting  up  the  rebel  gang  and  placing  them  under  arrest: 

New  York,  1  P.  M.,  December  29,  1863. 
Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War: 

I  have  this  morning  seen  evidence  which  affords  good  ground  for  the 
belief  that  the  United  States  *  *  *  here  is  probably  in  full  partnership 
with  the  rebel  operators  of  this  city.     From  long  personal  knowledge  of  the 

643 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

individual  I  have  no  doubt  he  is  perfectly  capable  of  such  treasonable  con- 
duct. 

C.  A.  Dana. 

New  York  City,  December  30,  1863. 
Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War: 

The  man  inside  the  bank  note  company  reports  that  the  work  is  not  being 
done  there.  He  says  they  are  capable  of  it,  and  informs  me  they  have  a  branch 
establishment  at  Montreal,  and  that  there  is  no  doubt  but  the  work  is  being  done 
there. 

Send  the  proper  person  to  Montreal  and  Rouse's  Point.  In  my  opinion 
the  plates  will  come  through  to  Albany  and  the  Western  Road  to  Boston,  and 
by  Cunard  steamer  to  Halifax. 

Robert  Murray,  U.  S.  Marshal. 

New  York,  5 :30  P.  M.,  December  31,  1863. 
Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War: 

I  have  arrested  Hilton,  and  his  partner  and  foreman,  and  secured  the 
plates  for  the  rebel  bonds,  also  5's,  lO's,  20's  and  50's  Confederate  notes. 

I  have  arrested  the  lithographer  and  printer,  and  taken  possession  of 
Hilton's  premises  and  the  lithographer's,  and  placed  a  guard  over  them  until 
the  evening,  and  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall  get  the  machinery  also. 

Robert  Murray,  U.  S.  Marshal. 

New  York,  January  1,  1864. 
E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War: 

I  secured  machinery  and  dies  this  morning  at  2  A.  M.,  together  with  sev- 
eral millions  of  dollars  in  bonds  and  notes  of  various  denominations.  I  am 
after  the  maker  of  the  machinery,  and  will  get  him.  From  an  intercepted 
letter  I  learn  that  Cammack  is  in  Havana. 

Robert  Murray,  U.  S.  Marshal. 

One  result  of  our  successful  work  in  unravelling  the  rebel  ciphers  was 
personal  In  its  character,  but  not  the  less  interesting  to  the  trio,  for  on  Christ- 
mas day  General  Eckert,  our  chief,  notified  us  that  the  secretary  of  war  had 
authorized  him  to  make  a  substantial  increase  in  our  salaries  from  December  1. 

Alexander  Keith,  Jr.,  the  man  to  whom  the  rebel  cipher  dispatches  were 
enclosed,  continued  to  act  as  rebel  agent  at  Halifax  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  then  disappeared  from  public  view,  only  to  turn  up  in  1875  as  Thomassen, 
who  was  blown  up  on  the  dock  at  Bremerhaven,  Germany,  by  an  infernal  ma- 
chine, which  had  been  placed  in  a  crate  or  box  of  merchandise  for  shipment 
to  the  United  States.  The  supposition  at  the  time  was  that  he  was  engaged 
in  the  nefarious  scheme  of  insuring  packages  of  little  value  shIpDed  on  trans- 
atlantic steamers,  and  one  of  which  at  least  on  each  steamer  contained  an  in- 
fernal machine,  set  to  operate  In  mid-ocean  and  sink  the  vessel  and  cargo, 

644 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Thomassen  then  collecting  his  insurance.  Not  long  before  his  tragic  death 
several  ocean  vessels,  including  the  "  Boston,"  had  sailed  from  port  never  to  be 
heard  from  again. 

My  associate  in  the  War  Department,  Mr.  Charles  A.  Tinker  was  or- 
dered to  Halifax  in  the  autumn  of  1864  to  watch  Keith's  doings,  and  from 
his  observations  it  was  generally  concluded  that  Keith  was  capable  of  any 
crime  in  the  calendar.  Mr.  Tinker  has  told  me  of  his  belief  in  the  identity 
of  Keith  and  Thomassen. 


645 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abbett,  Leon,  17 

Abbey,  Henry  E.,  11,  30,  69 

Abbott,  WiUard,  398 

Abom,  Miss,  252 

Adney,  Tappen,  448 

Alger,  R.  A.,  104 

Allaire,  Anthony  J.,  455 

Allen,  Theo.  F.,  30,  69 

Allison,  WilUam  B.,  33,  60,  166,  232,  253,  355, 

356 
Ambrose,  H.  T.,  240 

Amendment  to  Article  III  of  By-Laws,  350 
Andrews,  Wallace  C,  4,  14,  16,  30,  49,  56,  67, 

73,  87,  98,  218,  220,  247,  306 
Andrews,  Mrs.  Wallace  C,  40,  51,  219,  280, 

306 
Annual  entertainments,  date  for  celebration 

of,  49 
Annual  Meetings:     1886,  24;  1887,  47;  1888, 

73;  1889,  85;  1890,  96;  1891,  118;   1892, 

144;    1893,    162;    1894,    190;    1895,    220; 

1896,    237;    1897,    248;    1898,   282;    1899, 

307;    1900,    327;    1901,    347;    1902,    368; 

1903,  435;  1904,  488;  1905,  528. 
Annual  publications,  No.  I.,  422 
Applegate,  Charles  H.,  14,  30,  44,  68 
Applegate,  Francis   M.,   327,   347,   350,   366, 

367,  368,  398,  425,  426,  435,  448,  450,  487, 

488,  490,  512,  513,  514,  515,  516,  528 
"Appleseed,  Johnny,"  327 
Archbold,  John  D.,  75,  87,  102,  118,  120,  140, 

143,  145,  318,  222,  247,  251,  331,  356,  367, 

397,  450,  487,  488,  490,  528 
Arms,  C.  D.,  33 
Armstrong,  George  E.,  30,  67,  87,  188,  194, 

218,  220,  231,  236,  242,  248,  251,  280,  282, 

284,  306,  307,  327,  356,  368,  397 
Armstrong,  Mrs.  George  E.,  219,  306 
Armstrong,  P.  B.,  23,  30,  49,  87,  166,  218 
Army  and  Navy  Banquet.  449 
Ashlev,  James  M.,  17,  30,  116,  117,  119,  218 

236 
Atkinson,  W.  H.,  32 
Axline,  H.  H.,  231,  241 

Babcock,  Charles  H.,  194 
Badge  for  President's  wife,  306 
Baldwin,  Ernest  E.,  488 
Baldwin,  E.  F.,  489 
Baldwin,  William  W.,  331 
Banquet 

— Reception  and  dinner  to  Ladies  in  place 
of  Annual,  219 

— Committee  for  1906,  528 

—Eighth  Annual,  159  to  161 


— Eighteenth  Annual,  451  to  483 

—Eleventh  Annual,  240  to  245 

—First  Annual,  16  to  21 

—Fifth  Annual,  87  to  92 

—Fifteenth  Annual,  331  to  345 

—Fourth  Annual,  75  to  82 

— Fourteenth  Annual,  309  to  325 

— In  honor  of  Charles  W.  Fairbanks,  492 

— In  honor  of  John  Hay,  396 

— In  honor  of  George  K.  Nash,  331 

— ^In  honor  of  Peace   Commission,  284 

—In  honor  of  Whitelaw  Reid,  124,  125  to 

139 
—In  honor  of  William  L.  Strong,  189,  194 

to  218 
— In  honor  of  William  L.  Strong,  252 
— In  honor  of  William  McKinley,  309 
— In  honor  of  United  States  Senators,  355 
—Ninth  Annual,  163,  165  to  186 
—Nineteenth  Annual,  490,  492  to  511 
— Second  Annual,  and  ball,  40  to  43 
— Seventh  Annual,  121  to  123 
— Seventeenth  Annual,  396  to  421 
—Sixth  Annual,  102  to  108 
— Sixteenth  Annual,  355  to  364 
—Tenth  Annual,  231  to  235 
— Third  Annual,  55  to  66 
—Thirteenth  Annual,  284  to  305 
—Twelfth  Annual,  251,  252  to  270 

Bard,  Amos  A.,  44 

Barber,  A.  L.,  33 

Barney,  Charles  T.,  143 

Barber,  George,  311 

Barber,  Miss,  311 

Barrett,  John,  31 

Bartindale,  T.  H.,  356 

Bartlett,  Geo.  S.,  30 

Bates,  David  Homer,  145,  159,  162,  194,  218, 
220,  222,  236,  237,  240,  247,  248,  251,  280, 
282,  284,  306,  307,  308,  309,  310,  327,  331, 
347,  356,  367,  368,  395,  397,  425,  450,  488, 
489,  528 

Bates,  Mrs.  David  H.,  219,  252 

Bates,  David  H.,  Jr.,  166,  220,  222,  240,  247, 
251,  280,  283,  284,  306,  331,  356,  393 

Battleship  Ohio,  launching  of,  328 

Bealle,  Mrs.,  252 

Beaman,  C.  C,  159,  160 

Beard,  Daniel  C,  13,  30,  51,  102,  145,  165, 
23-2,  240,  283,  327 

Beard,  Henry,  30,  86 

Beard,  James  C,  13,  30 

Beard,  James  H.,  14,  22,  23,  30,  36,  37,  51, 
68,  148,  158,  159 

Beard,  J,  N.,  51 


649 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Beard,  T.  Frank,  13,  30 

Beard,  William  H.,  23,  30,  36,  51,  68 

Beardslee,  John  B.,  33 

Beasley,  A.  W.,  13,  30 

Beaton,  George  A.,  451,  494 

Beaton,  Ralph  H.,  452 

Beck,  James  M.,  331,  353,  356,  357,  364 

Beckwith,  N.  Mahlon,  13,  30,  187,  190 

Beckmth,  S.  R.,  162,  222 

Beebe,  A.  O.,  30,  69 

Beer,  Wm.  C,  450,  490,  528 

Beer,  Mrs.,  311 

Beer,  Miss,  311 

Bell,  Clark,  108 

Belmont,  August,  493 

Belt,  Washington,  8,  30,  44,  68 

Benedict,  R.  D.,  159 

Benner,  Mrs.  E.  I.,  311 

Bennett,  A.  L.,  87 

Bergen,  Tunis  G.,  311 

Bernard,  Mrs.  Alice,  22 

Beveridge,  Albert  J.,  355,  356,  357,  363 

Bidwell,  -Frederic  H.,  30 

Bierstadt,  Albert,  126 

Bigelow,  Mrs.  Mary  P.,  70 

Bishop,  Kirke  E.,  491 

Bishop,  R.  M.,  17,  20,  60 

Blair,  Charles  H.,  4,  7,  8,  69 

Blakewell,  Allan  C,  397 

Blanchard,  George  R.,  241 

Bliss,  Charles  F.,  73,  75,  102 

Bliss,  Cornelius  N.,  57,  80,  311 

Blymyer,  William  H.,  282,  307,  308,  310,  327, 
331,  425 

BljTnyer,  Mrs.  William  H.,  311 

Boardman,  Elijah  G.,  280,  283,  306 

Bodman,  E.  C,  96,  102,  117,  143,  188,  194, 
398 

Bodman,  E.  H.,  120 

Bonner,  Robert  E.,  126 

Bonnet,  Jacob  N.,  13,  30 

Bookwalter,  John  W.,  36 

Bostwick,  Charles  F.,  247 

Bostwick,  J.  A.,  30,  35,  40 

Bostwick,  W.  W.,  126 

Boynton,  E.  M.,  117 

Boynton,  George  R.,  117 

Boys  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  N.  Y.,  The,  by 
J.  C.  Zachos,  34 

Brackett,  John  Q.  A.,  89 

Brainard,  Frank,  13,  30,  253,  347 

Brainard,  Walter  H.,  13,  30 

Brewster,  S.  D.,  30,   68,   75,   102,   218 

Brice,  Calvin  S.,  4,  5,  9,  17,  30,  44,  54,  56,  57, 
66,  68,  70,  73,  85,  87,  88,  92,  100,  104, 
121,  122,  125,  140,  159,  166,  194,  219, 
222,  240,  241,  247,  251,  252,  284 

Brice,  Mrs.  Calvin  S.,  40,  70,  246,  280 

Brice,  Stewart  M.,  280 


Bristow,  B.  H.,  57,  126 

Brockway,  Horace  H.,  13,  75,  165,  194,  222,      • 

251,  284,  356,  366,  398,  435,  487,  494 
Bronson,  William  H.,  449,  450,  452 
Brown,  Addison,  311 

Brown,  C.  B.,  398 

Brown,  J.  Munroe,  23,  30,  68 

Brown,  Walston  H.,  30,  69,  75 

Brown,  WiUiam  L.,  11,  13,  14,  16,  30,  68, 121, 
125,  159,  194,  218,  222,  231,  240,  242, 
245,  247,  251,  280,  284,  306,  309,  331,  490 

Brown,  Mrs.  Wm.  L.,  306 

Bruce,  M.  Linn,  492,  494,  501 

Bruch,  Charles  P.,  30,  46,  49 

Bruch,  Edward  B.,  85,  87,  96,  97 

Brundrett,  H.  B.,  13,  30,  75,  194,  284,  356, 
395,  398,  451,  452,  488,  494,  528 

Bryant,  Stanley  A.,  30 

Buckeye  Tree,  The,  by  Cyrus  Butler,  35 

Buckeye  Tree,  by  W.  H.  Venable,  168 

Buckingham,  C.  L.,  32 

Buckingham,  Geo.,  30,  68 

Bunnell,  J.  H.,  44 

Burke,  C.  E.,  231,  241,  248,  331 

Burdick,  R.  E.,  241 

Burnett,  Henry  L.,  4,  8,  9,  11,  12,  13,  15,  16, 
21,  22,  23,  26,  28,  29,  30,  34,  35,  38,  40, 
43,  44,  47,  54,  55,  56,  68,  70,  73,  75,  84, 
85,  87,  92,  93,  98,  100,  102,  103,  108,-  116, 
117,  120,  121,  125,  139,  145,  155,  156,  159, 
163,  163,  165,  166,  188,  189,  190,  194,  195, 
196,  199,  204,  209,  214,  215,  217,  218,  219, 
220,  222,  231,  233,  236,  237,  239,  240,  241, 
242,  245,  248,  252,  253,  258,  262,  267,  268, 
270,  282,  283,  284,  306,  307,  309,  327,  329, 
331,  345,  350,  351,  356,  367,  368,  394,  395, 
397,  398,  443,  448,  450,  451,  488,  489,  490, 
493,  513,  514,  515,  516,  528 

Burnett,  Mrs.   Henry  L.,  40,  219,  242,   246, 

252,  280,  306,  311 

Burnett,  Peter  H.,  247,   280,  283,  306,  310, 

356,  494 
Busbey,  Hamilton,  30,  283 
Bushnell,  Asa  S.,  231,  233,  235,  239,  241,  242, 

247,  248,  285,  299,  448,  455 
Bushnell,  Martin,  327 
Butler,  Cyrus,  4,  5,  7,  8,  13,  14,  23,  30,  34,  35, 

36,  37,  44,  51,  54,  68,  75,  83,  85,  87,  96,  97 
Butler,  Francis  X.,  331,  347,  350,  366,  398, 

427,  446,  489,  490,  491,  528 
Butler,  Nicholas  Murray,  450,  452 
Butler,  Richard,  13,  30,'  36,  37,  126 
Butler,  Theron  R.,  28 
Butterworth,  Benjamin,  17 
By  Laws 
—Adopted,  13 
—Article  IH,  350 
—Article  VIII,  393 
Byrd,  Mrs.  S.  C,  311 


650 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Caldwell,  \Vm.  H.,  73,  84,  85,  140,  141,  163, 

165,  194,  240,  547,  251,  253,  280,  308,  327, 

331    398 
Campbell,  James  E.,  89,  105,  116,  122,  159, 

160,  232,  285,  301,  311,  322,  368,  369,  383, 

392,  449,  450,  452,  492 
Campbell,  T.  C,  222,  455 
Candler,  Flamen  Ball,  307,  310,  331,  347,  349, 

350,  398,  445,  448,  450,  487,  488 
Canfield,  James  Hulme,  427,  429 
Cannon,  Henry  W-,  126 
Card,  Henry  P.,  33 
Carnegie,  Andrew,  397,  492 
Carr,  Henry  L.,  283 
Carr,  Lovell  H.,  308 
Carr,  William  Collett,  240 
Carroll,  Ralph  W.,  236,  248,  282,  306 
Cartter,  Judge,  17 
Casement,  John  S.,  57 
Casino  dinner  and  Fall  of  Babylon,  44 
Cassini,  Count,  396,  397,  398,  406 
Cassatt,  A.  J.,  512 
Cassiday,  C.  P.,  13,  30 
Cecil,  John  R.,  28 

Celebration  at  Athens,  Committee  on,  446 
Celebration  at  Chillicothe,  394,  426 
Centennial  Celebration  at  Marietta,  46 
Centennial   Celebration   of   First   Settlement 

of  Ohio  Valley,  46,  55,  56 
Centennial   of   the   inauguration  of   George 

Washington,  73 
— Commissioners  from  Ohio,  to  84 
Chaffee,  Adna  R.,  449,  450,  451,  454,  483,  484 
Champney,  J.  Wells,  51 
Chance,  Mahlon,  4,  5,  7,  14,  15,  30,  35,  38,  39, 

44,  49,  52,  53,  68,  75,  85,  87,  95,  98,  102, 

116,  117,  155,  165,  166,  220,  222,  231,  237, 

240,  247,  251,  279,  280,  282,  283,  307,  308, 

310,  327,  328,  350,  352,  356,  368,  394,  397, 

455 
Chance,  Wade,  310,  331 
Chandler,  John  M.,  30,  67,  398,  446,  487,  489, 

528 
Chaplain :   Leonard,  W.  A.,  394,  489,  528 
Chapman,  Carlton,  445 
Chapman,  Carlton  T.,  453,  494,  528 
Chard,  James  Alfred,  247 
Chard,  Richard   J.,   188,  222,  236,   240,   248, 

251,  283,  284,  308,  309,  327,  331,  350,  356, 

446,  451,  516,  528 
Chard,  Mrs.  R.  J.,  352 
Charter  Members,  book  of.  66,  67 
Chase,  Salmon  P.,  28,  85,  219 
Childs,  E.  H.,  394,  398,  446,  489 
Childs,  George  W.,  125 
Chisholm,  Stewart,  366 
Choate,  Joseph  H.,  231.  234,  235 
Christy,  Howard  Chandler,  453,  489,  528 
Clark,'  George  K.,  Jr.,  69 
Clark,  Heman,  30,  68 


Clarke,  Louis  D.,  282,  284,  309,  328,  331, 
349,  350,  356,  367,  394,  397,  435,  446,  450, 
488 

Clarkson,  James  S.,  450,  452 

Clegg,  Charles  A.,  240,  284,  308,  398 

Clemens,  S.  L.,  104,  341 

Cleveland,  77,  92,  104 

Coghlan,  Joseph  B.,  493,  494,  510 

Collier,  Peter  F.,  239,  240,  251,  280,  282,  283, 
284,  306,  445 

Comly,  G.  S.,  30 

Conger,  A.  L.,  35 

Constitution,  5,  6,  7 
—Amended,  8,  446 

Convers,  E.  B.,  13,  30 

Converse,  J.  Stedman,  96,  166,  220,  222,  251 

Cooper,  John  L.,  89 

Cooper,  William  C,  33 

Corbin,  H.  C,  311,  427,  449,  450,  452,  483 

Cortelyou,  Geo.  B.,  348 

Corwine,  Quinton,  30,  68,  222,  240,  253 

Cox,  Jacob  D.,  23 

Cox,  S.  S.,  17,   28,  48,   77,   84,   85,   86 

Coxe,  A.  C,  231 

Crawford,  J.  J.,  398 

Crall,  Howard  Elmer,  280,  306,  366 

Crall,  Leander  H.,  22,  30,  44,  46,  49,  54,  56, 
66,  67,  73,  84,  85,  96,  118,  124,  125,  139, 
144,  145,  159,  162,  163,  166,  188,  189,  190, 
194,  218,  219,  220,  222,  231,  236,  238,  248, 
250,  251,  270,  280,  282,  283,  284,  307,  309, 
327,  331,  345,  346,  347,  348,  349,  350,  351, 
356,  366,  367,  397,  435,  446,  447,  448,  450, 
487,  488,  489,  490,  513,  514,  515,  516,  528 

Crall,  Mrs.  L.  H.,  219 

Cravath,  Paul  D.,  253,  356,  367,  398 

Crawford,  John  J.,  347,  356 

Crimmins,  John  D.,  159,  166,  331 

Critten,  De  Frees,  165,  218,  280,  306,  310, 
331,  356 

Critten,  Mrs.  De  Frees,  311 

Critten,    T.    D.,    32,    102 

Cullen,  Edgar  M.,  450,  452 

Curtis,  Geo'rge  Wm.,  139 

Curtis,  William  E.,  528 

Gushing,  Mrs.  E.  T.,  311 

d'Absac,  Paul,  126,  127 

Dale,  T.  D.,  33 

Dana,  Charles  A.,  57,  125 

Darling,  Charles  H.,  449,  450,  452 

Daughters  of  Ohio.  352 

Davies,  Julien  T.,  311 

Davis,  James    Sherlock,   349,   350,   394,   398, 

446 
Davis,  Noah,  126 
Dawes,  E.  C,  33 
Dawes,  Charles  G.,  312 
Day,  William  R.,  284,  285,  484 
Day,  Wilson,  231 


651 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Dayton,  L.  M.,  33,  115 

Dean,  Charles  F.,  253,  284 

de  Aspiroz,  Senor,  396,  397,  398 

Delamater,  Jehiel,  30 

de  Margerie,  Pierre,  396,  397,  398 

De  Milt,  H.  R.,  222,  253 

Depew,  Chauncey  M.,  57,  87,  88,  90,  92,  104, 

126,  131,  132,  194,  396,  397,  406,  415,  450, 

452 
Deshon,  Charles  A.,  166 
des  Planches,  Signor  Edmondo  Mayor,  396, 

397,  398 
De  Witt,  Henrv  R.,  32 
Dick,  Charles  F.,  309,  311,  450,  455,  486 
Dickson,  John,  29,  30,  38,  47,  54,  55,  69,  87, 

Q6,  145 
Dillon,  John  F.,  126 
Diplomats'  Banquet,  396 
Dodge,  Grenville  M.,  450,  452 
Dolph,  J.  H.,  51 
Donaldson,  Andrew,  13,  30 
Doren,  D.,  30 
Douglas,  Howard,  36 
Douthirt,  Walstein  F.,  327 
Dover,  Elmer,  528 
Dowler,  Frank  N.,  327 
Doyle,  Alexander,  70,  87,  97,   102,  117,  165, 

308,  327,  350 
Doyle,  George,  30,  70 
Drake,  E.  L.,  484 

Duncan,  William  Butler,  397,  450,- 452,  492 
Dunham,  Sturges  Siegler,  446,  489,  490,  491 
Dunham,  Sumner  T.,  70 

Eckert,  Thos.  T.,  17,  30,  68,  126,  219 

Eckert,  T.  T.,  Jr.,  30,  68,  93 

Eckert,  William  H.,     29,  30,  44,  69,  70,  162, 

218,  220,  236,  248 
Edgerton,  David  M.,  68 
Edison,  Thomas  A.,  87,  96,  98,  140,  310 
Edson,  Franklin,  126 
Edwards,  J.  M.,  30,  68 
Ehlers,  Henry  C,  28 
Elections 
— Preliminary  organization,  5 
— Permanent  organization,  8,  9 
—1886,   29;    1887,  47;   1888,   73;   1889,  87 
1890,  101;  1891,  120;  1892,  145;  1893, 
162;   1894,  190;   1895,  220;   1896,  239 
1897,  250;  1898,  282;  1899,  307;  1900, 
327;   1901,  348;   1902,  369;   1903,  435 
1904,  489;  1905,  528 
Eliot,  Samuel  A.,  241,  242,  243 
Elkins,  Stephen  B.,  9,  11,  12,  17,  29,  30,  57, 
68,  75,  88,  103,  103,  122,  126,  130,   131, 
194,  355,  356,  492 
Elkins,  Mrs.  Stephen  B.,  40,  70 
Ellis,  John  W.,  30,  75,  140 
Ells,  Warner,   222,   308,  310,   331,   346,  350, 
356,  367,  394,  398,  451,  489,  528 


Emerson,  N.  W.,  13,  30 

Enos,  H.  K.,  30,  46,  54,  68,  96,  102 

Evans,  Elmer  O.,  427 

Evans,  H.  Clay,  311 

Evans,  Mason,  451,  452 

Ewing,  Hampton,  426 

Ewing,  Miss,  44,  51,  70 

Ewing,  Thomas,  3,  4,  8,  9,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15, 
16,  17,  19,  22,  23,  29,  30,  35,  39,  40,  41, 
43,  44,  46,  49,  54,  56,  57,  68,  73,  75,  84, 
87,  88,  89,  92,  98,  100,  104,  117,  119,  121, 
125,  126,  140,  151,  159,  163,  165,  166,  189, 
190,  194,  222 

Ewing,  Mrs.  Thomas,  40,  219,  280 

Ewing,  Thomas,  Jr.,  44,  145,  157,  165,  166, 
218,  219,  222,  240,  248,  284,  306,  307,  310, 
347,  356,  367,  368,  369,  380,  394,  397,  398, 
426,  435,  446,  450,  487,  488,  490,  491,  513, 
514,  515,  516,  528 

Ewing,  Mrs.  Thomas,  Jr.,  219,  331,  367 

Fairbanks,  Charles  W.,  32,  355,  356,  357,  362, 

363,  490,  492,  493,  494,  497 
Faunce,  W.  H.  P.,  356,  357 
Fawcett,  J.  C.,  32 
Field,  Henry  M.,  126 
pisher,  Frank  L.,   165 
Fitch,  Mrs.  E.  H.,  311 
Fitch,   Winchester,   350,   356,  393,   398,   422, 

446,  451,  452,  489,  491,  494,  528 
Fitch,  Mrs.  Winchester,  311 
Flagg,  Jared  B.,  36,  37 
Fleishman,  Max,  30,   68 
Flischman,  Julius,  285 
Fogg,  William  Perry,  4,  5,  7,  8,  12,  13,  14, 

16,  22,  29,  31,  34,  35,  44,  46,  52,  53,  66, 

67,  68,  75,  190,  351,  446,  447,  448,  452 
FoUett,  Austin  W.,  31,  44,  46,  68,  87,  194 
FoUett,   Edgar   A.,   166,   188,  218,  220,  240, 

248,  253 
FoUett,   George,   8,   12,   29,   31,   44,   68,   162, 

165,  222,   327,  366,  488 
Foote,  E.  B.,  239 
Foraker,   Joseph    B.,   56,   59,   232,   350,   351, 

353,  353,  354,  355,  356,  357,  359,  451 
Force,  Manning  F.,  23 
Ford,  George,  33 
Fordyce,  John  A.,  240,  310 
Foss,"  George   Edmund,   449,   450,   451,   453, 

471,  474 
Foster,   Charles,   17,   33,   125,   129,   130,   160, 

231,  448,  455 
Foster,  Marion,  35 
Foundation    Principles,   3 
Foye,    Andrew    Ernest,    247,    280,    283,   306, 

307,    308,    310,    337,    331,   350,    356,    358, 

367,  398,  421,  451,  489,  491,  494,  528 
Foy^,  Andrew  J.  C,  4,  5,  9,  12,  13,  29,  31, 

35,  38,  40,  44,  47,  49,  53,  53,  54,  55,  56, 

69,  70,  75,  87,  96,  103,  119,  120,  121,  125, 


652 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Foy^,  Andrew  J.  C.  {Cont.) 

139,  147,  148,  159,  16:;-',  163,  165,  166, 
187,  188,  189,  194,  218,  219,  220,  222, 
231,   236,   240,   242,   247,   248,   251,   280, 

282,  284,  308,  309,  327,  328,  331,  345, 
347,  349,  350,  351,  356,  365,  367,  393, 
395,  397,  421,  436,  445,  448,  450,  488, 
489,  490,  491,  513,  514,  516 

Foy6,  Mrs.  A.  J.  C,  36,  219,  242,  252,  280, 

311    352 
Foye,  Frank  M.,  31,  68,  194 
French,  H.  L.,  102 
French,  Hamlin  Q.,  31,  331 
French,  J.  E.,  368,  398 
Frye,  Wm.  P.,  285 
Funk,  Isaac  K.,  11,  31,  68 
Fulton,  Robert  M.,  491 
Funston,  Fred.,  307 

Galbreath,  Mrs.  C.  C,  51 

Galloway,  Tod  B.,  490 

Card,  Anson  A.,  70 

Gard,  Mrs.  Anson  A.,  70 

Gardon,  Hugh  R.,  123 

Garfield,  James  A.,  87,  310 

Garfield,  Mrs.  Lucretia  R.,  36 

Gavnor,  Philip  B.,  494 

Geddes,  George  W.,  33 

Gilbert,  Cass,  347,  350,  398,  451,  489 

Gillett,  Benjamin  W.,  31,  68 

Gillett,  Francis  M.,  31,  68,  102 

Gillett,  Jerome  D.,  9,  12,  44,  46,  68,  188,  307 

Gillett,  M.  G.,  31 

Gillett,  Morillo  H.,  31,  68,  86 

Gillett,  IMiss,  51 

Gilmore,  Addison  W.,  310,  327,  366,  393, 
398,  445,  491 

Glassford,  Henry  A.,  9,  31,  44,  46,  49,  52, 
56,  67,  73,  85,  86,  88,  102,  108,  117,  121, 
125,   159,    165,   194,   218,   222,   240,   251, 

283,  308 
Goddard,  Calvin,  31 
Goddard,  Colin,  44 
Goff,  John  W.,  194,  195 
Goodrich,  B.  F.,  33 
Gordon,  Alexander,  241 
Gordon,  James  Lindsay,  331,  345 
Gorham,  A.  S.,  31,  68, '489 
Governing  Committee,  29,  47 
Governing  Committee,  Chairmen  of 

—1886,  Burnett,  H.  L.,  12 
—1886,  Burnett,  H.  L.,  29 
—1887,  Burnett,  H.  L.,  47 
—1888,  Dickson,  John,  69 
—1888,  Glassford,  H.  A.,  75 
—1889,  Packard,  S.  S.,  87 
—1890,  Packard,  S.  S.,  102 
—1891,  Archbold,  J.  D.,  120 
—1892,  Fove,  A.  J.  C,  144 
—1893,  Bates,  D.  H.,  218 


—1894,  Bates,  D.  H.,  218 

—1895,  Bates,  D.  H.,  222 

—1896,  Palmer,  Lowell  M.,  240 

—1896,  Chard,  R.  J.,  240 

—1897,  Higley,  Warren,  282 

—1898,  Hoyt,  Colgate,  283 

—1899,  Ewing,  Thomas,  308 

—1900,  Clarke,  L.  D.,  328 

—1901,  Francis  B.  Stedman,  349 

—1902,  Newcomb,  James  G.,  393 

—1903,  Candler,  Flamen  Bell,  445 

—1904,  Foye,  A.  E.,  489 

—1905,  Hagar,  A.  F.,  528 
Granger,  George  F.,  452 
Granger,  John  T.,  31,  68,  87,  102,  283,  307, 

398,  488 
Granger,  Sherman  M.,  306 
Grant,  Fred  D.,  36,  492 
Grant,  Mrs.  Fred  D.,  36 
Grant,  Harry  C,  280 
Grant,  U.  S.,  87,  89,  140,  310,  491 
Gray,  D.  S.,  528 
Gray,  George,  285,  287 
Green,  Miss,  40 

Green,  Albert  W.,  4,  28,  31,  35,  68,  102,  166 
Green,  Edmn  M.,  31,  69 
Griffith,  G.  F.,  32 
Griswold,  A.  Minor,  78,  89 
Grosvenor,  Chas.  H.,  17,  56,  60,  77,  79,  241, 

242,  356 
Grojean,  J.  H.,  31 
Groves,  Mrs.  Russell,  311 
Guilford,  Nathan,  222 
Guiteau,  John  M.,  39,  44,  52,  53,  75,  87,  102, 

108,  115,  117,  121,  220 
Guy,  S.  J.,  36,  37 

Hagar,   Albert   F.,   308,  310,   327,   330,   331, 

347,   348,   349,   356,   367,   368,   397,   488, 

489,  528 
Hain,  Isaiah,  31 
Hale,  Harvey  W.,  33 
Hall,  Philander  D.,  31,  68 
Halstead,  Marshall,  46,  49,  70 
Halstead,  Murat,  17,  104,  123,  126,  240 
Halstead,  Mrs.  Murat,  219 
Hammond,  D.  S.,  31 
Hanford,  R.  G.,   13,  31 
Hanna,   Marcus   A.,  33,   285,   309,   311,   350, 

352,   353,   354,   355,   356,   357,   360,   361, 

396,  397,  413,  451,  455,  484 
Hanover,  M.  D.,  31,  67 
Harbaugh,  David  F.,  4,  5,  7,  8,  14,  31,  68, 

70,  218,  240,  247 
Harding,  Warren  G.,  493,  494,  503 
Harman,  George  V.,  31,  68 
Harman,  Granville  W.,  31,  68 
Harman,  John  H.,  54 
Harman,  John  W.,  4,  7,   13,  22,  23,  31,  68, 

70,  85,  88,  118,  140,  141,  455 


653 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Harman,  Miss,  51 

Harmon,  E.  M.,  25:2 

Harmon,  Judson,  231,  252,  253,  262 

Harper,  William  R.,  285 

Harraman,  Curtis  G.,  102,  121,  125,  159, 
162,  163,  165,  189,  218,  219,  222 

Harriman,  E.  H.,  492 

Harrison,  Benjamin,  17,  20,  60,  77,  87,  103, 
116,  129,  231,  310,  349,  491 

Harrison,  Robert  L.,  450,  452 

Harrison,  Russell  B.,  126 

Harrison,  William  Henry,  19,  87,  103,  310 

Hart,  Thomas  N.,  89 

Harter,  Michael  D.,  123,  159,  160 

Haskins,  Roy  H.,  528 

Hatton,  Frank,  17,  139 

Hawk,  Samuel,  28 

Hawk,  William  S.,  9,  31,  68,  73,  163,  166, 
189,  194,  218,  222,  247,  251,  284,  310, 
311,  327,  331,  356,  365,  367,  393,  398, 
399,  421,  484,  490,  492,  512,  516,  528 

Hawk,  William  L.,  308 

HawleA%  Joseph  R.,  139,  241,  242 

Hay,  John,  139,  331,  349,  351,  352,  353,  354, 
368,  396,  397,  398,  399,  400,  403,  407,  516 

Hayes,  Arthur  S.,  280 

Hayes,  Charles  G.,  284 

Hayes,  George  S.,  327,  346 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B.,  14,  21,  56,  77,  87, 
146,  491 

Hayes,  Scott  R.,  494 

Hayes,  Webb  C,  352 

Hazen,  Roland,  451,  489,  490,  491,  528 

Hazen,  W.  B.,  17 

Heaton,  William  W.,  31,  69,  75 

Hedges,  Charles,  356 

Herbert,  Sir  Michael  H.,  396,  397,  39S 

Herrick,  Myron  T.,  439,  440,  445,  447,  449, 
450,  451,  452,  454,  480,  486,  512 

Hewitt,  Abram  S.,  60,  253 

Hewson,  J.  H.,  68,  283 

Hibbard,  Georee  B.,  70,  87,  162,  188,  236 

Hibben,  J.  H.,  31 

Higley,  Warren,  4,  5,  22,  23,  31,  35,  39,  40, 
44,  46,  49,  51,  54,  56,  59,  60,  68,  69,  70, 
73,  85,  88,  92,  96,  100,  104,  108,  117, 
121,  125,  144,  146,  156,  162,  163,  165, 
166,  168,  187,  189,  194,  218,  219,  222, 
240,  245,  247,  251,  270,  280,  281,  282, 
283,  284,  306,  307,  308,  309,  325,  327, 
329,  331,  345,  346,  347,  349,  350,  352, 
356,  365,  367,  368,  393,  394,  395,  397, 
398,  427,  446,  448,  450,  451,  487,  488, 
489,  490,  493,  494,  513,  514,  515,  516, 
528 

Higley,  Mrs.  Warren,  51,  219,  306,  311,  352 

Hill,  David  J.,  397 

Hill,  David  B.,  60 

Hilles,  Charles  D.,  398,  446,  451,  487,  489, 
491,   494,   516 


Hine,  C.  C,  31,  68 

Hiscock,  Frank,  139 

Historian 

—Kennedy,  J.  H.,  394,  489,  528 

History  of  the  Society,  Committee  on,  448 

Hoadley,  George,  17,  36,  38,  44,  46,  57,  70, 
75,  85,  92,  100,  251 

Hoadley,  Mrs.  George,  36,  40,  70 

Hoadley,  Miss,  70 

Hoagland,  E.  W.,  75 

Hoagland,  C.  N.,  96,  102,  118,  140,  141, 
143,  242,  347 

Hoagland,  Miss  Ella  J.,  347 

Hoagland,  J.  C,  248 

Hoar,  George  F.,  123,  219,  231 

Hobbs,  H.  H.,  87,  118,  194 

Hoffer,  W.  H.,  68 

Hoffer,  William  M.,  28,  31,  165 

Holbrook,   Mrs.   51 

Hollowav,  J.  F.,  73,  83,  85,  96,  98,  117,  157, 
218,'  220 

Holmes,  AV.  L.,  285 

Holt,  George  C,  493 

Hopkins,  Allison  R.,  247 

Hopkins,  Mrs.  Allison  R.,  219 

Hopkins,  L.  C,  31,  46,  145,  163,  166,  189, 
194,  218,  219,  222,  247,  251,  307,  455 

House  Committee:  1886,  21;  1887,  34;  1887, 
47;  1888,  75;  1889,  87;  1890,  102;  1891, 
120;  1892,  note  p.  145;  1893,  165;  1894, 
— ;  1895,  222;  1896,  240;  1897,  — ;  1898, 
— ;  1899,  308;  1900,  328;  1901,  349;  1902, 
393;   1903,  445;   1904,  489;   1905,  528 

Houston,  A.  D.,  248,  310,  327,  347 

Houston,  Mrs.  A.  D.,  311 

Howard,  James  Q.,  4,  5,  7,  14,  15,  21,  22, 
23,  31,  44,  54,  68,  75 

Howard,  Mrs.  J.  Q.,  36 

Howard,  O.  O.,  82 

Howells,  William  D.,  17,  32 

Howes,  Mrs.  George,  311 

Howlett,  Giles  N.,  28,  31,  68 

Hoyt,  Misses,  366 

Hoyt,  Colgate,  31,  44,  68,  75,  236,  240,  247, 
251,  282,  284,  306,  307,  308,  309,  337, 
331,  345,  347,  348,  349,  350,  351,  353, 
354,  355,  356,  357,  358,  359,  360,  362, 
363,  364,  365,  366,  368,  374,  380,  383, 
392,  393,  394,  396,  397,  398,  399,  401, 
406,  407,  412,  415,  420,  422,  424,  426, 
427,  436,  446,  447,  450,  484,  488,  489, 
490,   492,   513,   514,   515,   516,   428 

Hovt,  Mrs.  Colgate,  242 

Hoyt,  James  H.,  231,  235,  241,  244,  251, 
253,  263,  311,  318,  349,  396,  397,  407, 
441,   450,   486,   490,   528 

Hoyt,  Mrs.  James  H.,  242 

Hovt,  Miss  Jessie,  311 

Hoyt,  Wavland,  492 

Hubbard,  Thomas  H.,  312,  450,  452,  492 


654 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Hubbv,  Frank  W.,  Jr.,  451,  528 
Hunt,'  John  L.  N.,  31,  68 
Hlinter,   William,  23,  31,   68 
Hurd,   Frank,   166 
Hutchins,  Miss,  51 
Hutchinson,   Grote,  427 

Inauguration  of  Myron  T.  Herrick,  447 
Incorporated,  54 
Informal   Dinner,   117 
Ingalls,  MelviUe  E.,  528 

Jackson,  Milton  P.,  489,  490,  491 

Jackson,  William  H.,  451,  452 

James,  Charles  F.,  285 

Jefferson,  Charles  E.,  492,  493,  494 

Jenkins,  V.  Clement,  489 

Jennings,  A.,  28 

Jennings,  J.  AV.,  307 

Jennings,  P.  S.,  31,  68,  240,  284,  398,  494 

Jennings,  W.  H.,  283,  306 

Jewett,  Hugh  J.,  4,  8,  31,  67 

Jewett,  W.  K.,  31,  68 

Johnson,   S.   E.,  366 

Jones,  B.  ^.,  17,  57 

Jones,  John  P.,  17,  33,  60,  355,  356,  426 

Jones,  William,  21 

Juilllard,  Augustus  D.,  9,  28,  31,  68,  73,  86, 
140,  143,  145,  159,  219,  220,  231,  236, 
240,   241,   248,   251,   282,   347,   398,   450 

Julies,  H.  S.,  356,  368,  397 

Keifer,  Warren  J.,  250 

Kennedj%  James  H.,  356,  366,  367,  368,  369, 

371,   394,   395,   398,   422,   424,   446,   447, 

452,  490,   528 
Kennedy,   R.  F.,  60 
Kidd,  George  W^,  32 
Kilbourne,  James,  528 
King,  Thomas  S.,  31,  68 
Kingsbury,   F.   H.,   188,   194,   220,   222,   236, 

248,  *309,   455 
Kincsley,  H.  L.,  241 
Kimball,  R.  C,   13,  14,  23,  31,  68,   166 
Kimball,  William  C,  33 
Kniselv,  William,  31,  68 
Knox,  "p.  C,  353,  355,  356,  359 
Krans,  Edwin  H.,  312 
Kurtz,  C.   L.,  285 

Ladies,   Entertainments   for,   34,  35,  37,  49, 

70,  162,  187,  246,  280,  306,  329,  345,  366, 

425,  448,  491 
Ladies'  Ohio  Society,  347 
Lahm,  Frank  M.,  31,  68 
Lake,  Carson,  4,  7,  8,  12,  13,  14,  15,  31,  35, 

36,  37,  44,  49,  52,  53,  54,  56,  60,  68,  75,  85 
Lake,  Mrs.  Carson,  70 
Landis,  Charles  B.,  449,  450,  452,  454,  474, 

483,  528 


Langstreet,  Mrs.  John  H.,  311 
Larocque,  Joseph,  194,  195,  216 
Lauer,  E.,  31 

Lawrence,  Frank  R.,  125,  138 
Lawson,  D.  T.,  13,  31 
Laying,  J.  D.,  435 
Leavitt,  John  B.,  13,  31 

Lee,   Homer,  4,   7,  8,  9,   12,   13,   14,   17,  21, 
25,   27,   28,    29,   31,   33,   35,   36,   37,   40, 
44,   46,    49,    54,    56,    67,    70,    75,    87,    89. 
92,    101,    102,    104,    117,    120,    121,    125, 
147,    159,    163,    166,    189,    190,    194,   218, 
219,   222,   231,   240,   242,   245,   251,   253, 
284 
Lee,  Mrs.  Homer,  219,  242,  252 
Lee,  Joseph,  421 
Lee,  John  Lloyd,  349 
Lee,  W.  D.,  31 

Lefler,  Charles  W.,  307,  425,  426,   446,  452 
Le  Fevre,  Benjamin,  54,  87 
Leland,  Warren  F.,  247 
Leonard,  Wm.   A.,  394,  397,  401,   422,   446, 

490,  528 
Letters  and  Telegrams  received 

—Allison,  W.  B.,  232 

—Burnett,  H.  L.,  54 

— Bushnell,  Asa  S.,  235,  248 

— Campbell,  James  E.,  89,  116 

— Clemens,  Samuel  L.,  341 

— Cortelyou,  George  B.,  348 

—Cox,  S.  S.,  17,  77 

—Dick,  Charles  F.,  455 

— Fogg,  William  Perry,  67 

— Foraker,  Joseph  B.,  59,  232,  354 

— Hay,  John,  354 

— Hayes,   Rutherford   B.,   77 

—Hoar,  George  F.,  123 

— Hoyt,  Colgate,  456 

— Hoyt  and  McCook,  447 

— Hanna,  Marcus  A.,  354 

—Mark  Twain,  341 

— McKinley,    William,    by    John    Addison 
Porter,  251 

—McKinley,  William,  232 

—Morton,  Levi  P.,  139 

— Mosley,  John  B.,  92 

— Parkhurst,  C.  H.,  214 

— Patenotre,  139 

— Rosecrans,  W.  S.,  77 

— Reid,  Whitelaw,  89 

— Schenck,  77 

— Sherman,  John,  59,  89 

— Upson,  William  Ford,  69 
Lewis,  S.  C,  166 
Lexow,  Clarence,  194 
Linn,  Andrew,  327,  350 
Lloyd,  William  S.,  31,  69 
Loeb,  Solomon,  143 
Long,  J.  A.,  33 
Long  Lost  Son  of  Ohio,  422 


655 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Longworth,  Nicholas,  450,  452 

Loomis,  Francis  B.,  397 

Loud,  Enos  B.,  33 

Lounsbury,  105 

Loveland,  Frank  C,  32,  44,  70,   75,  85,  87, 

102,    165,   218,   222,   240,   247,   251,   280, 

306,   308 
Loveland,  Mrs.  Frank  C,  70 
Loving  Cup  presented  to  L.  H.  CraU,  366 
Low,  Seth,  194,  195,  200,  353,  356,  358,  397 
Lowes,  J.  E.,  285 
Lozier,  H.   A.,  455 
Lyall,  WiUiam,  252 
Lyman,  Henry  D.,  368,  398,  451,  528 
Lynn,  Andrew,  356 

MacCracken,  Henry  M.,  102,  140,   143,   144, 

159,  161,  190,  252,  488,  489 
Mack,  Isaac  Foster,  528 
Mackev,  Charles  W.,  252 
Magrath,   C.   D.,  451 
Manderson,  Charles  F.,  166 
Mather,  Samuel,  331,  345,  356,  367,  397,  393, 

486,  490,  528 

Matthews,  Frederic  L.,  446,  489 

Matthews,  Stanley,  14,  33 

Maxwell,  Sidney  D.,  117 

Mayo,  Wallace,  8,  31,  68 

McBride,  John  H.,  33 

McCall,  John  A.,  126 

McCall,  Mrs.  John  A.,  311 

McClure,  Alexander  K.,  126,  135 

McCook,  Mrs.  Anson  G.,  40,  240,  242,  306, 
331 

McCook,  John  J.,  126,  222,  251,  284,  331, 
347,  356,  367,  392,  397,  435,  436,  437, 
439,  441,  443,  445,  447,  449,  450,  451, 
453,   454,    470,    474,    479,    483,   484,   486, 

487,  488,  489,  490,  491,  492,  494,  496, 
499,  501,  503,  507,  509,  510,  511,  512, 
513,  514,  515,  516,  528 

McCracken,  W.  V.,  31,  68,  70 

McDonald,  Joseph,  E.,  17 

McFadden,  F.  T.,  13,  31 

McFall,  Gaylord,  13,  31 

McGill,  George  W.,  31 

McGufFey,  Edward  M.,  31 

McKelway,  St.  Clair,  126,  138,  194,  195,  205 

McKinley,  Abner,  251,  282,  284 

McKinley,  Mrs.  Abner,  311 

McKinley,  Miss  Mabel,  311 

McKinley,  William,  17,  122,  160,  166,  170, 
187,  188,  194,  217,  231,  232,  236,  251, 
286,  309,  310,  311,  313,  323,  325,  345, 
346,   348,   349,   491 

McKinley,  Mrs.  Wm.,  311,  348 

McKinney,  R.  C,  241,  285 

McKisson,  Robert  E.,  231 


McLean,  George  P.,  331,  344 

McLean,  John  R.,  60 

McMahon,   Fulton,    194,   218 

McMUlan,  Emerson,  247,  251,  309,  327,  331, 

350,   395,   487,   488,   490,   516,   528 
McMillan,   Samuel,   220,   222,   240,   248,  253, 

306,   331,  345 
McMillan,  Mrs.,  252 
McPherson,  James  B.,  87 
Means,  William,  33 
Members 

— First  official  election  of,  13 
—List  of,  to  April,  1886,  30 
Membership   Committee,   first   appointed   by 

President,  446 
Membership 
— Letter   to   members   regarding    Ohioans 

eligible  to,  351 
— Letter  to  those  eligible  to,  161 
— Reception  to  Ohioans  eligible  to,  484 
Merriam,  William  R.,  194 
Merritt,  Wesley,  284,  285,  301 
Merser,  E.  P.,  327 
Merser,  I.  Pennock,  455 
Miles,  Nelson  A.,  194,  356 
Miller,  Gus  M.,  31,  68 
Miller,  J.  W.,  31 

Miller,  Marion  M.,  163.  163,  165,  188,  189 
Miller,  Warner,  125,  138 
Mills,  D.  O.,  125 
Mills,  Mrs.  D.  O.,  126 
Mihnine,  C.   E.,  87,   102 
Milmine,  George,  49,  56,  73,  85,  87,  95,  104, 

117,   222,   241 
Miner,  Karl  R.,  528 
Mitchell,  John  Q.,  15,  22.  23,  29,  31,  35,  44, 

46,  49,  54,  56.  67,   70,  75,  218,  232,  240 
Monahan,  John  W.,  165 
Monett,  Henrv.  31,  46,  67 
Monsarrat,   Nicholas,  451,  490,   528 
Moonev,  Robert  Johnstone.  445,  489,  528 
Moore,'  Carv  W.,  31,  44,  69,  70,  75,  87,  96, 

222,  240,  280 
Moore,  Mrs.  Carv  W.,  70 
Moore,  Charles  A.,  347,  356,  450,  494 
Moore,  John  B.,  285 
Moore,  John  P.,  352 
Moore,  Lycurgus  B.,  13,  31 
Morgan,  Henry  M.,  32 
Morgan,  J.  P.,'  397 
Morgan,   RoUin  M.,  284,  306,  308,  309,  328, 

331,  356 
Morris,  Charles  W.,  236,  282,  327,  347,  367, 

435,  487 
Morrison,  George  A.,  166 
Morrison,    Leonard    D.,   282,    284,    306,   307, 

327,   331,   350,   356,   367,   393,   395,   398, 

445,   451,   452,   487,   488,   489,   494,   515, 

516 


656 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Morse,  H.  J.,  75,  451,  i52,  494,  516 

Morse,  Theodore  G.,  31 

Morton,  Levi  P.,  17,  139,  311 

Mosby,  John  B.,  92 

Moss,  Jay  O.,  4,  31,  49,  56,  75,  398,  450 

Moulton,  Charles  W.,  3,  4,  5,  7,  8,  9,  !•?,  13, 
14,  15,  21,  22,  25,  29,  31,  33,  35,  39,  40, 
44,  46,  52,  53,  67,  163,  189,  190 

Moulton,  Mrs.  C.  W.,  36,  39,  40 

Moulton,  J.  S.,  87 

Moulton,  Sherman,  44,  69 

Munson,  William  S.,  13,  31 

Munroe,  Robert  |F.,  356 

Musical  Program,  37,  50,  71,  247,  325,  329, 
330,  365,  425,  450 

Nash,   George   K.,   311,   321,   331,   343,   349, 

352,  369,  374,  375,  397 
Newberry,  J.  S.,  13,  31 
Newcomb,  James  G.,  253,  280,  283,  284,  310, 

327,   331,   350,   356,   393,   427,   435,   446, 

450,   489,    490,    516,    528 
Nevv^on,  Ensign,  31,  69 

New  York  University  subscription  fund,  141 
Nichol,  Thomas  M., '31 
Nicholas,  Frederic  M.,  446 
Niehaus,  Charles  H.,  306,  308,  327,  350,  393, 

445,  447,  452,  453 
Noble,  John  W.,  159 
Noble,  Mark  A.,  491,  528 
Nominating  Committee:     1886,  23;  1887,  46; 

1888,  70;  1889,  85;   1890,  96;  1891,  117; 

1892,   145    (see  note);   1893,   162;   1894, 

188;    1895,    220;    1896,    236;    1897,    248; 

1898,   283;    1899,   307;    1900,   327;    1901, 

346;    1902,    366;    1903,    427;    1904,    487; 

1905,  516 
Nye,  Theo.  S.,  46,  87,  93,  165,  218,  222 

Oberholser,  Jacob,  31,  68 

Ochs,  Adolph  S.,  451,  452 

Odell,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  358 

Ogden,  Robert  C,  356,  450,  452,  493 

Oglebay,  E.  W.,  451,  490 

O'Gorman,  James  A.,  312 

Ohioans,  Reception  to,  426 

Ohio  Field,  140,  143,  144 

Ohio  Night,  145,  158,  325 

Ohio  Societies,  512 

Ohio  Society  of  Philadelphia,  490 

Oldham,  J.L.,  32 

Organization,  Permanent,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9 

Organization,  Preliminary,  3,  4,  5 

Origin  of  the  Society,  History  of,  27,  28 

Orr,  Wm.  P.,  241,  285 

Osborne,  Mrs.   Emma  Archer,  353 


Otis,  Charles  A.,  245 

Outhwaite,  Joseph  H.,  122,  166,  183 

Paar,  Charles  L.,  350,  394 

Packard,  Miss,  252 

Packard,  Silas  S.,  73,  87,  88,  96,  97,  98,  100, 
102,  108,  116,  117,  118,  121,  125,  139,  140, 
141,  145,  147,  158,  162,  163,  165,  166, 
188,  189,  190,  194,  214,  218,  220,  222,  231 
236,  240,  242,  248,  251,  267,  270,  281       ' 

Packard,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  219,  242,  252,  280,  282, 
307 

Palmer,  LoweU  M.,  32,  68,  87,  166,  188,  240, 
284,  310,  331,  356,  367,  368,  397,  435, 
450,  451 

Parker,  Andrew  McClean,  435,  491,  494 

Parker,  Edward  W.,  494 

Parker,  George  M.,  491 

Parker,  James,  13,  32,  366 

Parker,  Orrel  A.,  394,  398,  451,  452,  488,  489, 
490,  491,  494,  516,  528 

Parkhurst,  Charles  H.,  195,  214 

Parsons,  Samuel  H.,  283,  284,  310,  327,  331, 
345,  347,  348,  349,  350,  351,  356,  364,  365, 
367,  368,  369,  397,  420,  435,  446,  450, 
453,  484,  488,  489,  490,  516,  528 

Parsons,  Mrs.  S.  H.,  311 

Patterson,  John  H.,  450,  528 

Patrick,  E.  H.,  491 

Pavey,  Frank  T.,  284,  451 

Payne,  Henry  B.,  14,  16,  17,  20,  21,  33 

Pease,  George  L.,  87 

Peet,  Charles  B.,  75,  87,  96,  102,  103,  120, 
163,  165,  166,  188,  189,  218,  222 

Peet,  William  C,  13,  32 

Peixotto,  B.  F.,  13,  32,  35,  36,  37,  39,  51, 
70,  85,  87,  100 

PeLxotto,  George  D.  M.,  70,  72,  73,  75,  350, 

Pendleton,  Francis  Key,  92,  490,  528 

Pendleton,  Geo.  H.,  36,  92,  100 

Pendleton,  Raymond  C,  280,  307,  310,  331, 

350,  356,  365,  393 
Penfield,  Mrs.,  252 
Penfield,  Mrs.  R.  C,  311 
Permanent  Organization,  Committee  on,  5 

— Committee  Increased,  7 
Perkins,  George  W.,  231,  251,  347,  368,  398, 

450,  490,  528 
Perkins,  Mrs.,  311 
Perry,  Miss,  70 
Peters,  Bernard,  8,  11,  14,  15,  16,  32,  46,  68, 

73,  102  »      .      » 

Peters,  Mrs.  Bernard,  280 
Phelps,  E.  J.,  139 
Phillip,  M.  B.,  32 

Pictures  Exhibited,  37,  50,  72,  162,  353 
Pierson,  Frank  H..  32 
Plimpton,   Henrv   B.   C.  247,  280    «8''    084 

306,  307,  308,  310,  327,  331,  349,  350,  "356 


657 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Plumb,  P.  B.,  33,  44,  60,  77 

Pool,  Harvvood  R.,  32,  35,  46,  68 

Pool,  Joseph,  4,  5,  7,  9,  12,  13,  14,  29,  32,  35, 

40,  44,  47,  68,  75 
Pool,  Mrs.  Joseph,  36,  40 
Porter,  D.  M.,  28 

Porter,  Horace,  126,  166,  178,  241,  245 
Porter,  John  Addison,  251 
Portrait,  A.  R.  Chaffee,  484 

— E.  L.  Drake,  484 

—A.  J.  C.  Foye,  516 

— James  A.  Garfield,  346 

— ^^Villiam  Henry  Harrison,  85 

— William  Henry  Harrison,  103 

—Myron  T.  Herrick,  512 

— Cornelius  N.  Hoagland,  347 

—Charles  W.  Moulton,  190 

—Silas  S.  Packard,  307 

—William  T.  Sherman,  95 

—William  T.  Sherman,  148 

—William  L.  Strong,  187 

—William  L.  Strong,  190 

— Wager  Swayne,  117 

—William  H.  Taft,  484 
Post,  Charles  A.,  32,  69 
Potter,  Henry  C,  231,  252,  253,  255 
Powell,  J.  H.,  33 

Prentiss,  Evarts  L.,  162,  188,  220,  222,  236, 
237,  238,  248,  250,  251,  280,  284,  306,  307, 
310,  327,  331,  347,  349,  350,  356,  366,  368, 
393   398 
Prentiss,  Frederick  C,  13,  32 
Prentiss,  Frederick  J.,  13,  32 
Presidents 

— Preliminary         Organization,         Ewing, 
Thomas,  5 

—1886,  Ewing,  Thomas,  8 

—1886,  Ewing,  Thomas,  29 

—1887,  Ewing,  Thomas,  46 

— 1888,  Swayne,  AVager,  73 

—1889,  Swayne,  Wager,  85 

— 1890,  Swavne,  Wager,  96 

—1891,  Strong,  Wm.  L.,  117 

—1892,  Strone,  Wm.  L.,  145 

—1893,  Strong,  Wm.  L.,  162 

—1894,  Burnett,  Henry  L.,  188 

—1895,  Burnett,  Henry  L.,  220 

—1896,  Burnett,  Henry  L.,  236 

—1897,  Burnett,  Henry  L.,  248 

—1898,  Southard,  Milton  I.,  282 

—1899,  Southard,  Milton  I.,  307 

—1900,  Southard,  Milton  I.,  327 

—1901,  Hovt,  Colgate,  347 

—1902,  Hovt,  Colgate,  367 

—1903,  McCook,  J.  J.,  435 

—1904,  McCook,  J.  J.,  488 

—1905,  McCook,  J.  J.,  516 
President's  Badge,  163 

— Speech  of  presentation,  165 
PrettjTnan,  H.  H.,  231,  241 


Pritchard,  Daniel,  32,  44,  102,  117,  165,  222, 

251,  306,  308,  310,  446 
Pryor,  Roger  A.,  77,  80 
Putnam,  Rufus,  27,  87,  219,  245 

Quinn,  W.  H.,  13 

Raff,  Norman  C,  356,  398,  445,  451,  488,  489 

Randolph,  George  F.,  331 

Rea,  Samuel,  493 

Recording  Secretary 
—1886,  Lake,  Carson,  8 
—1886,  Mitchell,  J.  G.,  29 
—1887,  Upson,  William  Ford,  46 
—1888,  Bliss,  Charles  F.,  73 
—1889,  Bruch,  Edw.  B.,  85 
—1890,  Bruch,  Edw.  B.,  96 
—1891,  HoUis,  H.  H.,  118 
—1892,  Ewing,  Thomas,  Jr.,  145 
—1893,  Miller,  Marion  M.,  162 
—1894,  Miller,  Marion  M.,  188 
—1895,  Swayne,  Noah  H.,  2d,  220 
—1896,  Swayne,  Noah  H.,  2d,  236 
—1897,  Swayne,  Noah  H.,  2d,  248 
—1898,  Sullivan,  Walter  S.,  282 
—1899,  Sullivan,  Walter  S.,  307 
—1900,  Morris,  Charles  W.,  327 
—1901,  Morris,  Charles  W.,  347 
—1902,  Morris,  Charles  W.,  367 
—1903,  Morris,  Charles  W.,  435 
—1904,  Stewart,  Seth  Thaver,  488 
—1905,  Stewart,  Seth  Thayer,  516 

Reed,  Joel,  28 

Reed,  Thomas,  28 

Raid,  Whitelaw,  8,  12,  16,  22,  28,  29,  32, 
46,  49,  56,  57,  68,  75,  89,  124,  125,  126, 
129,  131,  137,  140,  236,  239,  251,  284, 
285,  295,  309,  331,  347,  354,  356,  367, 
397,  398,  399,  450,  490,  528 

Reid,  Mrs.  Whitelaw,  126,  399 

Reinmund,  H,  J.,  33,  166 

Resolutions 

—In  honor  of  H.  L.  Burnett,  271  to  278 
— In  honor  of  Mayor-elect  Strong,  188 
— In  memory  of  James  M.  Ashley,  236 
— In  memory  of  J.  Munroe  Brown,  23 
— In  memory  of  Asa  S.  Bushnell,  448 
— In  memory  of  S.  S.  Cox,  84 
— In  memorj'  of  Thomas  Ewing,    222    to 

229 
— In  memory  of  Charles  Foster,  448 
— In  memory  of  A.  J.  C.  Foy^,  514 
— In  honor  of  Marcus  A.  Hanna,  484 
— In  memory  of  John  Hay,  516  to  527 
— In  memory  of  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  146 
— In  memory  of  George  Hoadley,  367 
— In  memory  of  Wm.  Hunter,  23 
— In  memory  of  William  McKinley,  345 
— In  memory  of  Mrs.  McKinley,  251 
— In  memory  of  Charles  W.  Moulton,  52 


658 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Resolutions   (Cont.) 
— In  memory  of  Geo.  K.  Nash,  490 
— In  memory  of  Silas  S.  Packard,  281 
— In  memory  of  Wm.  T.  Sherman,  108  to 

115 
— In  memory  of  M.  I.  Southard,  513 
— In  memory  of  Wager  Swayne,  394 
— In  memory  of  Wm.  L.  Tidball,  147 
— In  memory  of  Samuel  Thomas,  395 
— In  memory  of  William  Windom,  103 

Rice,  W.  T.,  144 

Richards,  John  K.,  311,  353,  356 

Richardson,  J.  M.,  231 

Rickoff,  Andrew  J.,  14,  32,  68 

Ricksecker,  Theo.,  32,  46,  68,  222 

Riley,  James  Whitcomb,  104 

Rixey,  P.  M.,  311 

Roberts,  Ellis  H.,  159,  166 

Robinson,  Daniel,  Jr.,  33,  166,  345,  451 

Rockefeller,  John  D.,  240,  397 

Rockwell,  C.  O.,  36 

Rockwell,  Mrs.  C.  O.,  36 

Rodarmor,  John  F.,  32,  166,  222 

Rodgers,  Frederick,  449,  450,  452 

Roe,  Gilbert  E.,  492 

Rooms  at  Waldorf-Astoria,  247 

Roosevelt,  Robert  B.,  356 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  232,  309,  311,  323,  325, 
399 

Root,  E.  W.,  32,  69 

Root,  Henrv  B.,  345 

Rosecrans,  W.  S.,  v7,  104 

Ruch,  Lewis  C,  398,  427,  446,  451,  490,  494, 
528 

Rusk,  J.  M.,  104,  122,  139 

Russell,  George  S.,  490 

Russell,  William  E.,  104 

Ruthrauff,  Charles  C,  494 

Ryan,  Patrick,  356,  366,  398,  451,  452,  494 

St.  Clair,  Arthur,  87 
Sadler,  J.  F.,  32,  69 
Safford,  W.  M.,  4,  32,  69 
Sanford,  Mrs.,  242 
Sargent,  Winthrop,  27 
Savler,  JNIilton,  4,  33 
Scarritt,  Winthrop  E.,  512 
Schenck,  General,  17,  77 
Schmidlapp,  J.  G.,  450,  490,  528 
Schooley,  John  C,  32,  75 
Schuckers,  J.  W.,  85 
Schwan  Louis  M.,  4,  32 
Scott,  George,  33,  103 
Scott,  Ir\ing  M.,  355 
Scott,  N.  B.,  355,  356,  492 
Scovel,  Sylvester  F.,  166,  182 
Seal,  design  adopted,  14 
Secretary 
— Preliminary     Organization,     Harbaugh, 
David  F.,  5 


—1886,  Lee,  Homer,  8 
—1886,  Lee,  Homer,  29 
—1887,  Lee,  Homer,  46 
—1888,  Higley,  Warren,  73 
—1889,  Higley,  Warren,  85 
—1890,  Higley,  Warren,  96 
—1891,  Upson,  Wm.  Ford,  118 
—1892,  Upson,  Wm.  Ford,  145 
—1893,  Prentiss,  Evarts  L.,  162 
—1894,  Prentiss,  Evarts  L.,  188 
—1895,  Prentiss,  Evarts  L.,  220 
—1896,  Prentiss,  Evarts  L.,  236 
—1897,  Prentiss,  Evarts  L.,  248 
—1898,  Blymyer,  Wm.  H.,  282 
—1899,  Blymyer,  Wm.  H.,  307 
—1900,  Hagar,  Albert  F.,  327 
—1901,  Hagar,  Albert  f .,  347 
—1902,  Applegate,  Francis  M.,  367 
— 1903,  Applegate,  Francis  M.,  435 
— 1904,  Applegate,  Francis  M.,  488 
— 1905,  Applegate,  Francis  M.,  516 

Seigfried,  A.  H.,  32 

Severance,  Louis  H.,  283,  284,  452 

Seward,  Wm.  H.,  397 

Shattuck,  Mrs.  A.  D.,  352 

Shaw,  Albert,  327,  350,  445,  489,  528 

Shaw,  James  G.,  494 

Shaw,  Leslie  M.,  492 

Shayne,  Christopher  C,  44,  49,  52,  54,  56,  70, 
73,  190,  194,  218,  219,  233,  237,  238,  239, 
251,  280,  283,  284,  356 

Shayne,  Mrs.  Christopher  C,  51,  219 

Sheldon,  Frank  L.,  327 

Sheridan,  Philip  H.,  14,  60,  87,  89 

Sherlock,  James,  356 

Sherman,  Hoyt,  455 

Sherman,  Miss,  36,  51 

Sherman,  John,  14,  16,  17,  18,  22,  33,  43, 
46,  56,  59,  89,  104,  188,  253,  307,  400, 
452 

Sherman,  P.  Tecumseh,  231,  394,  398,  446, 
451,  452,  489,  528 

Sherman,  William  T.,  13,  36,  57,  60,  87,  88, 
89,  91,  92,  93,  108,  115,  119,  145,  233,  437 

Sherman,  Mrs.  W.  T.,  36 

Shillito,  Wallace,  13,  33 

Shoppell,  R.  W.,  33 

Shotwell,  Theodore,  32,  68 

Shotwell,  William  W.,  32,  68 

Silk  banner  presented  by  John  T.  Granger, 
283 

Silver  wedding  of  First  Cleveland  Troop, 
367 

Sindelar,  Thomas  A.,  400,  493 

Sisson,  H.  H.,  85,  165,  350,  356,  487 

Sloan,  John,  159 

Slocum,  J.  J.,  21,  29,  32,  33,  68 

Smith,  Ballard,  126 

Smith,  Isabell,  36 

Smith,  John  A.,  32,  69,  102,  162,  188 


659 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Smith,  Richard,  17,  126 
Smith,  Mrs.  Sydney,  311 
Smith,  WiUiam  Henry,  14,  17,  <2-2,  23,  29,  32, 

56,  68,  87,  97 
Southard,  Milton  I,,  4,  5,  7,  8,  23,  32,  44, 
54,  68,  73,  92,  100,  102,  104,  145,  162, 
163,  166,  188,  194,  220,  222,  231,  236,  240, 
242,  248,  251,  280,  282,  283,  284,  285, 
287,  306,  307,  309,  311,  312,  313,  325, 
327,  328,  330,  331,  341,  345,  347,  348, 
349,  350,  351,  356,  366,  367,  394,  395, 
397,  398,  427,  443,  445,  447,  448,  450, 
451,  452,  484,  488,  489,  490,  512 
Southard,  Mrs.  M.  I.,  36,  219,  252,  280,  306, 

311,  512 
Souvenir  of  Army  and  Navy  Banquet,  452 

—Plate,  400 
Speech,  Beck,  J.  M.,  364 

— Beveridge,  A.  J.,  363 

— Bliss,  Cornelius  N.,  80 

— Brice,  Calvin  S.,  92 

— Bruce,  M.  Linn,  501 

—Burnett,  Henry  L.,  156,  196,  232,  443 

— Bushnell,  Asa  S.,  233,  242,  253,  299 

— Cassini,  Count,  406 

— Choate,  Joseph  H.,  234 

— Coghlan,  J.  B.,  510 

—Campbell,  James  E.,  30,   105,   122,   160, 
322,  383 

— Canfield,  J.  H.,  429 

— Dana,  Charles  A.,  65 

—Dayton,  L.  M.,  115 

— Depevv,  Chauncey,  63,  87,  90,  132,  415 

— Elkins,  Stephen  B.,  130 

—Eliot,  Samuel  A.,  243 

— Ewing,  Thomas,  9,  17,  41,  57,  73,  89,  151 

— Ewing,  Thomas,  Jr.,  157,  380 

—Fairbanks,  Charles  W.,  363,  497 

— Fogg,  William  Perry,  53 

— Foraker,  Joseph  B.,359 

—Foster,  Charles,  130 

— Foss,  G.  E.,  471 

— Goff,  John  W.,  209 

—Gray,  George,  286 

— Griswold,  A.  Minor,  78 

— Grosvenor,  C.  H.,  79 

— Guiteau,  John  M.,  115 

— Hanna,  Marcus  A.,  361,  413 

—Harding,  W.  G.,  503 

— Harmon,  Judson,  262 

— Harrison,  Benjamin,  104,  116,  231 

— Hawley,  Joseph  R.,  243 

— Hay,  John,  403 

— Herrick,  Myron  T.,  440,  480 

— Higley,  Warren,  168 

— Hoadiev,  George,  65 

— Holloway,  J.  F.,  157 

—Howard,  O.  O.,  82 

— Hoyt,  Colgate,  358,  369,  401,  436 

— Hoyt,  James  H.,  263,  318,  407,  441 


— Hutchinson,  Grote,  427 

— Kennedy,  James  H.,  371 

—Knox,  P.  C,  359 

— Landis,  C.  B.,  474 

— Larocque,  Joseph,  216 

—Low,  Seth,  200 

— Lounsbury,  105 

— McClure,  Alexander  K.,  135 

— McCook,  J.  J.,  392,  437,  454,  494,  496 

— McKelway,  St.  Clair,  138,  205 

— McKinley,  William,  170,  217,  313 

— McLean,  George  P.,  344 

— Merritt,  Wesley,  301 

—Nash,  George  K.,  321,  343,  375 

— Outhwaite,  Joseph  H.,  183 

—Packard,  S.  S.,  147,  158,  214,  267,  270 

—Plumb,  P.  B.,  44 

— Porter,  Horace,  178 

—Potter,  Henry  C,  255 

— Pryor,  Roger  A.,  80 

— Reid,  Whitelaw,  61,  126,  295 

—Roosevelt,  Theodore,  323 

— Scovil,  S.  F.,  182 

— Sherman,  John,  18 

— Sherman,  William  Tecumseh,  60,  91 

—Southard,  Milton  I.,  285,  312,  341,  443 

— Spitzer,  CeUan  M.,  450 

— Spitzer,  Lyman,  451,  452 

— Spooner,  John  C,  355,  356,  358 

— Sprague,  Charles,  32,  69,  87 

—Strong,  William  L.,  155,  166,  198,  259 

— Swayne,  Wager,  45,  54,  64,  104,  115,  126, 
146,  148,  268 

— Taft,  W.  H.,  457 

— Thoman,  Le  Roy  D.,  107 

— Towne,  C.  A.,  508 

—Wade,  L.  F.,  509 

— Walden,  John  IM.,  177 

—Watson,  David  K.,  108 

— Wheeler,  Joseph,  345 

— Windom,  William,  61,  81 

—Wise,  John  S.,  90 

—Woodruff,  Timothy  L.,  316 

—Wolf,  Simon,  77 
Standing  Committees:   1885,  14,  22;  1886,  29 

1887,  ;  1888,  75;  1889,  87,  1890,  102 

1891,  ;  1892,  note  p.  145;  1893,  165 

1894,    218;    1895,    222;    1896,    240;    1897 
251;    1898,    283;    1899,    308;    1900,    327 
1901,  350;  1902,  393,  394;  1903,  445,  446 
1904,  489;  1905,  528 
Staples,  H.  B.  B.,  166 
Stedman,  Emory  A.,  331,  368,  397,  446,  490, 

528 
Stedman,  Edmund  C,  356,  397 
Stedman,  Francis  B.,  284,  307,  308,  310,  331, 

328,  349,  350,  356,  366,  368,  398 
Steele,  J.  Nevett,  492 
Stelling,  Frank  S.,  528 
Sterl,  O.  W.,  33 


660 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Sterling,  F.  W.,  44 

Sterling,  T.  \V.,  117 

Stem,  Louis,  450,  452 

Stevenson,  J.  Ross,  450,  453 

Stewcart,  George  D.,  397 

Stewart,  Seth  Thayer,  487,  488,  489,  494,  516 

Stewart,  W.  M.,  355,  356 

Stone,  Melville  E.,  493 

Stout,  John  W.,  15,  32,  44,  46,  68,  85,  87,  96, 

102,  145,  162 
Stout,  William  L.,  491 
Straus,  Oscar  S.,  493 
Strong,  Clayton  E.,  452 
Strong,  Miss,  51,  70 
Strong,  Mrs.  Hannah  B.,  21 
Strong,  Putnam  Bradlee,  240,  247,  251,  280, 

307,  308,  310,  327 

Strong,  William  L.,  4,  8,  11,  12,  14,  15,  16, 
21,  28,  29,  32,  35,  40,  43,  44,  46,  49,  52, 
54,  56,  57,  68,  70,  73,  85,  87,  88,  93,  96, 
102,  104,  117,  120,  122,  123,  124,  125,  139, 

140,  141,  143,  144,  145,  146,  147,  148,  155, 
159,  162,  163,  165,  166,  169,  176,  178,  181, 
183,  186,  188,  189,  190,  194,  195,  198,  218, 
219,  222,  231,  235,  239,  240,  242,  247,  248, 
252,  253,  259,  279,  280,  284,  287,  306,  307, 

308,  309,  326 

Strong,  Mrs.  W.  L.,  36,  40,  70,  219,  242,  245, 
252,  280,  306,  311 

Struble,  I.  J.,  32,  69 

Struble,  J.  J.,  44 

Subscription  dinner,  16 

Sullivan,  Algernon  S.,  8,  11,  16,  21,  23,  28, 
29,  32,  44,  46,  47,  68 

Sullivan,  Mrs."  Algernon  S.,  40,  41,  280 

Sullivan,  Walter  S.,  282,  306,  307,  310,  331, 
451,  452 

SwajTie,  Francis  B.,  284,  451,  452 

Swayne,  Noah  H.,  2d,  220,  235,  236,  248,  251, 
280,  282,  283,  306,  308 

Swayne,  Wager,  8,  11,  16,  21,  22,  29,  32,  44, 
46,  49,  52,  54,  56,  57,  68,  70,  72,  73,  74, 
75,  77,  82,  83,  85,  86,  88,  89,  90,  92,  96, 
100,  103,  104,  105,  115,  116,  117,  118,  121, 
123,  124,  125,  126,  129,  130,  137,  139,  140, 

141,  144,  146,  147,  148,  155,  159,  161.  163, 
165,  166,  187,  189,  194,  219,  222,  231,  236, 
237,  239,  240,  245,  247,  251,  252,  268,  270, 
280,  281,  283,  284,  285,  306,  309,  312,  326, 
327,  331,  345,  348,  356,  367,  394,  395 

Swayne,  Mrs.  Wager,  51,  280,  306,  395 

Taft,  Charles  P.,  450,  452 
Taft,  Henry  P.,  516 
Taft,  Henry  W.,  450,  490,  528 
Taft,  William   Howard,   448,   449,   450,   451, 
453,  457,  470 


Taggart,  Rush,  240,  331,  347,  348,  350,  450 
Tangeman,  George  P.,  102,  145,  240,  247,  253, 

284 
Taylor,  Frederick,  160 

Taylor,  S.  Frederick,  398,  427,  451,  452,  489 
Taylor,  Robert  W.,  145,  159,  241,  245,  450, 

452 
Tegethoff,  Charles  C,  451,  490 
Terrell,  H.  L.,  32,  68 
Thoman,  Leroy  D.,  107 
Thomas,  Abner  C,  108 
Thomas,  Mrs.  Abner  C,  352 
Thomas,  Augustus,  355,  358,  397 
Thomas,  Eben  B.,  222,  231,  240,  251,  368,  398, 

435,  450,  487,  488,  490,  516,  528 
Thomas,  Oscar  B.,  350,  356,  393,  528 
Thomas,  Samuel,  4,  32,  35,  40,  54,   75,   121, 
125,  140,  166,  222,  240,  242,  247,  280,  306, 
309,  331,  395,  455 
Thomas,  Mrs.  Samuel,  40,  70 
Thompson,  A.  C,  77,  81 
Thompson,  Landon  S.,  327,  350 
Thurman,  Allan  G.,  17,  116,  220 
Thurman,  Mrs.,  220 
Thwing,  Charles  F.,  516 
ThjTig,  Charles  H.,  32,  68 
Tichenor,  George  C,  231 
TidbaU,  William  F.,  147 
Tifft,  Henry  N.,  493 
Towne,  Charles  A.,  492,  494,  508 
Towne,  Henry  R.,  311 
Townsend,  John  P.,  166 
Tracy,  Benjamin  F.,  450,  452 
Train,  Frederick  C,  102,  165,  194,  247,  284 
Treasurer 

—1886,  Fogg,  Wm.  Perry,  8 

—1886,  Fogg,  Wm.  Perry,  29 

—1887,  Fogg,  Wm.  Perry,  46 

—1888,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  73 

—1889,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  85 

—1890,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  96 

—1891,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  118 

—1892,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  145 

—1893,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  162 

—1894,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  188 

—1895,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  220 

—1896,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  236 

—1897,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  248 

—1898,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  282 

—1899,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  307 

—1900,  Crall,  Leander  H.,  327 

—1901,  Parsons,  Samuel  H.,  347 

—1902,  Parsons,  Samuel  H.,  367 

—1903,  Parsons,  Samuel  H.,  435 

—1904,  Higley,  Warren,  488 

—1905,  Higley,  Warren,  516 


661 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Truax,  Charles  H.,  245 

Truesdale,  William  H.,  490,  528 

Trustees:    1888,  73;   1889,  85,  87;  1890,  96; 

1891,  118;  1892,  145;  1893,  162;  1894, 
188;    1895,    220;    1896,    236;    1897,    248; 

1898,  282;  1899,  307;  1900,  327;  1901, 
347;  1902,  367;  1903,  435;  1904,  488; 
1905,  516 

Tunison,  Joseph  S.,  32,  68 

Turle,  Robert  H.,  331 

Tuttle,  Franklin,  51,  102,  144,  162,  165,  187, 

188,  218,  220,  222,  236,  240,  283,  516 
Twain,  Mark,  104,  341 

Upton,  W.  H.,  17 

Upson,  Ralph  Hazlett,  70 

Upson,  William  ford,  23,  32,  34,  35,  39,  46, 

68,  69,  75,  85,  102,  118,  125,  145,  253,  280, 

284,  310,  327 
Upson,  Mrs.  William  Ford,  311 
Upson,  William  H.,  17,  33 

Vail,  Henry  H.,  118,  240,  247 
Vaillant,  Miss,  51 
Vaillant,  George  H.,  32,  68 
Vance,  Wilson,  366 
Van  Tine,  H.  C,  33 
Van  Wyck,  Augustus,  159,  355 
Varnum,  James  M.,  123 
Vaudeville  Program,  325 
Venable,  W.  H.,  60,  168 
Verdery,  Marion  J.,  492 

Vice-Presidents:    1886,  8;  1886,  29;  1887,  46; 
1888,  73;   1889,  85;  1890,  96;  1891,  117; 

1892,  145;  1893,  162;  1894,  188;  1895, 
220;    1896,    236;    1897,    248;    1898,    282; 

1899,  307;  1900,  327;  1901,  347;  1902, 
367;  1903,  435;  1904,  488;  1905,  516 

Visitors'  Register,  first,  21,  27 

von     Hengervar,     Ladislaus     Hengelmuller, 

396,  397,  398 
von  Holleben,  398 

von  Quadt-Wykradt-Isny,     Count     A.,    396, 

397,  398 

Vrooman,  John  W.,  241,  252,  331 

Wade,  James  F.,  492,  494,  509 

Waggoner,  Ralph  H.,  32,  73,  85,  86,  87,  102, 

108 
Waite,  Morrison  R.,  14,  17,  33,  38,  39,  72,  73 
Waite,  Morrison  R.,  Mrs.,  187 
Walden,  John  M.,  166,  177 
Walker,  J.  P.,  44 

WaUace,  Edw.  S.,  165,  218,  222,  252 
Wallace,  Mrs.  E.  S.,  252 
Wallace,  William  J.,  194 


Waltman,  H.  F.,  222,  240 

Waltman,  H.  H.,  253 

Waltman,  H.  T.,  251 

Ward,  Durbin,  17 

Ward,  Mrs.  Freeman,  252 

Ward,  F.  F.,  307 

Ward,  J.  Q.  A.,  11,  14,  32,  68,  75,  96,  103, 

104,  105,  117,  140,  143,  144,  145,  163,  165, 

166,  218,  222,  240,  251,  283,  284,  310 
Warner,  Willard,  160 
Warren,  Charles  E.,  494 
Washington,  George,  87 
Watson,  David  Kemper,  490 
Watson,  J.    Crittendon,   449,   450,    452,    454, 

483 
Watson,  MerriU,  393,  395,  398,  422,  423,  445, 

452 
Weeks,  John  E.,  494 
Weir,  Louis  C,  347,  368,  397 
Weir,  Mrs.  L.  C,  219 
Welch,  John  J.,  494 
Wells,  Joseph,  32 

Wheeler,  Edward  J.,  13,  32,  398,  446,  489 
Wheeler,  Emmet  B.,  247,  280,  306 
Wheeler,  F.  H.,  75 
Wheeler,  Joseph,  331,  344 
Wheeler,  Thomas  H.,  220,  240,  247,  280,  282, 

284,  306,  307,  310,  327,  331,  347,  356,  368, 

397,  450,  490,  528 
Wheeler,  Mrs.  T.  H.,  252,  306,  311 
White,  Horace,  126 
White,  Mrs.  John  S.,  311 
White,  R.  W.,  331 
Whitehead,  John,  32 
Whitridge,  W.,  51 
Wick,  Caleb  B.,  33,  345 
Wick,  Henry  K.,  33 
Wilkins,  Beriah,  159 
Wilkinson,  Otis,  218,  222 
Williams,  Chtyles  Whitney,  516 
Williams,  L.  A.,  284 
Williams,  Mornay,  331 
Williamson,  Samuel  E.,  455 
Wilson,  Mrs.  A.  B.,  311 
Wilson,  B.  H.,  240 
Wilson,  E.  S.,  252 
Wilson,  George  B.,  312 
Wilson,  Henry   B.,    188,   220,   236,  247,   251, 

253,  280,  284,  306,  309,  331,  356 
Wilson,  Mrs.  Henry  B.,  306 
Wilson,  James  H.,  356,  450,  452 
Windom,  William,  57,  77,  81,  102,  108 
Wing,  C.  B.,  231,  285 
Wing,  Charles  T.,  32,  46,  54,  56,  67 
Wing,  Frank  E.,  32,  49,  67 


662 


OHIO  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Wingate,  George  E.,  120 

Winter,  Charles  A.,  307 

Wise,  Albert  J.,  455 

Wise,  John  S.,  89,  90 

Wolf,   Simon,   77,   88 

Woodford,  Stewart  L.,  17,  108,  285 

WoodruflF,  Timothy  L.,  311,  316,  318,  356 

Work,  Clinton,  28 

Work,  Frank,  28,  32,  75 

World's  Exposition  of  1892,  84,  85 

Worstell,  G.  W.,  32,  69 


Worthington,  J.  W.,  13,  32 
Wright,  M.  B.,  32,  87,  102 
Wylie,  David  G.,  32,  69 

Year  Book  of  the  Society,  first,  29 
Yost,  Joseph  W.,  528 

Zachos,  J.  C,  34,  44,  70 
Zachos,  Miss,  44 
Zinn,  Charles  H.,  87 
Zucher,  Peter,  218 


663 


14  DAY  USE 

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